Schmieler creates customized cost accounting system

April 1, 2009  |  Awnings & Canopies, Features, Management, Marketing, Perspective

Greg Schmieler’s system maximizes profit for his awning business. By Sigrid Tornquist “Creating a cost accounting system changed my whole career life,” says Greg Schmieler, vice president of Laurel Awning Co. in Pittsburgh, Pa. “It changed the way the company is run. We now know what our…
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Hendee finds new market opportunities

March 1, 2009  |  Awnings & Canopies, Features, Management, Perspective

Demand and supply: Chuck Hendee creates products to meet customer needs. By Sigrid Tornquist “In general, I don’t think we’ve ever developed a product—or spent any money to develop one—where there wasn’t an existing demand,” says Chuck Hendee, IFM, MFC, president of Hendee Enterprises …
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Burak cuts labor costs to improve business

January 1, 2009  |  Awnings & Canopies, Features, Management, Marketing, Perspective

Ed Burak improves the bottom line by shaving time off labor costs. By Sigrid Tornquist “The greatest expense for our business is the labor—shaving time off labor is key to our success,” says Ed Burak, president of Hudson Awning and Sign Co. Inc. in Bayonne, N.J. Burak, who runs the company wit…
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Takai works to provide innovative products

December 1, 2008  |  Advanced Textiles, Features, Marketing, Perspective

Junko Takai’s dedication to providing products that make a difference rests on a conservative fiscal foundation. By Sigrid Tornquist “Sometimes when companies make a lot of money, they invest that money into stocks—they invest profits into something other than their own businesses— we reinve…
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Armijos connects with clients

November 1, 2008  |  Awnings & Canopies, Fabric Structures, Features, Management, Marketing, Perspective

Sam Armijos creates connections with clients—in person, in cyberspace and in the pages of a book. By Sigrid Tornquist “There is no alternative to meeting face-to-face. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter whether I showed potential clients something I designed or not. It is whether they fe…
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Egnew combines business and community

October 1, 2008  |  Features, Management, Marketing, Perspective, Tents

J.C. Egnew builds a business where the community and company support each other. By Sigrid Tornquist Success? “It’s about assessing risk. One of the things I spend a lot of time doing is looking for opportunities and assessing risk,” says J.C. Egnew, founder and owner of Outdoor Venture Corp.,…
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Skoldeberg values people-driven business

September 1, 2008  |  Awnings & Canopies, Features, Management, Perspective

Ben Skoldeberg employs people skills and skilled people to bring solar protection to central Texas. By Sigrid Tornquist “This business is really about people. The rest is just aluminum and fabric,” says Ben Skoldeberg, co-founder and co-owner of Texas Sun & Shade. Well … high-quality, high…
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Thompson uses creativity to drive business

August 1, 2008  |  Fabric Structures, Features, Management, Perspective

Cynthia Thompson leverages her creative instincts to build a flourishing tension fabric structures business. “Business owners need to be inventive and fast moving and I think we’ve gotten sluggish,” says Cynthia Thompson, founder and owner of Transformit in Gorham, Maine. “I think we’re lo…
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Chism uses technology to improve business

July 1, 2008  |  Business, Features, Management, Perspective

“You’re only as fast as your slowest person or procedure,” says Roy Chism, president of The Chism Co. Inc. in San Antonio, Texas, who doesn’t seem to have a “slow” speed in his process improvement strategies. Since 1988 when he purchased an automated plotter cutter with the serial number…
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