Compiled by Laura Burdette, Jennifer Jett, Dawn Nolan, April Plank and Kensie Westerfield
It’s not impossible to imagine an outsider taking one step across the West Virginia border and being intimidated with the heights of the surrounding mountains, the tight turns of both the highways and back roads, the narrow valleys and the ever-changing four seasons. For centuries, men and women have been bringing their families over the ridges and through the lowlands of the Mountain State, every step a struggle as they fought for prosperity in this wilderness. The peaks and hollows, the rural communities and country roads, the heat of summer and the cold climate of winter—an outsider might see things like these as obstacles. West Virginians embrace them as opportunities.
The rest of the country—and the world—is catching on to the benefits of West Virginia. Being located within a day’s drive to half of the U.S. population and approximately one-third of the Canadian population, as well as the state’s waterway railway and highway systems, makes delivery of goods easy and affordable. The state’s workforce is unmatched in terms of loyalty, a strong work ethic and pride in their work, resulting in a stronger end product. The state’s vast natural resources and reputation as an energy-producing state contribute to West Virginia having some of the lowest electricy rates in the nation. The state is also seeing a steady rise in specialized jobs relating to aerospace, biometrics, research, advanced energy, chemicals and the plastics industry. In recent years, we have welcomed the growth and expansion of our communities, towns and cities as a result of the relocation or expansion of several national and international companies, including NASA, the FBI, Kureha and Toyota. Business-savvy corporate decision makers are joining the ranks of our home-grown businesses who are winning in West Virginia.
In conjunction with our Winning in WV issue, we bring you a second installment of Winners’ Circle, which originally appeared in the Spring 2007 issue. The Winners’ Circle highlights businesses in the Mountain State that are finding success among our hills and valleys. We received nominations from chambers of commerce all over the state and narrowed an extensive list down to this group in order to showcase winners in various industries throughout West Virginia. Some businesses were founded in West Virginia while others moved here to partake in the many opportunities we are known for.
Every day, West Virginians fight the good fight, promoting their beloved state and making their own success. As we embrace the entrepreneurial spirit that thrives here, we welcome those transplant Mountaineers who join us from around the world to utilize the gifts Almost Heaven has to offer.
FBI’s: Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System
If you’re a fan of crime novels or crime-related television shows, you’re no stranger to the measures law enforcement members take to track down a criminal. Whether it’s a robbery or a murder, the badge-wielding sleuths that fill the pages of those novels or star in the scenes of your favorite shows visit the location of the crime in hopes of finding evidence, specifically fingerprints.
While we all understand that fingerprints are an important tool for placing a criminal at the scene of a crime, what might come as a surprise is that in the real world, all of those fingerprints that are collected from around the globe are sent to and stored in a system that’s made its home in Clarksburg, WV.
A division of the FBI, the Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) in Clarksburg houses the Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS), which processes fingerprints in search of positive identifications. IAFIS holds the fingerprints of approximately 65 million convicted criminals and the database grows by an estimated 10,000 new criminals each day. Law enforcement officers obtain fingerprints when criminals are booked and send those prints to IAFIS to see if the subject has a criminal history or if the prints have been found at the scenes of other crimes.
Just one example of the importance of IAFIS is its involvement in identifying improvised explosive device (IED) bomb makers in Iraq and Afghanistan. IAFIS contains the prints of thousands of known and/or suspected terrorists. When crime scene fingerprints can be lifted from the fragments of detonated IEDs, the prints are run against the IAFIS database in search of matches. “We have had several instances where we have had positive identifications,” says Daniel Roberts, assistant director of the CJIS. “In one case, a subject tried to gain employment in the Green Zone, but when he submitted his fingerprints during the background check, the prints hit against the unsolved latent fingerprint database as those of an IED maker. How cool is that—to be able to take an IED maker off the street, thereby saving U.S. soldiers’ lives.”
Founded in 1908, the FBI reorganized its Identification Division in 1992, renaming it CJIS. In 1995, CJIS relocated to Clarksburg, where the campus of five buildings encompasses almost 1 million square feet and houses nearly 3,000 CJIS employees and contractors. CJIS accounts for nearly $1 billion of the FBI’s $7 billion annual budget. The choice to relocate the entire division to West Virginia was based on a number of reasons, including a need for a new building, technology refreshment and availability of an abundant workforce.
The division has evolved from a paper-based fingerprint processing mode to an electronic system. Prior to IAFIS, CJIS received approximately 40,000 fingerprint submissions per day compared to today’s 200,000, and average response times were measured in days or weeks whereas today’s response times range from 4.5 seconds to one hour. “Technology has played a major role in allowing us to keep up with this tremendous increase in work volumes and response times,” says Roberts.
Roberts credits the FBI CJIS Division location in Clarksburg as having a vital role in furthering the accomplishment of the division’s mission. “It is clear that the dedication of our 3,000 employees and contractors, most of which have been hired in West Virginia, is key to delivering high-quality services that support law enforcement in safeguarding our nation. With approximately 1,000 acres on campus, there is much room for expansion. In this regard, in conjunction with our partners at the Department of Defense, construction has begun on a 360,000-square-foot Biometric Technology Center.”
Today, CJIS serves more than 1 million users throughout 18,000 organizations.“We are arming our partners with immediate access to information they need to fight crime and terrorism and protect our nation,” Roberts explains.
AC&S
In an energy-producing state, it should come as no surprise that one of the many businesses therein produces chemicals for a variety of industries, including biodiesel.
AC&S, Incorporated, located in Nitro, WV, wasn’t always a fuel manufacturer, though. Founded in 1986, the business began as a railcar cleaning and repair service for the chemical industry. Within a couple of years, owner Robert Cantrell added chemical manufacturing to the company’s operations, creating a variety of synthetic organic chemicals.
Over the years, AC&S has expanded its operations to include laboratory analytical services and hazardous waste management services, but chemical manufacturing remains the cornerstone of its business today. AC&S serves as a subcontractor that produces specification-made chemicals and directly ships the end product to their clients. “The majority of our manufactured products are used domestically by refineries, pipeline companies and the lubricant industry,” says Dean Cordle, the company’s executive vice president. AC&S’s customer base lies in North America and includes all of the major oil companies.
The year 2008 brought the opening of the first commercial biodiesel refinery in West Virginia, marking yet one more stage of growth for AC&S. Biodiesel, a renewable fuel made from soybean oil, is used as a blend component in diesel fuel. “Approximately one-half of the county school systems in West Virginia are now using a blend of biodiesel fuel and standard diesel fuel,” Cordle explains. “Biodiesel is environmentally friendly, less toxic than standard fuel and has a much lower carbon footprint. Helping our country reduce its dependence on foreign sources of oil and providing a renewable fuel has been a very rewarding endeavor for us.” Today, AC&S remains the only renewable transportation fuel manufacturer in West Virginia.
The biggest challenge AC&S faces is competing with low-cost foreign manufacturing, specifically those from China and India where labor costs and regulatory burdens are dramatically lower than in the U.S. “To overcome those challenges,” Cordle says, “we have improved efficiency in every aspect of our business, from administration to manufacturing. West Virginia is an energy-producing state. Energy production is part of our heritage and must be part of our children’s future in order for our state to remain competitive in the global economy.”
CMS
From dishwasher doors to electronics that keep everyone safe, Custom Manufacturing Services, Inc. (CMS) has been providing customers in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States with a variety of sheet metal fabrications and electro-mechanical assembly tools since 1995.
Founded and headquartered in Princeton, WV, CMS has a reputation for its standard of excellence in sheet metal fabrication, welding and finishing, screen-printed parts and electro-mechanical assembly. “Princeton was the perfect location for the business because of its central location off I-77 and its large, experienced employee base,” says David Graf, president of CMS.
Graf credits the West Virginia Economic Development Authority as an important partner in CMS’s success. “They provided us the opportunity to move into the Brick Street facility at our start and have helped to provide competitive capital equipment loans for expansion and growth over the past decade.”
The two main challenges that CMS has faced in the last 10 years have been lower order volumes due to the economy and U.S. Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) outsourcing their sheet metal fabrication and electromechanical assembly to Mexico and Asia. Regardless, CMS maintains its edge in the small to medium volume production, as well as production of items that are difficult to build and/or have added value.
CMS’s greatest success has been its ability to provide quality jobs for its employees and management. “Many of our employees were West Virginia residents, and for years we tunneled across the state line to our Virginia facility. When other businesses were pulling up roots and moving to Virginia due to varying business climate issues, we found a way to overcome the differences and bring economic growth to our West Virginia location as well as our Virginia location. We hope that we can continue that success.”
National Travel
At first glance, a travel agency might not seem all that innovative, but for a West Virginia company that got its start during the Great Depression and is now ranked 25th in the nation, you can bet innovation played a huge part in that success.
During the Depression, two families followed their entrepreneurial spirit and started individual travel agencies to earn extra money. These two agencies were taken over by two banks in Charleston in the 1960s. In 1977, Ted Lawson took his own entrepreneurial leap and bought the agency from Charleston National Bank, changing the name to National Travel.
Now in business for 33 years, Lawson has kept the National Travel headquarters here and is happy to do business in his hometown. However, there are a few challenges that he must overcome. “A big obstacle in doing business out of West Virginia is that our competitors are located in places like D.C., New York and Chicago,” explains Lawson. “National Travel is challenged to not only compete in the marketplace but to prove that we can provide superior service. One of the things that sets us apart is our 24-hour/365-days-a-year service.”
National Travel could not be where it is today without West Virginia’s workforce backing it up. “West Virginia’s skilled workforce is among the nation’s most productive,” says Lawson. “The tradition of friendliness that you find in this state is a large asset to an organization that relies on service excellence. You can’t provide top-notch service without empathy for the client.”
It is with the hard work of all the employees that National Travel is able to serve many government agencies such as FEMA, NTSB, the Chemical Safety Board, FTC, FEC, the Government Printing Office and the State of West Virginia. National Travel also serves numerous corporate accounts, both nationally and internationally.
Lawson’s management style has been working as National Travel averages between 5 percent and 10 percent growth per year. “The focus is not on large growth through mergers and acquisitions,” Lawson says, “but in consistently providing enhanced service and gaining accounts through referrals and local marketing efforts.”
Troy
Troy, LLC has come a long way in both their products and locations since the creation of Troy Mills, Inc. in 1869. Troy Mills began in Troy, NH with the production of horse blankets and entered into the automotive industry in the early 1920s. The company expanded into Harrisville, WV in 1974 with the addition of a production facility called Troy, LLC in order to better serve the automotive industry and to be closer to their suppliers.
Opening the Harrisville location was a strategic move. “Because we are centrally located in West Virginia, close to both Interstates 77 and 79, we feel that we have an advantage in servicing our customers’ needs and their JIT (Just In Time) requirements,” says COO Richard Kerns.
With a customer base primarily in Ohio, Michigan and North Carolina and distribution throughout the U.S., China and Mexico, Troy works with the automotive, apparel and industrial markets, producing needle punch, non-woven products. With automotive sales currently making up 80 percent of the company’s total sales, their products are available for interior carpeting, door inserts, seat back covering and in-trunk applications. Many automotive giants utilize their products, including Honda, Nissan, Toyota, GM, Chrysler and Ford. Well-known clothing companies like Carhartt, Wrangler and Williamson Dickie use the company’s apparel lining in a variety of products, including work wear jackets and shoes. Troy is also active in industrial products and creates a variety of different types of felt that are used for anything from hardwood floor underlayment to absorption materials in both the steel and aluminum industries.
The company is adamant about treating their customers and employees with integrity and respect. “Troy, LLC’s business philosophy is to run our business based on producing quality products in a timely manner to meet our customers’ needs,” says Kerns.
Ziegenfelder
Ziegenfelder has what you can call a sweet history that has grown into an international success. The company began as a small candy store on the corner of 18th Street and Jacob Street in Wheeling in 1861. In the 1920s, Cloverdale Dairy, the owners at the time, began producing ice cream and other frozen novelties at their Ziegenfelder plant on 18th Street until full ownership switched to the Lando family in the 1960s. In the 1980s, the principle owner, Charles Lando, made the business decision to focus on producing only frozen water ice novelties on a stick, which are still known as twin pops. This decision changed the entire future of Ziegenfelder because it propelled the company to be the largest producer of twin pops in the United States today.
Lisa Allen, who now serves as the president and CEO, has continued the family legacy of frozen treats. Her father, Charles Lando, followed in his father’s footsteps in the novelty business, and Allen has been handed the torch and charged with keeping this cool West Virginia company producing.
The sole production of ice pops wasn’t the only big decision that the Ziegenfelder company faced in the 1980s. The owners also made the decision to approach their business from a different angle. “When our company made the decision to focus on frozen water ice novelties, other strategic decisions were made in hopes of sustaining a successful future,” explains Allen. “Those decisions included making the highest quality, best-tasting products on the market and selling them to the consumer at the best value possible. Our objectives challenge us to purchase supplies at the lowest cost possible, operate efficiently and maintain vigilant attention to cost containment.
“Our other significant competitive advantage is that a package of Budget $aver twin pops, one of the brands owned by Ziegenfelder, is supported with intellectual property called trade dress. The package design of six colored twin pops packaged in a Rainbow Array® in clear wrap inside a clear bag is distinctive. Trade dress is slightly different from a trademark in that it is descriptive; consumers can identify that product with its source. It is our responsibility to protect it and defend it from infringement.”
Ziegenfelder has the capability to produce more than 1 million items in a 24-hour period and is proud to employ 75-80 full-time employees to do so. Running a family-owned business in West Virginia means a great deal to Ziegenfelder. “We are very proud to be a West Virginia company,” says Allen. “It is our roots—our families are from here and our business will always be located here. We have a very dedicated workforce, many of whom have been with us for more than 15 or 20 years.”
As this 150-year-old company continues to grow, the owners have made some steps to ensure future success. “In 2009, we completed a major expansion project that included a 40,000-square-foot frozen storage facility,” says Allen. “Prior to opening our warehouse, we shipped all products to public frozen storage facilities in Pittsburgh where our products were stored until they shipped out to customers. Now with our own warehouse facility on-site, we can ensure the control and quality of the products, as well as drive out costs by having the warehouse on-site.”
Ziegenfelder is a great example of a company that is winning in West Virginia as they compete with global market businesses that are much larger. “We are fortunate that our business is not dramatically impacted by the current economic situation. Our game plan is to maintain our course, to continue finding the balance between innovation and core business practices and to be sure that we invest in the growth and development of our employees.”
Budget $aver products are sold throughout the U.S., Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America. In West Virginia, Budget $aver products can be found at local independent grocery stores, as well as food store chains that include Food Lion, Riesbecks, Walmart, ALDI, Save-A-Lot, Giant Eagle and Convenient Food Mart. Ziegenfelder is open every day for tasters too, so come on up to Wheeling and enjoy the cool side of West Virginia.
NGK
Travelers passing through Sissonville, WV, get a clear shot of the plant from I-79. To visitors, the massive structure is identified by the large letters—NGK—on the side of the building, but locals know the building for the number of jobs it has brought to the area.
NGK Spark Plugs USA Inc. is the result of an initiative by the State of West Virginia in the late 1980s to bring Asian companies to the Mountain State. NGK Spark Plug Co. Ltd., founded in 1936 in Nagoya, Japan, recognized the strength of the local workforce as well as the work ethic West Virginians are known for and became the first of 20 Japanese companies to expand their operations into the state.
According to Bob Pepper, the vice president of manufacturing at NGK Spark Plugs-WV (NGK-WV), “Excellent relationships with state and local officials, a good, stable workforce and an excellent business environment are the keys that brought NGK Spark Plugs to West Virginia.”
NGK-WV was established in 1994, its mission to produce oxygen sensors for the automotive industry. Its state-of-the-art facility was built to include 113,000 square feet of manufacturing space and a 94,000-square-foot warehouse. Rapid growth brought a 33,000-square-foot addition in 1996, and in 2001, the warehouse that serves as the National Distribution Center for all NGK OEM Spark Plugs (USA) was built with an additional expansion in 2007. A second production facility was opened on the West Virginia campus in 2008 in response to an increase in demand from NGK Spark Plugs’ current customers and an increase in market share for the spark plug line.
NGK-WV has seen its share of obstacles, particularly in response to the changes in the economy, but has utilized its core philosophy, as well as ingenuity, to maintain its footing in the spark plug and sensor industry. Despite the recent recession, no full-time associates in West Virginia have been laid off.
“NGK-WV,” says Pepper, “has found success in the Mountain State by adhering to the company’s core philosophy: Quality first. NGK-WV will continue to win in West Virginia by adhering to this principle.”
Certain Teed Gypsum
The state of West Virginia proves time and again to be an ideal location for successful businesses. Moundsville, WV, according to Amy Lee, manager of marketing communications at CertainTeed Gypsum, is essential in the company’s future plans of increasing business in the Northeast.
CertainTeed is part of Saint-Gobain, the world’s largest building products company, and was founded in the U.S. in 1904 as General Roofing Manufacturing Company. The company is North America’s leading brand of exterior and interior building products.
CertainTeed strives to be the preferred choice for innovative, sustainable building products and systems. In continuing toward this goal, they have launched several new products and systems over the past few years and plan to have even more available in the future. Lee proudly points out the company’s Energy Star Partner of the Year Awards in both 2009 and 2010 from the U.S. EPA. The award recognizes their accomplishments and leadership in energy use reduction and sustained energy efficiency.
In addition to the benefits of being near key building markets and the availability of transportation options, CertainTeed Gypsum’s plant was placed in West Virginia to partner with American Electric Power’s nearby Kammer-Mitchell power plant. “The partnership with AEP has contributed to our success,” says Lee. “The high purity gypsum is being used beneficially now in a healthy, safe and environmentally-friendly way. In addition, local sources of raw materials from West Virginia are being used to manufacture the product in Moundsville. The wallboard produced at CertainTeed Gypsum’s plant is used to build homes, schools, hospitals and other buildings across the region.”
Alcon Laboratories
In the eye health industry, Alcon Laboratories, Inc. is the world’s leader with more than $6.5 billion in sales in 2009. The company is No. 1 in cataract and vitreoretinal surgery, drugs for ocular allergies and infections and contact lens disinfecting solution franchises. It is also No. 2 in drugs for glaucoma, the largest product segment in ophthalmology. With statistics like that, it seems that Alcon is following through with its goal of being “the first choice for eye care products and the most trusted eye care company in the world.”
Products manufactured by Alcon include everything from pharmaceutical eye treatments and contact lens solutions to cataract surgical instruments and devices. “We have made it our mission to discover, develop, produce and market innovative, high-quality eye care products that preserve, restore and enhance sight worldwide,” says Melissa Mota, manager of global public relations and external communications.
Alcon’s roots date back to 1945 in Fort Worth, TX where it was founded by Robert Alexander and William Conner. Now, 65 years later, Alcon’s workforce consists of more than 15,500 employees in more than 75 countries. Jackie Murphy, the plant manager of Alcon’s Huntington facility, which has been in business since 1978, says of the site, “It is a state-of-the-art facility with more than 800 highly tenured and well-trained employees who manufacture more than 6 million of the world’s leading intraocular lenses annually.” The West Virginia Economic Development Authority is responsible for bringing Alcon to Huntington and did so in part by utilizing incentives in terms of tax credits and training dollars.
Future plans for Alcon’s Huntington location include expansion into their new facility in the HADCO Industrial Park. “The expansion will initially allow the manufacture of our intraocular lens delivery system products to be relocated from the existing location to the new location. Within the next 18 months, our finishing operations will also relocate, allowing space for automated packaging operations and state-of-the-art sterilization,” says Murphy.
As for the company as a whole, Alcon plans to invest at least $3 billion over the next five years in eye health-related research so that they can continue to specialize in eye care on a global basis. “We want to discover and identify potential therapies for the unmet medical needs of eye care professionals and patients,” says Mota, “as well as enhance the capabilities of our current product portfolio.”
Sweet Success
DeFluri’s Fine ChocolatesÂ
After 13 years of success in Vienna, VA, Brenda Casabona was compelled to move DeFluri’s Fine Chocolates to West Virginia. She started the bakery and chocolate shop in 1985, producing a full line of bakery products that included cakes, pies and breads, as well as a full line of chocolates primarily sold in gift boxes. Although the company initially focused on retail, requests from other companies for wholesale chocolates influenced Casabona to change her focus and relocate in 1998.
The Martinsburg storefront was a serendipitous find that came about while Casabona was looking at potential properties in North Carolina and Virginia.
Being located in West Virginia, DeFluri’s has the convenience of two-day shipping for the majority of their customers and suppliers. Their products are sold primarily in the United States: 65 percent of sales on the East Coast, 20 percent to the Mid-West/Central U.S. and the remainder on the West Coast. They currently have distributors in Canada and have had interest from Japanese retailers as well.
Casabona currently maintains a retail operation on the front side of the production facility. Since the relocation to Martinsburg, DeFluri’s has expanded into fundraising for schools and non-profits, as well as private label and contract manufacturing. One example of this is the private label they produce for the Monastery Bakery of Holy Cross Abbey in Berryville, VA. The Abbey began selling chocolate-covered fruit cake slices, called Fraters, five years ago and has recently added Monastery Truffles to their product line.
At DeFluri’s Fine Chocolates, where the core products are gift-boxed chocolates with an emphasis on fresh whipping cream truffles, Casabona values the customer, making certain that they receive beautifully packaged, high-quality products at a reasonable price. “We do whatever it takes for a customer,” Casabona says. “That is what has built our business.”
Clover Dew Cookies
Chocolate chip, peanut butter or oatmeal raisin—no matter what the flavor, freshly baked cookies are often a reminder of warm childhood memories. For Karen Heeter, often known as the Cookie Lady, those mouth-watering morsels are not just a memory but also a business. Stemming from her love of baking, Heeter and her husband Bill began their company, Clover Dew Cookie Creations, in September 2008 in hopes of “making people smile with a delightfully delicious cookie.”
Although it has been in business for just two years, Clover Dew already has an impressive following. “We have submitted our cookies to the Rachael Ray show and will be scheduled for Season 5, which will air in September, as the snack of the day,” says Heeter.
What’s the secret behind these tasty treats that are being shipped across the country? “Our cookies are all made from scratch using favorite family recipes and the finest all-natural ingredients,” says Heeter. “We take pride in fresh-baked cookies. None of our cookies or ingredients are ever frozen.”
Since their formation in 2008, Clover Dew has expanded their product line from six standard cookie flavors to nine and plans on continuing the expansion. “We hope to move to a retail location and add muffins and small breads to our menu,” Heeter explains. Currently, Clover Dew conducts its business from a commercial kitchen that Heeter’s husband and father Glenn, who supported her and her business every step of the way, built in her home.
The success of Clover Dew can be credited to its consumers, both locally and nationally. “We have had two very successful Christmas seasons and are looking forward to the 2010 holiday season,” Heeter says. “Our Princeton, WV community is very supportive and our local chamber supports us through a variety of local events. We are very thankful for the wonderful support we receive from our local customers in West Virginia and also our loyal customers throughout the country.”
Holl’s Swiss ChocolatesÂ
Some family traditions are just too tasty to pass up, and that is certainly the case with Holl’s Chocolates located in Vienna, WV.
The Holl family got their start in the chocolate business when Fritz Holl trained to be a chocolatier and pastry chef in Switzerland in 1938. In 1958, Fritz decided to emigrate to the U.S. where he went to work for Broughton’s, an Ohio dairy company.
In 1986, the Holl family opened their first store. After finishing college in 1992, son Dominique immediately began his apprenticeship, learning chocolate making just the way his father had 50 years earlier.
With Dominique at the helm of the family business, he made some innovative changes. “I began to adapt the processes and automate some tasks in order to keep up with growing demand,” says Dominique. “There was some conflict as we blended the best of the old ways with the best of the new, but throughout these changes we have remained committed to those guiding principles that my dad learned during his apprenticeship.”
Dominique and the Holl’s Chocolate staff create about 30 hand-crafted, authentically Swiss chocolates. More recently, they tapped into their innovative side and developed new seasonal items for sale. “We produce a variety of seasonal chocolates and sweets, including chocolate-dipped strawberries in the spring, gourmet frozen pops in the summer and chocolate-covered caramel apples in the fall,” says Dominique. In the coming months, they plan to develop a few new flavors to add to the product line as well.
Dominique and his family are happy to be winning in West Virginia, and they are proud to be able to provide opportunities for their staff to remain engaged while expanding their knowledge and craft. “Holl’s looks forward to many exciting changes in the future as the company continues to grow,” says Dominique, “and we are honored to be able to bring fine Swiss chocolates to West Virginia.”
The Crazy Baker
Hall Hitzig, founder of The Crazy Baker® in Renick, WV, discovered his palate at a young age while testing the flavors of New York City bakeries. After retirement, Hitzig made baking his second career.
When asked why he based his company in West Virginia, he says, “The beauty and cleanliness. As a manufacturer, I liked the fact that we are within two days UPS ground service of more than 60 percent of the U.S. population. Also, state organizations have all been wonderful to work with. Partnering with these state organizations will remain a positive foundation to our winning streak here in West Virginia.”
With customers including The Greenbrier Hotel, Stardust Café and Café Cimino, The Crazy Baker ships wholesale from Puerto Rico to New York and Ohio and ranges from small health food and gourmet stores to supermarkets such as Kroger and Ukrops. International shipping is completed through the Web site.
Aside from the name, something else that makes The Crazy Baker different is his use of local products and traditional methods in baking. “With a commitment to quality in every phase of my work, I choose quality European-style butter, 100 percent pure natural vanilla, fresh local eggs, imported chocolates and high-quality flours, and I make everything by hand,” he says. “This rural environment continually inspires me and provides many of the ingredients I use regularly.”
Hitzig’s products include his increasingly popular granola line; Sticky Toffee Pudding; Panforte; flourless chocolate Torte and his X-Treme brownies. “We always strive for the best in ingredients and finished product. The costs of high-quality ingredients obviously affect what I charge the customer, but our demographics know and appreciate good-tasting and healthy food.”
Power Sonix
Not that long ago, a small child went missing in the Oregon wilderness. The little girl had been missing for 24 hours, and rescuers feared that another night would put her at serious risk for hypothermia. She was scared and refused to answer when rescuers called out for her, but when she heard her grandmother’s voice played over the loud speaker system of a helicopter, she came forward and rescuers took her to safety.
This is just one application of the state-of-the-art long-distance speaker systems produced at Power Sonix in Martinsburg, WV that are being utilized by law enforcement, military personnel and rescue units across the U.S. and around the world.
The 2009 WV Small Business Exporter of the Year, Power Sonix was founded by Scott Hedges, the company’s president and CEO, and Michael Grady, the company’s vice president, in Hedges’ basement in the 90s. Unemployed after the dissolution of a similar company, the two combined their knowledge of the products to start their own business. Getting the company off the ground at first proved to be difficult, but the two partners found a surprising advantage to being a West Virginia-based company. “The West Virginia High Tech Consortium Foundation in Fairmont made an investment of $85,000 to help us buy the equipment we needed to get started,” recalls Grady. “They saw the potential in us and helped us when probably no other state would have.”
The speaker systems are designed primarily for use in helicopters and fixed wing aircraft. Clear speech can be heard from over a mile away. The first customers were California law enforcement officers who used the equipment for search and rescue and criminal apprehension. “We hear success stories on an almost monthly basis—stories of people using the devices to save a life or make a job more effective,” says Grady.
The systems continue to evolve. Over the years, the size and weight have been cut in half, which is vital for use in an aircraft. Power Sonix has developed a portable sound system called a backpack as well as systems used on vehicles, ships, military bases and college campuses. Grady is working on developing a new technology that will convert electrical energy to sound and will allow the company to increase the efficiency of their products while reducing the size. This new development will carry Power Sonix into the future as they continue to serve their clients with high-quality products and produce equipment that is utilized in life-threatening situations, all while making its mark on the map of the global economy.
Kreinik Manufacturing
“If a job is boring, you will make mistakes,” Doug Kreinik, owner of Kreinik Manufacturing Company, says of his family’s business philosophy. Kreinik was founded by his parents, Estelle and Jerry Kreinik, in 1971 during a time when only big businesses were encouraged in West Virginia. The Kreiniks would prove to stand out in the following years as individuals who embraced the passion that fuels small businesses.
Estelle developed the very first needlework organizer on the market, which helped to establish Kreinik as an important supplier in industries such as craft, fly fishing and fashion. Jerry created jigs in order to allow a lean production format. In the late 1970s, the couple began distributing silk, ecclesiastic-grade metal threads, followed by braided metallics for stitchery. Today, the company has more than 3,000 products, including 14 different types of metallics in 230 colors, four lines of embroidery silk, stitchery, fishing kits and even scissors and needles.
Although Kreinik’s core products of yarn and thread are sold primarily to craft and fly fishing industries, the company also has customers within the fashion industry that include Ralph Lauren, Mark Jacobs and Louis Vuitton. The company has 22 distributors and ships to Spain, South Africa, China, Russia and Australia. They also provide products for small mom and pop shops and a few chain stores such as Jo-Ann Fabrics and Hobby Lobby.
The company plans to stay on top of the changing demographics of today’s generations while at the same time updating their products for older thread enthusiasts. Kreinik believes in the value of education, and by reaching their customers in every way available, they will continue to bring new possibilities to crafters around the world. “If we can wake one mind,” says Doug, “we have accomplished our task.”
PolyPlexx
PolyPlexx, LLC, located at the Technology Park in South Charleston, is a member-owned business that defines innovation and has a clear vision of the different ways to use and improve the use of polymers both now and in the future. Created as a spin-off from Mid-Atlantic Technology Research and Innovation Center (MATRIC), PolyPlexx R&D activities commenced in 2005 through the utilization of retired Union Carbide Corporation scientists who spent their careers developing and commercializing novel polymer technologies.
Because of their strict confidentiality agreements, a record of clients will remain secret. However, what PolyPlexx does provide is their capability to develop polymers based on their clients’ specific requirements. From light-weight face and body shields, goggles and a light-weight, bullet-resistant glazing application to single vision and progressive lenses, this company has a market that is seemingly endless. “The original goal was to develop these polymers to deliver better safety and personal protection for our war fighters everywhere and law enforcement personnel here at home. We now see utility in ophthalmic and sun lenses as well as impact-resistant glazing,” says Ed Derderian, Ph.D., the laboratory manager of PolyPlexx, LLC.
Currently, scientists are developing new chemistries for making high-performance polyurethane and/or urethane hybrid polymers and have recently completed the development program for the ViziPlexx™ series of polyurethanes. ViziPlexx™ polymers have low overall densities, similar hardness, equal or better optical properties, light transmission characteristics and equal or better impact and solvent resistance.
How does PolyPlexx plan to continue their success? “Aside from being able to offer employment and what is essentially a second career to retired scientists in the valley, our success also comes by utilizing the available technical resources here in the valley and taking advantage of the excellent facilities at the Technology Park,” says Derderian. By developing, patenting and licensing their technology to interested partners, their licensees will eventually be global. And going global is definitely a way for West Virginia to grow.
