The Schaefer Group

THE SCHAEFER GROUP out of a Schaefer furnace in a tier-one supplier’s facility. The electric motor industry is another prime customer. “Every house has about 22 electric motors in it,” says White, “and we dominate that market. Just about every company that produces electric motors has Schaefer furnaces. Many long- term customers have been instrumental in our growth, especially General Motors and Honda; Saint Jean Industries in Heber Springs, Arkansas; Emerson Motors; and Pace Industries. Our steel costs have risen quite a bit in the last year because of the tariffs on imported steel. The steel guys all raised their prices, regardless of where the steel came from, which is not good. We ended up having to raise our prices because of it.” As it approaches its 90th anniversary in 2020, The Schaefer Group is still a family business – Dick Schaefer is owner of the company and Chairman of the Board. David Nelson is President, David Robinson is Vice President, and each district office has its own manager. The company currently has 117 employees, up from 90 last year, but finding skilled labor is a challenge. Being a union facility, they’ve had to go 150 to 200 miles out to find union people who are not already working, to come and work for them. Schaefer has recently hired a couple of electrical technicians that were out of trade schools and working elsewhere. Looking ahead, White forecasts, “For the next three years, from a management standpoint, we’ll be focusing on the three new items I highlighted, because they are major in terms of resources required and we want to make sure they’re managed properly and profitable before we jump ahead into something else. Certainly, we’re going to enhance our virtual reality initiatives. We draw