Business & Industry&ProgressPride

The Clarinda business community gathered to help welcome Fitness First to the Clarinda Chamber of Commerce. Owner Frances Furst took overthe former Curves of Clarinda in November. Several businesses opened and relocated in Clarinda in the past year to 18 months as the communityexperienced a business boom.

Lisle Corporation is one of the community’s biggest employers, manufactur-ing products that are sold around the world. The company is once again report-ing growth in 2012.

The Sears Hometown Store in Clarinda held a grand re-opening celebration in October. Opened in 2008, the store had just completed an exten-sive remodeling effort. Several businesses in the community underwent remodeling projects in the past year, and a downtown revitalization projectis building steam.

The Clarinda community’s industrial businesses employ a highlyskilled work force. The area’s strong work ethic and ability to bequickly trained for skilled work has been met with universal praisewithin the Clarinda industrial business community. Without qualityemployees, business leaders said, they would not be experiencingtheir current business growth.

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NSK-AKS Precision Ball Company team member Jon Lint unpacks one of thenew L2 lapping machines purchased by the Clarinda plant. The facility hasexpanded its customer base to include additional bearing manufacturersincluding several companies in the automotive industry.

Easter’s True Value store manager Mike Anderson and KevinDawson display one of the new signs Clarinda businesses pur-chased to display in all directions leading into the community. Thegoal of the signs was to take advantage of the massive influx of out-of-town traffic coming through Clarinda as a result of InterstateHighway 29 detours created by flooding on the Missouri River.

Thursday, March 1, 2012

2C &ProgressPride

“The goal ofthe downtownrevitalizationgroup, CEDCdirector JohnGreenwood said,will be to pur-chase, rehabilitate,and resell down-town propertiesto spur new busi-ness developmenton the courthousesquare and withina one-block areaof the square. Thishas been an areaof need the entirefour years he hasbeen CEDC direc-tor, he said, but arecent “alignmentof the stars” hasled to a lot offocus on ways toimprove the lookof the square andsurrounding area.”

BBoobb EEsscchhlliimmaannPPuubblliisshheerr

BOB ESCHLIMANPublisher

Unless you’ve been liv-ing under a rock the past12-18 months, you’ve prob-ably noticed a lot ofchanges in the Clarindabusiness community.

Much of that growth hasbeen spurred by continueddevelopment among ourindustrial businesses, aswell as renewed confidencethat the Clarinda MentalHealth Institute is here tostay. And, while much ofwhat they do happensbehind the scenes, a lot ofcredit should go to theClarinda EconomicDevelopment Corporation.

For the past two or threeyears, CEDC has been lob-bying in Des Moines asadvocates for the MHI.And, they played a directrole in efforts to incentivizeRoyal Cargo’s aquisition of

H&H Trailer.CEDC director John

Greenwood said that’s notall the organization is up tothese days. He said there isa continued push to expandthe utilization of the exist-ing MHI. One new wardhas been opened up, andanother soon will, and billshave been presented in thelegislature by Rep. RichAnderson, R-Clarinda.

H&H recently closed itsArizona plant and trans-ferred those operations toClarinda. And, Greenwoodsaid the CEDC has dis-cussed the kinds of incen-tives it could help with ifthe Clarinda operationswere to be expanded.

Clarinda’s revolving loanfund for small and emerg-ing business developmenthas been highly successful,too. Since its inception, ithas now produced eightloans totalling more than

$117,000, which is about$18,000 more than the ini-tial USDA grant used tocreate the fund.

The RLF can be used forbuilding improvements,new construction, and forbusiness equipment.Greenwood said the RLF isfrequerntly used in con-junction with local lenders,and played a role in theconstruction of the new IceHouse restaurant buildinglast year.

One of the biggest effortsthe CEDC has undertakenin the past year is the devel-opment of a downtownrevitalization group.Eventually, Greenwoodsaid, the group wouldbecome a separate non-profit entity.

The goal, he said, will beto purchase, rehabilitate,and resell downtown prop-erties to spur new businessdevelopment on the court-

house square and within aone-block area of thesquare. This has been anarea of need the entire fouryears he has been CEDCdirector, he said, but arecent “alignment of thestars” has led to a lot offocus on ways to improvethe look of the square andsurrounding area.

Right now, the downtowndevelopment group hasseven members. They havebeen traveling around theregion, looking at other suc-cessful revitalization proj-ects to glean ideas forClarinda’s downtown area.

It’s definitely one areaGreenwood said he feels“really good” about for2012. He said it is likelythere will be a lot of activi-ty in the downtown area inthe months to come.

Having a vibrant down-town is critical, he added. Itis important to take care of

that part of town and tokeep it in good shape. And,with recent interest in thedevelopment group, he saidhe’s confident a lot of goodthings will be happeningsoon.

Greenwood also saidthere are a couple of busi-ness recruitment effortsunderway. And, while thenature of those efforts arenecessarily secretive, hesaid the community willlikely hear about themwithin the next 90 days orso.

And, he was glad to pointout, business in general inClarinda seems to be doingreally well.

So, as you’re turning thepages of this week’s install-ment of Pride & Progress,be sure to keep in mind allof the great stories that aredeveloping for next year. Iknow we’re already lookingforward to it.

Business in Clarinda is booming... and there’s nothing wrong with that

Thursday, March 1, 2012

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3C&ProgressPride

Assistant Manager Zach Matney of Grizzly’s Outdoor Trading Post shows a gun to a customer. The business opened in July of 2010, and has been growing by leaps andbounds ever since. Owners Stace and Vanessa Matney say the community has been very supportive of the new business, located on the Page County Courthouse Squarein Clarinda.

“We found theright property wewould purchase...It was the rightsize and right mixas far as business-es. That’s whatmade our deci-sion. We’re happywith the Clarindacommunity and inour investmentthere.”

TTiimm SScchheerreerrRRuunnzzaa

EMILY GOWINGStaff Writer

Whether the reason was“I’ve always dreamed ofdoing so,” or “it just kind offell into our laps,” severalnew businesses have sprungup around Clarinda in thepast couple of years and,according to the owners,business is doing well.

Grizzly’s OutdoorTrading Post

In July 2010, StaceMatney came home to hiswife Vanessa with the open-ended question, “Guess

what I bought?”His answer was the out-

door trading post nowknown as Grizzly’s which islocated on the southwestcorner of the square.

He had always wanted toopen his own business,Vanessa said. “We luckedinto it somehow. We werein the right place at the righttime.”

Stace is originally fromMarshalltown. He metVanessa, who is originallyfrom West Virginia, in theAir Force. After living andworking in Arizona, thecouple moved their family

to a house near Villisca in2008.

Vanessa said she had lit-tle experience of huntingand fishing equipmentbefore she started workingat Grizzly’s but is “learningand getting very knowl-edgeable.”

The family-owned andoperated store carries guns,fishing equipment, ammo,archery and “a little bit ofeverything.”

The building was in needof a lot of renovating whenthe Matney family pur-chased it. A lot has beendone and there’s a lot still to

do. They have plans to dou-ble the size of the store byknocking down the centerwall. Vanessa envisions theplace as an old-fashionedwestern trading post.

The store is currentlyopen five days a week,Tuesday through Saturday,and in the spring will beopen six days a week. Thebait machine on the side-walk in front of the storewill be stocked and runningall summer long for peopleto get their fishing bait atanytime, day or night.

“We have the best wormsin four counties,” Vanessa

said. “People fromCalifornia come and take apicture beside the baitmachine because they’venever seen anything like itbefore.”

Clarinda residents haveshown their appreciation tothe store and its new ownersas well and have been “verysupportive.”

Vanessa guesses she seesbetween 20-30 customers aday but hasn’t kept an exactcount. “I don’t count them,I just ring them up.”

New businesses popping up, flourishing in downtown Clarinda

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Thursday, March 1, 2012

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4C &ProgressPride

Other than the relocation of the Clarinda Regional Health Center, the relocation of The Ice House from its original location on East Washington Street to South GlennMiller Avenue was the biggest business move of 2011. Several businesses have relocated within Clarinda in the past year.

“Highway 71 isa really busyroad, so being outhere with thatmuch traffic driv-ing by has reallyhelped us get ourname out there.We’re in the pub-lic eye at a spotwhere we can beseen and that isnever a badthing.”

JJeennnn BBaauummggaarrttGGeenneerraall MMaannaaggeerr

IIccee HHoouussee

KENT DINNEBIEREditor

Whether it’s next door oracross town, four Clarindabusinesses are enjoying thebenefits of moving to a newlocation in the community.

Two prominent business-es, Clarinda RegionalHealth Center and IceHouse Restaurant andSports Bar, constructed newfacilities at the south edgeof Clarinda. Meanwhile,Crawford Real Estate andAuction/Kline Insuranceand Greenwood Real Estatehave renovated existingbuildings in the community.

The new hospital inClarinda features a 71,071square foot state-of-the-artfacility that was constructedat a cost of $28.5 million.The hospital officiallyopened its doors Jan. 16 andhas already proven to be anoverwhelming success forClarinda.

Chris Stipe, Chief Exec-utive Officer of CRHC, saidthe hospital saw an increasein business both in terms ofits in-patient and out-

patient services.As construction of the

new hospital was progress-ing, Mike and StacyManuel were settling intotheir new location just eastof CRHC on Highway 71.The restaurant opened forbusiness May 5 and hasbeen a popular destinationfor many visitors to thecommunity.

Jenn Baumgart, generalmanager of the restaurant,said the new location hassubstantially increased thevisibility of the business.

“Highway 71 is a reallybusy road, so being out herewith that much traffic driv-ing by has really helped usget our name out there,”Baumgart said. “We’re inthe public eye at a spotwhere we can be seen andthat is never a bad thing.”

Visibility was also a keyreason why Crawford RealEstate and Auction/KlineInsurance made the deci-sion to move to the squarein Clarinda. Originallyserving as the Page CountyFederal SavingsAssociation building at 110

E. Washington St., the newoffice opened in Septemberof 2011.

George Crawford pur-chased his former office,located just off the square at122 W. Washington St., in1991. However, when KlineInsurance began sharing theoffice, Crawford said thedecision was made to moveto a larger location.

When Kline Insurancejoined with Crawford RealEstate and Auction, RichardKline began serving as abroker alongside Crawford,while Mark Kline is one ofthe seven salespeople forthe business. Crawford saidMark Kline previouslyworked in the Kansas Cityarea and was a driving forcebehind the decision to moveto the square.

“Mark is coming back toClarinda from a city envi-ronment. He felt it was veryimportant that if we weregoing to be serving the pub-lic that we be on thesquare,” Crawford said. “Hethought it was important togetting our name out andbeing seen, and he is proba-

bly right.” After acquiring the new

building, three new officeswere constructed alongwith painting the interiorand installing new lightingto upgrade the building.The building is sharedevenly by the businesses.

“It’s a high traffic areaand being between the tworestaurants has really givenus good visibility,”Crawford said. “Our walk-in service on the insuranceside is a lot higher than itwas before. We have a lot ofpeople who walk by andstop in to ask for a quote.”

The shortest move of thefour businesses was madeby Greenwood Real Estateas owner John Greenwoodsimply moved his officenext door to the building at212 E. Main St and openedthe new location Dec. 1,2011.

“I had leased my previ-ous office space for 10years and finally had theopportunity to buy thisbuilding,” Greenwood said.“I decided it was time to goahead and invest in a build-

ing.”Originally the Black

Plumbing building,Greenwood said no workhad been done on the build-ing since the 1970s.Therefore, he completelyremodeled the interior toserve as office space.

“I have also worked onrenovating the two apart-ments on the second story.I’ll have them rented outthis month,” Greenwoodsaid. “Then, the back partof the building will serve asmy personal workshop.”

Meanwhile, CrawfordReal Estate andAuction/Kline Insurance aswell as CRHC are also con-sidering more improve-ments in the near future.

“We have replaced someof the metal on the front ofthe building, so as summercomes on we want to com-plete those renovations andinstall a new façade,”Crawford said.

Finally, Stipe said CRHCis monitoring the need foradditional parking space atthe new hospital to meet theneeds of staff and patients.

Local businesses pick new locations, stake futures in Clarinda

Thursday, March 1, 2012

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5C&ProgressPride

H&H Trailers completed construction of its new powder coating building in November. The company has added 75 new jobs since being acquired by Royal Cargo Trailersin 2010. H&H now reaches more than 150 dealerships throughout the Midwest.

“We doubledproduction fromthe end of 2010to the end of 2011and we are cur-rently hiring tofulfill thedemand.”

BBrryyaann JJoohhnnssoonnPPrreessiiddeenntt,,

RRCC TTrraaiilleerrss

EMILY GOWINGStaff Writer

After closing the doors tohundreds of trailers andstopping delivery to a hand-ful of dealers around thearea, H&H Trailers is backin action, producing andselling an ever-increasingnumber of trailers since2010.

H&H became a sub-sidiary of RC Trailers inJanuary of 2010.

“H&H has been broughtto life,” said president ofRC Trailers Bryan Johnson.“The brand has been aroundfor years and has grown inthe trailer industry as onepeople know and trust.”

Most trailers made in theH&H headquarters inClarinda stay in southwestIowa, as H&H works withdealerships in Clarinda,Shenandoah, Creston,Atlantic and Glenwood.

Although RC Trailers is

based out of Middlebury,Indiana, they have a muchbroader range of business,stretching across the UnitedStates and into Canada.Because of this, H&H hasbegun to spread throughoutthe Midwest, reaching over150 dealerships with mostof their sales being splitbetween Iowa and Indiana.

Not only has joiningforces with RC Trailersbeen instrumental byenabling H&H to add newclients and expand theirbusiness geographically,but this, in turn, has helpedClarinda as a community byproviding over 75 new jobsto Clarinda residents, some-thing that has helped boostthe local economy.

H&H currently employsnearly 100 people, some ofwhom spend their days onthe road, traveling to deal-erships, listening to feed-back and helping servicetrailers.

“Service,” Johnson said,speaking of another toolwhich H&H has used as away to rejoin the businessworld. “Service to the deal-er, thus service to the cus-tomer.”

By purchasing the emptytheatre building and oldLaundromat on WashingtonStreet and concreting theopen space in between,H&H has expanded theirmanufacturing capabilitiesin Clarinda which in turnhas centralized their sales.

The former owners haddeliveries in Clarinda andBraddyville, but H&H isnow able to offer one loca-tion for dealers to pick upthe trailers, shortening theamount of time betweenproduction and purchase.

Another branch of serv-ice which H&H offers is theability to finish a trailerwith powder coating.

In November of 2010,shortly after H&H came

under the ownership of RCTrailers, they completed abrand new building justwest of their office buildingto house the powder coatingequipment and supplies.

“This has been huge forH&H,” Johnson said.“Powder coating has manybenefits to it, including bet-ter corrosion resistance andadhesion, color retentionand finish, super durabilityand UV protection.”

Not only is this type offinish better for the longevi-ty of the trailer, but it is alsoenvironmentally friendlyand meets the AAMA 2604specifications for perform-ance requirements and testprocedures for high per-formance organic coatingson aluminum.

The aluminum trailers,which H&H employeespiece together in the old NoFrills grocery store, arestream line and are alsomore in tune with the econ-

omy because they’re lighterthan the utility or dumpboxtrailers, explained market-ing assistant Wendy Probst.

H&H Trailers are madeto order and can be cus-tomized to fit a specificrecreational or industrialneed. They offer a diverseline over 150 variations ofopen steel and aluminumtrailers and over 100enclosed cargo models andsizes.

Utility trailers, speed-loader tilt-beds and tandemaxel enclosed cargos are themost-purchased items, allof which can be used for avariety of applications fromfarming to business work topersonal use.

With the addition of thenew line of aluminum trail-ers, the ability to powdercoat finish, the centralizeddelivery and the expandedclientele, production has

H&H Trailers has continued its expansion since 2010 ‘rebirth’

H&H see page 7C

Thursday, March 1, 2012

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6C &ProgressPride

Vertical lathe operator Larry Auten inputs commands for a production project at NSK-AKS Precision Ball Company in Clarinda. The Clarinda plant has seen the number ofteam members working at the facility nearly double recently as the plant has added customers in Canada and Mexico.

“We will alsobe launching afew new partnumbers withmedium size bear-ings for Honda inlate spring orearly summer.Then, later in theyear, we will intro-duce a new waterpump bearing forGeneral Motorsto be used in thenew Gen-5engine.”

SSccootttt KKeeyyssNNSSKK CCoorrppoorraattiioonn

PPllaanntt MMaannaaggeerr

KENT DINNEBIEREditor

Several of the leadingindustrial manufacturers inClarinda have shown signsin the last year of recover-ing from the recent eco-nomic recession.

The most significant ofthose turnarounds has beenmade by NSK-AKSPrecision Ball Company. Inthe midst of the recessionthe company was employ-ing approximately 45 teammembers, but plant manag-er Charlie Richardson saidthat total has grown to 63full-time team members,including two team mem-bers from Japan, and 15contract team members.

Meanwhile, NSKCorporation currentlyemploys 407 team members

including contract help andLisle Corporation hasincreased its staff to 226full-time employees and 11temporary employees hiredthrough Manpower. EZWay Inc. also has a staff of59 full-time employees.

Richardson said the key tothe resurgence of NSK-AKS Precision BallCompany has been able todiversify its market toinclude other bearing man-ufacturers besides just NSKCorporation.

“The growth we’re seeingis to those other bearingmanufacturers,” Richardsonsaid. “Most of the productends up in automotiveapplications. We now havecustomers not only in theUnited States, but Canadaand Mexico.”

During 2011, Richardson

said the Clarinda plant pro-duced approximately 300tons of product per monthor roughly 90 million balls.

In order to meet that levelof customer demand,Richardson said the planthas started an equipmentexpansion project that isintended to increase thecapacity and efficiency ofthe facility.

In October and Novemberof 2011, Richardson said acapacity expansion activityfor the heat-treat furnaces atthe plant was held. Then, inmid-February, the companyreceived two new L2 lap-ping machines and the asso-ciated equipment that goeswith them.

“Then we have someadditional equipment com-ing in. Two more L2machines and some other

equipment will be comingin. It’s kind of spread overthe next several months,”Richardson said.

Richardson said thoseupgrades are expected toincrease the manufacturingcapacity of the plant byapproximately 20 percent.

Similarly, NSKCorporation plant managerScott Keys said the equip-ment lines and infrastruc-ture of that facility are alsobeing upgraded.

Keys said 26 rooftop airconditioners at the planthave been replaced in thelast year and an additional13 units are set to beinstalled in April. The firealarm system is also beingupgraded and new equip-ment for the production ofwater pump bearings hasalso been installed at the

Clarinda facility.“We will also be launch-

ing a few new part numberswith medium size bearingsfor Honda in late spring orearly summer,” Keys said.“Then, later in the year, wewill introduce a new waterpump bearing for GeneralMotors to be used in thenew Gen-5 engine.”

Lisle Corporation alsostarted 2012 on a strongnote as eight new itemswere added to the compa-ny’s product line in earlyJanuary. Over the course ofthe year, company presidentFred Lisle said, another 10to 12 new products will beintroduced.

“New products drive ourbusiness and we concen-trate on that,” Lisle said.

Clarinda’s local industries were still growing strong in 2011

Thursday, March 1, 2012

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INDUSTRY see page 7C

7C&ProgressPride

Shea's Studio owner Stephanie Sledge moved her business to East Main Street in Clarinda last November from Maryville, Mo., because she said the business climatewas better in Iowa, and many of her customers were from Iowa. She’s been happy with the move, saying business has been good so far.

H&H: NATDA member

NEW: Businesses join community, begin putting their mark on Clarinda

INDUSTRY: Employees are key to success

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Barrels and BulletsJust one month after

Grizzly’s opened, a com-peting store opened itsdoors on the opposite endof town. Barrels and Bulletsis run by Duane Matheny.

“I always liked firearmsso I thought it would beneat to get a small shopgoing.”

Barrels and Bullets hasbeen open since August2010 and offers customers avariety of firearms andammunition.

“Obviously one is moreexpensive, but you’ve got tohave one to use the other,”Matheny said.

Business has been goingwell for Barrels and Bullets,which started upstairs inMatheny’s wife’s photogra-phy studio, Fotos N’ More.

Once his business beganto grow and his wife begantaking most of her picturesand portraits outdoors,Barrels and Bulletsbranched to the main floorof 1200 East Washington.

“The economy andeverything going on here iswhat has driven it so well,”Matheny said.

RunzaThe restaurant chain that

began in Nebraska made itsway into western Iowawhen Runza began feedingthe people of Clarinda inSeptember 2010.

Tim Scherer, a Runzafranchisee who owns threerestaurants in the Omahaarea, began looking atClarinda in 2009 as one ofthe top Iowa towns in whichcorporate wanted to open aRunza restaurant.

He talked with Jim

Carney, the then Hy-Veemanager, about the dynam-ics of the south end ofClarinda and the potentialfor a new fast food restau-rant.

“We found the right prop-erty we would purchase inthat part of town,” saidScherer, who lives inOmaha with his family. “Itwas the right size and rightmix as far as businesses.That’s what made our deci-sion.”

As with any new busi-ness, there is always ques-tion about the communityaccepting it and how well itwill do.

“We’re happy with theClarinda community and inour investment there,”Scherer said. By the end ofthe first year of business,the projected sales camewithin two percent of whatScherer had been hopingfor. “We’re right on target.”

After more than a year ofservice, Scherer and hismanagement team knowwhat sells best during eachseason of the year, what thecommunity wants, and howthey can tweak the menu tooffer better deals.

Runza has begun work-ing with the local schools todo fundraisers for projectsand trips. This is somethingthat has pleased Scherer.“We’re always trying toplay more of a part in thecommunity,” he said.

Shea’s StudioIn November 2011, Main

Street saw its second newbusiness in 16 months.Shea’s Studio is located at214 East Main Street,across the street fromEaster’s True Value.

Owned and operated by

Stephanie Sledge, Shea’sStudio offers professionalpiercings, organic aftercareand an exclusive line ofbody jewelry.

Sledge has been in thepiercing business for 12years and previouslyworked for a business inMaryville. When that shopclosed, she decided shewould take a leap and openher own studio.

Many of her clients werecollege students atNorthwest Missouri StateUniversity, and because somany of them are fromIowa and it is cheaper toown a business in Iowa, shechose Clarinda as a homefor her art.

Business has gone prettywell, Sledge said. “Jewelrysales bring most people in. Ihave a lot of walk-ins, too.”

She would guess sheaverages around 25 clients aweek and has several peo-ple come once a month forArt Therapy with friend andco-worker Honali Guest.

The studio itself is run bySledge and offers anapprenticeship program forthose who are interested inbecoming a certified bodypiercer.

“Piercings are seasonal,”said Sledge, who expectsher business to pick upagain in the spring.

Down Right Delicious:Bakery, Café, & CateringSeveral years ago James

and Laura Risola startedselling their baked goods atthe Farmer’s Market. “Wewere so excited about oureight loaves of bread,”Laura said.

Now, after openingClarinda’s new bakery,Down Right Delicious, in

December 2011, Laurabegins work at 3 a.m. andbakes over 30 dozendonuts, cinnamon rolls,muffins and other pastries,as well as her eight varietiesof bread.

“The early hours are achallenge sometimes,” shesaid, “but it’s worth it tohave something fresh.”

Baking and catering hasalways been in her blood asboth her parents and hergrandparents were caterersand even published theirown cookbook.

When The Meat Cleaverclosed in July of 2011,Laura and her husbanddecided the empty buildingon 15th Street would beperfect to open a bakery.

It took a lot of renovat-ing, Laura said. More thanthey were expecting. But inLaura’s eyes it was wellworth the work. “It’s hardbeing from Clarinda andloving Clarinda and seeingold buildings deteriorate.It’s good to renovate whenyou can.”

When the building wasready for use, the Risolasknew they needed severalavenues to keep their busi-ness alive and that it could-n’t survive as a bakeryalone.

So they added light mealsof sandwiches and soups totheir menu and offered theircatering services to wed-dings as far away asLincoln, Nebraska.

In the line of pastries,they planned to keep it sim-ple: glazed ring donuts andcinnamon rolls on a dailybasis with Danishes andKolaches on a rotatingweekly basis.

The demand has almostbeen too much for the five

employees at Down RightDelicious who have nowadded three different frost-ings to their donuts, intro-duced seven new fillingsincluding peanut butter andjelly and will soon startmaking three dozenKolaches and three dozenDanishes each morning.

The bakery also sells spe-cialty cakes which arebaked and personalized byco-owner Tiffany Pruitt.

Laura is excited aboutspring and summer whenDown Right Delicious willadd tables and chairs to thesidewalk out front and willintroduce grilled foods, sal-ads and fresh wraps to theirmenu.

First String ApparelAs recent as February

2012, Clarinda saw itsnewest store open on thesquare.

First String Apparel is asporting goods and equip-ment store run by theClarinda Academy’s TimBlank who offers screenprinting for businesses,school sports teams andpersonal use.

Blank decided to movethe shop downtown andexpand it to offer a widervariety of equipmentbecause, “We are alwayslooking for something newto give to the community.”

Since opening in earlyFebruary, First String haskept a steady flow of cus-tomers with most of theaction being seen afterschool and on weekends.

Standing in an alreadypacked but neatly organizedstore, Blank eagerly prom-ised, “We’re working withmore venders and we havemore coming.”

Continued from 3C

increased drasticallyover the past twoyears.

“It’s on a steadyincline,” Johnson said.“We doubled produc-tion from the end of2010 to the end of2011 and we are cur-rently hiring to fulfillthe demand.”

To match their highquality service trailerswith a guarantee,H&H is now a memberof the North AmericanTrailer DealersAssociation (NATDA).

Because H&H is amember of NATDA,dealerships that part-ner with H&H receiveeducation on how tooffer the best serviceto their customers andcustomers are guaran-teed quality products.

Membership bene-fits for H&H and part-ner dealerships includediscounted warrantyprograms, discountedshipping and freightprograms, annual tradeshow and educationprograms, a certifiedpre-owned programfor used trailers andseveral others.

According to its

website, NATDA wasfounded in 2007, thefirst association of itskind to enable trailerdealers to becomemore successful busi-ness operators whilebringing together theright products, servic-es, education andtraining.

H&H has benefitedgreatly from its mem-bership with NATDAand partnership withRC Trailers.

Having been aroundsince 1993, H&Hwrestled to stay alivebut eventually fell vic-tim to the economiccollapse. After findingnew owners and nearlystarting from scratch,business at H&Hkeeps moving forward,Probst said. As itshould.

All the weekendwork and late officehours are proof ofH&H employees get-ting “ramped up” forwhat’s to come, Probstsaid. They busy seasonwill come in March ascustomers look for-ward to nice weather,to hauling, loading andmoving. “It’s a busytime of year for us, butwe’re not busy yet.”

Continued from 5C

“Some of these comethrough our inventor pro-gram, and some aredesigned by our researchand development guys.”

Lisle Corporation has alsoupdated its Skin Pack diecutting machine, while EZWay recently added a newCNC laser fabric cuttermanufactured in China.

“We’re updating someequipment that’s gotten out-dated. We try to look forthings to improve our pro-ductivity,” Lisle said. “Weare also planning to expandthe Lisle/EZ Way salesoffices in the second half ofthe year.”

Keys, Lisle andRichardson all agreed thekey to the success of themanufacturing plants in

Clarinda are the qualityemployees that work ateach of the facilities. “Theirwork ethic and their dedica-tion are really strengths,”Richardson said.

Richardson said that highlevel of dedication is rein-forced by the fact the aver-age age of the team mem-bers at NSK-AKS is 46 andthe average years of serviceis 13. In addition, he saidmore than 80 percent of theteam members did not missa single day of work.

“That allows us to pro-duce a product that is supe-rior in quality and cost com-petitive, which may not bepossible if we were locatedin some other part of thecountry,” Richardson said.

Meanwhile, Lisle said 85employees at LisleCorporation achieved 100

percent of stan-dard for the year.“That is a realtribute to thegreat employeeswe have,” Lislesaid.

While the busi-nesses depend onthe qualityemployees theyattract fromClarinda and thesurrounding area,the presence ofthese manufac-

turers is also critical to thefinancial viability ofClarinda.

“Our total labor expendi-tures for 2012 will be justunder $5 million. So we’reputting roughly $5 millionof labor dollars into thelocal community,”Richardson said.

“We’re an important partof Clarinda and Clarinda isan important part of oursuccess. It’s great to see thecommunity growing withthe construction of the newhospital and other activi-ties,” Keys said. “We intendto be here a long time andwill do our part to make thisa vibrant community.”

Continued from 6C

Exclusivee Jewelryy andBoutiquee gifts

Professionall Bodyy Piercings

214 E Main–Clarinda660-853-9476

Across from Easter’s

1203

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5382Shea’s Studio

8C &ProgressPrideThursday, March 1, 2012

NSK Corporation Bearing DivisionCorporation Bearing DivisionNSK

NSK-AKS Precision Ball Company1100 North 1st Street � Clarinda, Iowa 51632

Nathan Thorton, Bore Grind Operator

Tyler Halvin, Assembly Operator

Charles Nelson, Maintenance

Patricia O'Neal, Bore Grind Operator

Gail Conte, Visual Pack Operator

Tamara Parrott, Grind Lapping Operator

Dave Warkentien, Flashing Heat Treat Operator

Kevin Eberly, Lapping Operator

1203

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5047

EMILY GOWINGStaff Writer

A candy bar on-the-go ora grab-bag of chips is theAmerican way of thinkingwhen it comes to vendingmachines. Rod Nester, pres-ident and CEO of SmithVending, predicts thatchange is coming soonerthan we may think.

As a vending operator,Nester attended the 2011China Vending & KioskShow in Shanghai, China,representing the NationalAutomatic MerchandisingAssociation of which he isalso a board member.

Typical and innovativedesigns of vendingmachines were on display,offering a variety of itemsfrom snacks to small elec-tronic devices to pizza toclothing. Nearly 8,000patrons from China andaround the world visited theexhibition last June.

According to Nester, themost unique machine hesaw was the coffee vendingmachine that filtered waterdirectly from the buildingin which the machine wasrunning so that it wouldhave an endless supply ofwater.

Because the world ofvending is relatively new toChina, only coming on thescene in the last ten years,Nester gave a seminar inwhich he spoke about basic“Vending 101” topics suchas product marketing andthe ability to track what isbeing sold.

“In the United States,when we look for a place toprovide vending, we lookfor a place to provide food,”Nester said. “China looksfor a place for electronicadvertising.”

A key part in what Chinais doing in the vendingindustry is incorporatingdigital signage that pro-vides for electronic adver-tising, something thatNester sees potentiallyadding a second revenue

stream for American opera-tors who will be able to selladvertising space on thevending machines.

“They’re light-yearsahead of us in the advertis-ing world but we’re light-years ahead of them in howto market,” he said.

Although Smith Vendingand its other Americancounterparts may still haveroom for improvement onthe advertising side ofthings, they’ve made tech-nological leaps and boundsin just the past three years.

While Nester used tohave his drivers manuallycheck, count and restockthe snacks in each vendingmachine, hoping theywould have the right snackin-stock in the truck toreplace what had beenbought from the machine,there’s now a small devicein place that cuts out themiddle man – and theworry.

If a machine was out ofone brand of chips but thedriver had run out of thatbrand by the time he got tothe machine, a differentbrand of chips was chosento replace the first.

“We relied a lot on thedriver,” Nester said.“Substitutions were dictat-ed by the driver.”

Now, before the drivereven leaves the warehousehe knows exactly what hewill need to refill eachvending machine just as itwas before.

“We have a unique abilityto track what we’re selling,”Nester said. “In every vend-ing machine I can tell youexactly what I’m selling.”

The device that tracks thesnacks and informs thewarehouse is similar to acell phone which automati-cally calls the corporationtwice a day to give anupdated record of whateach vending machineholds.

The thought and theorybehind the device is some-thing Nester shared with the

79 exhibiting companies inShanghai last June.

In a world that is con-stantly moving forward,Nester must keep his eyesand ears open to the newand improved ways ofvending, especially tocounter act the blameplaced upon the vendingindustry due to the obesitycrisis in America.

As such, Nester hashopes of implementing twoor three “Avenue C” unat-tended self-service stores inClarinda or the surroundingareas in the next year.

“Avenue C” is an innova-tive, convenient and adapt-able way of vending thatprovides customers withhealthy alternatives wherethey’ll be able to pick up

the snack and read thenutritional informationbefore making their pur-chase.

“Avenue C” vendingstores will have coolerswith beverages and freshfoods and will allow cus-tomers to pay with debit orcredit cards, not just cash.

The “Avenue C” programSmith Vending is lookinginto has the ability to per-sonalize with its customers,Nester said, allowing themeven to pay for their foodand drink with the scan oftheir thumbprint.

“Our industry has someneat and exciting thingsgoing on,” Nester said, talk-ing about a machine featurereferred to as “guaranteedvend delivery.”

If a purchased item isstuck in the slot, themachine will attempt threetimes to deliver the item. Ifit’s unsuccessful, it willkeep the credit of moneyinserted and prompt thecustomer to purchaseanother item.

As a result of all that isup-and-coming in the vend-ing world, NAMA took aGratitude Tour last fall toshowcase the industry’s lat-est machines, technologyand products.

Nester joined the show atthe University of Wisconsinin Madison to help “re-enhance the image of vend-ing. It’s not the same stereo-type of an old black box,”he said. “It has come a longway.”

Smith Vending CEO travels to Chinese trade show to speak

Rod Nester, center, of Smith Vending in Clarinda represented the National Automatic MerchandisingAssociation at the 2011 China Vending & Kiosk Show in Shanghai last June. He presented a seminaron vending basics during the event.