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Contech-Middletown According to president Patrick Harlow, “As the CEO of a 1,000 employee international construction company, I had the choice of the world for our corporate headquarters. We chose Middletown. It’s at the heart of southwest Ohio on I-75 with two international airports, each less than an hour away. Middletown has a great quality of life and it’s just minutes away from the amenities and assets of both Cincinnati and Dayton.” About 70 percent of Contech’s revenue comes from the sale of corrugated steel pipe. The company is currently working on increasing its revenue by 15 percent a year for the next three years through a combination of market share increases, expanding the marketplace and boosting operational efficiencies. Larry Wood, Middletown Economic Development Corporation director, states: “The exciting story to us is how Contech has used the Middletown location to leverage its position in the market and successfully build its business in a very competitive environment.”
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Akers Packaging Flourishes in MiddletownMiddletown, Ohio has proven to be a successful staging ground for yet another company. Akers Packaging, started by William Akers in 1963, has grown from a workforce of three to one of over 135, with nearly $128 million a year in business. Since its founding in 1963, the Middletown facility has undergone a series of expansions and upgrades. This included a 1996 expansion of 150,000 square feet of manufacturing space and the recent addition of a $1 million two-color dye cutter-printer that will not only increase the efficiency of the plant, but increase its production capacity as well. “Middletown is a great place to work and raise a family,” said Joe Lyons, a spokesman for Akers Packaging. Lyons attributes Akers’ success to the good school system, the excellent work ethic of the people, a community culture that feeds economic growth, and the city’s strategic location along I-75 between Dayton and Cincinnati. “By being almost exactly between the two larger markets, we virtually double our options,” said Lyons. “We have two international airports, two larger markets to sell to, and the ability to get our products to customers with minimum effort and expense.” Throughout the years, Akers has worked with the Middletown Economic Development Corporation and the City of Middletown, and has been an active member of the Mid-Miami Valley Chamber of Commerce. The Middletown Economic Development
Corporation, directed by Larry Wood, has proven to be a valuable asset to
many companies who seek professional assistance in their development and
expansion efforts. MEDC works to retain business in the city, and to
provide consultative services to Middletown-area businesses.
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Aerospace leader finds success in MiddletownAeronca, a division of Magellan Aerospace Corporation, and a leading manufacturer of aircraft components and other aerospace technologies, was founded in Cincinnati in 1928 and was moved to Middletown in 1940 following the disastrous 1937 Ohio River flood. For Aeronca, like many other companies in Middletown, its success has been largely influenced by the city’s close proximity to I-75, the Cincinnati and Dayton international airports, and Middletown’s own Hook Field. “We have a tremendous advantage, by being able to choose from a variety of air freight providers,” said Keith Wyman, Aeronca’s Director of Marketing. “Aeronca also benefits from the large pool of experienced aerospace talent in the region, and a very high quality work ethic,” Wyman said. “We’ve also enjoyed a fine working relationship with the Middletown Economic Development Corporation, the City of Middletown and the Economic Development Department of the State of Ohio,” Wyman added. Aeronca is located on 39 acres of land adjacent to Hook Field. It was the first U S company to market light and affordable general aviation aircraft. Aeronca is currently expanding to accommodate additional office space and manufacturing. This expansion sets the stage for future growth and will smooth the manufacturing flow of acoustically treated systems in Beta 21S, a titanium alloy with unique and superior mechanical properties. Aeronca is a primary supplier to Hurel-Hispano, a SNECMA Group Company, located in Le Havre, France. In July, 2002, Aeronca received the “Excellence in Exporting” Award from Ohio Governor Bob Taft. www.aeroncainc.com
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Middletown-MTR MartcoSupplying the Backbone of the Paper IndustryMTR Martco, formerly Martco, has been in Middletown since 1967. As a leading manufacturer and supplier of new and refurbished paper mill machinery for the paper industry throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico, it has greatly benefited from its strategic location in Middletown along I-75. In 1998, the company was purchased by Tom Bake and Ray McIntosh, two former employees, and has since seen a 25 percent increase in sales. “We are very fortunate to be in Middletown, where the general knowledge base of the paper industry has enabled us to find good quality, skilled and loyal employees. The average service of our employees is just over 15 years,” said Ray McIntosh, co-owner. Currently, MTR Martco employs 28 people from the Middletown area, and as business dictates, will most likely develop the need for more skilled workers. The company is currently working with Larry Wood, director of the Middletown Economic Development Corporation, on an expansion project to break ground in April that will add six thousand square feet of manufacturing space to its current location. “The Middletown Economic Development Corporation and the City of Middletown have been instrumental in aiding our business growth and development over the past four years. It is Middletown’s close proximity to I-75 and its centralized location in the Midwest that has played a key role in enabling us to efficiently serve our customers throughout the Midwest and the United States,” said McIntosh. Some of the companies that MTR services include: The Newark Group, Sonoco and the Rock-Tenn Group. The paper industry is still very much alive in the United States. It is MTR Martco’s ability to find quality workers combined with Middletown’s logistically beneficial location that has kept MTR Martco right in the center of such an important industry.
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Coyne Textile Services – Centrally Located in MiddletownManufacturing companies need a consistent, reliable source for cleaning, processing and laundering industrial uniforms, gloves, mats and shop towels. To provide this service to AK Steel and other manufacturers in the Dayton-Springfield-Cincinnati region, Coyne Textile Services relocated their operation to Middletown, Ohio in April 2001 from Huntington, West Virginia. Sam Porto, terminal manager for Coyne, says, “Our Middletown terminal is ideally located to provide regularly scheduled route service to AK Steel and industries all over the Miami Valley. The Middletown location makes it easy to provide that consistent, reliable service that our clients depend on.” Located on Cincinnati-Dayton Road, the terminal has a staff of seven people. The facility was equipped with state-of-the-art technology using a bar-code system with RF (radio frequency) chips attached to each uniform or item. The Coyne scanners provide information as to how many times the item has been washed or turned, and when the item should be replaced. “Thanks to the help received from the Middletown Economic Development Corporation and the City of Middletown, relocating here made it an easy, effortless operation. Larry Wood in particular was very helpful in facilitating the many details involved in the move,” said Sam Porto. Coyne Textile
Services has 44 locations in the east, midwest and south.
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Bay
West tops building starts
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Middletown Helps Pilot Chemical Celebrate
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Middletown is a great
hub By GLENNA FISHER One of the greatest
advantages downtown Middletown has to offer a new business is something
Gary Recker learned only after selecting the old red brick building
at 1210 Girard Ave. that houses his company, Recker Custom Woodworks. “I
wouldn’t call it happenstance—I would call it a blessing that put us here
because I don’t think I have enough foresight to have seen it, but our
location is a great hub,” Recker said. Beginning with one apprentice and annual billing between $150,000 and $200,000, Recker Custom Woodworks has grown to employ 22 people fulltime with annual billing of $1.3 million. Currently two of the four floors in the building are in use and Recker expects the company to expand into a third floor in 2003. Recker said his work with Middletown builders Chris DeBord, Dan Fishbaugh, Courtney Duff and Richard Augsberger is a breath of fresh air. “It kind of spoils us,” he said. “A lot of our jobs are 45 minutes away so it’s really great to work in town.” Recent commercial jobs include Fenwick High School and AK’s lobby.. Craftsmen employed by the company are trained onsite. Most apprentices come from trim carpentry backgrounds with medium-level skills. “Even if they come from another shop, we train them here, because no two shops build something the same way,” he said. In addition, Recker requires that his woodworkers research their work. Buying from reputable sources means Recker can expect good technical support from his suppliers. “I’m pretty adventurous. We don’t usually say we can’t do anything,” he said. Recker sees a promising future in downtown Middletown as offices and retail establishments move into the area. He sees great potential as well in Middletown Regional Hospital’s relocation and expansion. “I’d like to see those technicians and doctors live in Middletown and not in West Chester and Dayton and other places,” he said. To encourage that Recker would like to see a Parade of Homes or Homearama in Middletown and he believes that should happen before the hospital is built and before physicians and other health care and technical professionals have settled in outlying areas. It won’t work to try to bring them back once they’ve located elsewhere, he said. Recker believes Middletown can do more to let its advantages be known. “The bottom line is business,” he said. “What are we doing downtown to draw office and retail business?” He said once businesses are here they feel the benefits but, first, prospective businesses must know about tax incentives and grants available for downtown businesses such as façade grants or equipment grants. He said once a business is established and successful the city benefits for many years and a five-year incentive to a business can result in significant payback. One of the keys to Recker’s success has been his relationship with other business people in town, many of whom have given him advice over the years. They include Adam Cristo, Ed Epperson and Gary Daubenmmire. He’s gotten to know them either by doing work for them or by using them as a supplier. Listening to them and talking with them has enhanced his business success. Relationships have been important from the outset. When he began his business Recker visited Dohn’s Hardware and explained that he was starting a new business and had little money in his bank account but wanted to set up an account. “I didn’t have to jump through hoops,” he said. “ Dave Dohn shook my hand and said he’d get the paper to me the following week but in the meantime I could begin charging. With a handshake I had an account.” He added that getting started with Denny Lumber was much the same. “Gary Daubenmire does all my printing,” Recker said. “I’ve done work for his business and in his home. If he were a printer in Cincinnati, I’d be just another job on his job board. There is definitely value in that.” Recker believes Middletown could improve its presentation. He pointed out that while we celebrate AK’s landscaping of the entryway to the city, just behind that entrance are weeds six feet tall. While Middletown is working on the problem, there is still work to be done.
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Woodworker knows no boundaries Recker’s business grows to $1.2M in 2001 sales. Recker Custom Woodworks owner Gary Recker has two more floors in his 1210 Girard Ave. building to grow into. It’s a good thing. Grow, it seems, is all Recker does. Recker, 36, started from his Aberdeen Drive garage. Now in it’s 10th year, his woodworking shop has grown from one to 22 full-time employees, and today he has two fabricating shops in Dayton, besides company offices and a fabricating shop on Girard. Recker bought the brick, four-floor building, built in 18+9, from Dick Capozzi in 1993. The 40,000-square-foot building- Recker uses about 26,000 square feet – has proved perfect for aesthetic and geographic reasons, Recker said. He values the wood floors and rafters; he likes being able to serve customers in Cincinnati, Dayton and Columbus from a central location. "It couldn’t have been any more easy to get started," Recker said. Sales in Recker’s first year of business were a relatively scant $50,000. Last year, Recker saw $1.2 million in sales. This year: He expects sales of up to $1.6 million. "We just kept growing," Recker said. "We couldn’t stop almost." "I recommend him to numerous people," said Don Hawkins owner of Middletown Security Systems. Recker built bookcases and file cases for Hawkins’ home and office, Hawkins said. He was a Recker customer about seven years ago before he hired Recker again last year. "I liked his work, and he did what he said he would do, as far as I’m concerned," Hawkins said. Talk to Recker’s customers and that becomes a refrain. Recker said he has been "blessed" with good customers. In fact, his standard contract is only a paragraph long, he said. "We take whatever your dream is and we create it," he said. Recker is getting attention these days. A Mid-Miami Valley Chamber of Commerce "business after hours" gathering was held at his Girard shop Thursday. The gatherings are held each month at a different location, hosted by chamber members. Recker admitted that his prices could be on the high side. But for a good reason; He insists that he doesn’t cut corners. He is choosy with wood supplies. None of his wood fabricating is computer controlled, although drawings and rendering are done on computer. And he continues to invest. He is debuting a $92,000 molding line, which will open another craftsmen position at the business. A potential customer focused on cost above all may end up looking elsewhere, Recker said. But quality remains his goal. Recker pointed to color photographs – some saves as computer monitor screen savers around his office – of past jobs. One basement bar cost $90,000, he said. "We don’t have any boundaries." He said.
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TERMINIX COMMERCIAL CONSOLIDATES With the assistance of the Middletown Economic Development Corporation and the Mohr Partners, a Texas real estate brokerage firm, Terminix Commercial has found a new location in Middletown Ohio. The new 6,000 square foot facility is located in Greentree Commerce Park just off Cincinnati-Dayton Road at 4785 Emerald Way, Suite B. The office/warehouse facility will serve commercial clients in southwest Ohio, northern Kentucky and southeast Indiana. The new location combines the staff of the former Cincinnati and Dayton locations into the largest division of Terminix Commercial. The company will employ 75 persons generating an annual payroll in excess of $2.2 million. David Joles, Branch Manager, said “ The selection of Middletown for the new facility was based on three major criteria. The City is situated ideally to effectively and efficiently serve our customers. It is located at the epicenter of our market right on I-75. Secondly, the prospect for future growth of business in the Middletown area is very significant. The Cincinnati-Dayton market is beginning to unify and the greatest growth opportunities lie between these two large metropolitan areas. We already have many Middletown customers but we expect our customer base to expand with the growth of the Middletown area. Lastly, the facility was affordable and fit our needs. We are very pleased with the reception afforded us by the owner of the building and the Middletown Economic Development Corporation.” Larry Wood, Interim Director of the Middletown Economic Development Corporation, says “David’s evaluation of advantages afforded by a Middletown location is on target. We are very glad they chose to locate in the Middletown’s Greentree Commerce Park. They join a growing number of successful businesses which have discovered the Middletown advantage, location.“ Terminix Commercial is a division of The ServiceMaster Quality Service Network that includes: Trugreen-Chemlawn, Rescue Rooter, SiteService, Furniture Medic, Merry Maids, and American Home Shield. The new Middletown operation specializes in pest control for: manufacturing, distribution and warehousing; food processing; healthcare facilities; property management; restaurants; and educational facilities.
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Cincinnati Business Courier 4/19/02
Writer: Lisa Benson
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Granger Plastics - Expanding
in Middletown Established - has grown - still growing. Granger Plastics, a rotational molder of plastics, has been doing business in Middletown since 1995. The company offers a wide variety of products that are tailor-made to organizations such as the U.S. Department of Defense, Airborne Express, and manufacturers of tornado shelters. Granger has already expanded once in 1999, in which they added 10,000 square feet of manufacturing space to facilitate further growth, so that it could better meet customers' needs. Granger currently employs 55 employees in the Middletown area, and will be adding a new processing machine in the near future. This addition will most likely require further expansion and property acquisition in the Middletown area, according to Jim Cravens, Vice President. The Middletown Economic Development Corporation has been instrumental in making doing business in Middletown as beneficial as possible for Granger. "The past eight yeas has proven to very successful for Granger Plastics, and the continuance of it's association with MEDC, Granger will be able to expand and acquire new levels of success" said Jim Cravens.
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Diamonds are ForeverA Rogers Jewelers and Middletown Success StoryMiddletown is as good as gold for Rogers Jewelers. Rogers has been in the diamond and jewelry industry for over 80 years and prides itself on its ability to make good investments. Middletown has proven to offer a generous return. Middletown has been home to the Rogers Corporate Headquarters since 1937. It all started in a small shop that spanned nine feet wide by sixty feet long. Today, the same hometown sense remains as a privately held family jeweler continues to be successful under CEO and President Jeffery Lazarow. Rogers Jewelers, also operating under the name Andrews Jewelers, has grown to incorporate 660 people in 42 retail stores throughout the Midwest and has received recognition as the 17th largest diamond and jewelry retailer in the United States. While most jewelers are struggling to maintain downtown locations, Rogers chose to partner with the city of Middletown in the newly refurbished Rogers Jewelers downtown location in the Fifth Third Bank building. One of the main reasons for Rogers’s success is “our ability to develop talented and loyal associates who have learned and developed the skills required to best serve the customers’ needs,” said Richard Isroff, Executive Vice President of Merchandising for Rogers Ltd. Mr. Isroff continued, “Rogers has benefited from Middletown’s ability to provide a prime distribution location with respect to business development and growth. We have been able to succeed in penetrating markets along the I-75 corridor and throughout Ohio.” The Middletown Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) has been instrumental in the success and development of Rogers. Mr. Isroff serves as a board member of the Mid-Miami Valley Chamber of Commerce and is also the President of the Downtown Middletown Partnership. Each organization has proven to be a valuable asset to Rogers and other companies when doing business in Middletown and throughout the Miami Valley, and will “continue to promote business and economic development in the region” said Larry wood director of MEDC.
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Middletown-Pro
Pipe Over the past several years, Pro-Pipe has been a member of the Mid-Miami Valley Chamber of Commerce, and has worked closely with the City of Middletown in its efforts to improve the buildings on Clayton Avenue, and Marietta Street. Pro-Pipe attributes its long-lived success to the quality, and loyalty of the workers that it has hired from the Middletown area, and its strategic location. The decision to choose Middletown as a location for operations has proven to be very beneficial to Pro-Pipe, and it hopes to continue to grow and take advantage of the opportunities that the Middletown community has to offer.
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Middletown Helps Hightowers Petroleum
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Middletown is a Great Place to Practice Law Frost Brow Todd LLC, a major law firm with over 350 attorneys maintains one of its seven offices in Middletown. :" Middletown is a great place to practice law, Butler and Warren Counties are both experiencing high growth with many new and expanding businesses. Both counties are also experiencing a significant increase in high income residential development. The revenues of our Middletown offices have grown each year the firm has operated in Middletown" "In year 2000 when we needed to expand our space, we choose to remain in Middletown. The City of Middletown worked with our developer to find an appropriate site for an office building in downtown Middletown. Our occupancy cost is lower than our major city offices. The location is great for our clients and employees. We are located right across the street from the Ohio Twelfth District Court of Appeals." Middletown is at the center of the highest growth areas in Southwest Ohio and just a short drive to the amenities and assets of both Cincinnati and Dayton. "Our Middletown office is close enough to Cincinnati to share attorneys and support staff with our Cincinnati office. In fact, "we have had employees as to transfer to the Middletown office to enjoy the free parking and ease of the commute." "Middletown is a great place to operate a law firm or any professional service firm serving Southern Ohio," explains Tom Swope a managing member of the Middletown office.
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Over A Century of Steelmaking When George M. Verity founded the American Rolling Mill Company (Armco) in 1900, he had two basic objectives: to make special grades of metals to exacting requirements, and to foster a better standard of industrial relations. Verity's commitment to both etched his place in history as a true pioneer in American Manufacturing. His faith in a workforce eager to make a difference turned his daring vision into a true American success story. And by doing so, he forever placed Middletown at the heart of the industrial heartland. Much was learned in the early years of steelmaking in Middletown. Most notably was the need to further integrate manufacturing operations - a trend the industry termed "big mill practice" The newly constructed East Works was a bold expression for a company still feeling it's way through the new product and process technologies and emerging markets was the auto industry, which served as a prime vehicle for future growth and prosperity for Middletown's high quality steel. Breakthrough technologies have been synonymous with Middletown. In 1903 researchers developed the process of making electrical steel. In 1910, Middletown became to be the industry's first full-time research department. In fact, throughout the 20th Century, Middletown Works consistently blazed trails developing new steel chemistries to solve product application challenges As the post war boom era evolved into an age of inflation and recession, steel customers faced tougher challenges to maintain their competitive edge. They wanted lighter, stronger and longer-lasting steels, delivered on time and without error. Middletown Works dedicated itself to meeting those challenges by investing in new production facilities, product development, technical support and customer services. Over 100 years and over 135 million tons later, Middletown Works, now a part of AK Steel, headquartered in Middletown, is one of the most vibrant steel plants in the world. While several steel companies in the United States have survived for 100 years, none have thrived like Middletown. The Middletown Works is today considered by many to be the safest, most productive and most profitable integrated carbon steel plant in the country. AK Steel is the industry leader in production of flat-rolled carbon, stainless and electrical steel products for use in automotive, appliance, construction and manufacturing markets. AK Steel also produces snow and ice control products. The company is a Fortune 500 company with $4 billion of sales and 10,700 employees at major steelmaking plants and offices in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indian and Kentucky.
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Midd-Cities restores life to ex-Armco storage
site
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Mark to Expand Operations, Relocate to
Middletown (Middletown, January 24, 2001) - Through the combined efforts of the Middletown Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) and SRS Realty, Mark/Trece Steel Rule Dies has procured a new home of its business operations within the City of Middletown at 1310 Hook Industrial Drive. Based in Baltimore, MD., Mark/Trece has seven operations in the United States and the Caribbean including one just outside Middletown in a 6,000-square-foot facility on Franklin-Madison Road. The company provides the flexography printing industry with plates for a wide variety of printing needs, with steel rule cutting dies for the corrugated industry being manufactured locally. Mark/Trece has been at its present location since 1998, but needs to expand operations by adding equipment and personnel to support a growing customer base. MEDC assisted with site identification and SRS Realty represented the owner of the 10,400-square-foot facility at 1310 Hook Industrial Drive. "We're a growing company that is looking forward to moving into a growing community," said Bob Berning, Vice President of Operations for Mark/Trece Steel Rule Dies. The new location will allow the operation to more than double production capacity - the capacity of existing equipment. The new building will permit the company to install additional equipment and add office space. The move to the new location is tentatively scheduled to take place March 1. "We're excited to start the new year with an addition to the Middletown industrial base," said Larry Wood, MEDC Interim Director. "Mark/Trece is a quality company with a bright future. Hopefully they'll grow right along with us." Currently, there are 11 people employed at Mark/Trece locally, with the total number of employees potentially reaching 20 by the end of the year, according to Berning. -Return to Top-
Copyright © 2005 Middletown
Economic Development Corporation. All rights reserved. |
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