Business View Magazine - September 2015

74 Business View - September 2015 Business View - September 2015 75 “The customer base was already established when the new owners took over,” Mason says, “and we grew it from there. We worked hand-in-hand with the existing distribution network and responded to circumstances and opportunities as they arose. We still provide this type of customer service today.” “Back then,” Brewer adds, “federal regulators were becoming promi- nent in this industry, as far as creating rules and guidelines for personnel within a potentially haz- ardous area. The family that purchased this com- pany had the foresight to see that this was an up-and-coming, evolv- ing market. That was the main stimulus then that moved Steel Grip into the industrial apparel mar- kets. Logistically speaking, having three manufactur- ing facilities within a 20- mile radius of each other is brilliant. Each plant focuses on certain prod- ucts, yet interfaces with the others. One makes shirts and jackets, as well as high-temperature gloves and mitts; the sec- ond produces industrial pants and coveralls. The main Danville site does custom-made specialty items such as aluminized apparel and leather prod- ucts. But, they all feed the same industry with regards to personnel protection against potentially hazardous industrial environments. Five major sectors comprise the Steel Grip customer base – aluminum, steel, electrical, oil, and gas. “The automotive and chemical fields are also good,” says Stultz. “We try to stay diversified; if the oil market goes down, we watch those orders decline and hopefully other sectors will stay strong. The electrical industry has been steady for 15 years and probably will stay strong for another 15 years.” Brewer notes, “We are also diverse in our capabili- ties of creating customized products. We’ve been ap- proached by many domestic and international distrib- utors to develop custom-built speciality apparel, so we are flexible when markets demand. Our daily focus is to convert raw speciality materials into finished per- sonal protective equipment and apparel. Our creative manufacturing ability has been our long established strength that has sustained our customer relation- ships throughout the years.” “Industries are evolving, especially in metals,” says Stultz. “Foreign conglomerates buy U.S. aluminum and steel manufacturers – bringing in new technology which requires a change in safety garments. These companies prefer to use materials from Europe. That adds a whole new level to manufacturing, but many do- mestic apparel companies don’t want to get involved with importing and stocking materials. When a foreign company buys a local aluminum mill, those people still like to buy American garments, so we bring in what’s necessary to supply them.” Distributors buy products from Steel Grip and resell them to the end users. With such a technically complex product line, they rely on the company’s sales team to answer questions, often asking them to call the cus- tomer directly. Stultz acknowledges, “It’s daunting when someone asks, ‘Hey, what do I wear for molten Manufacturing Manufacturing