Issuu

pro ress ress2016 Tuesday, March 22

A SALUTE TO THOSE “PEOPLE IN INDUSTRY” IN THE CRESTON NEWS ADVERTISER COVERAGE AREA

Jake Rice Rich Lilly Cory Buckalew Cody Keller Brian Wood Jason Davis Dave DeLong Luke Baker Isaac Lumbard Rich Castenal Lance Christensen

2A 4A 6A 8A 10A 11A 13A 15A 18A 19A 20A

Creston News Advertiser Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Dalton Ag hangs its hat on specialization By KELSEY HAUGEN CNA staff reporter khaugen@crestonnews.com

LENOX – As a company that specializes in fertilizer application equipment, Dalton Ag Products employees take pride in customizing equipment to fit a specific farmer’s needs. “Like every manufacturer, we would prefer to have a cookie cutter – it would be easier and less expensive,” said Mike Hilderbrand, Dalton Ag president. “But every farmer has a Hilderbrand different way of doing things ... so we are one of the few manufacturers that still does custom work. We’ll design an anhydrous (ammonia) toolbar from the ground up for a customer if that’s what it takes to get his business.” It all starts with getting the Dalton Ag name out there, which is one responsibility of Jake Rice, regional sales manager of Dalton Ag in Lenox. “A lot of times, we find places where we have no representation, and I’ll spend a lot of time on the road visiting these areas,” Rice said. “In our business, a lot of it’s done face to face, and it’s based on personal relationships.” Dalton Ag, which was established in 1996, strives

to build equipment for individual farmers and cooperatives that will help make the process of fertilization more efficient. Dalton Ag is a short-liner, meaning it specializes in one thing: fertilizer application equipment. “John Deere, New Holland, Case IH and other bigger companies are full-liners, meaning they have a full line of products – combines, tractors, implements of all kinds,” Hilderbrand said. “But they use a short line, like us, to fill gaps in their products. So, a New Holland dealer may sell a New Holland tractor with one of our pieces of equipment as a package.” As of 2014, Dalton Ag is part of a larger corporation, Dexter Apache Holdings Inc., a holding company responsible for a handful of manufacturers. Dalton Ag is its only agricultural manufacturer, though. The employee-owned company is very small compared to other manufacturers, Hilderbrand said. The plant currently has about 70 employees. “Physically, we’re still a small company,” Rice said. “Nationally, we’re not, as far as sales go. We get a lot done with very little.” Dalton Ag produces equipment such as dry fertilizer spreaders, liquid nitrogen applicators, anhydrous ammonia toolbars, running gears, nurse trailers and row units. “When this company was

established about 20 years ago, Dick Dalton started out selling equipment directly to farmers in this area,” Hilderbrand said. “But as we started to get further and further away from Lenox, we needed to have dealers to not only sell the product but service it.” Now, Dalton Ag has expanded business throughout the United States and into Canada, Ukraine and the Philippines. The company has nearly 75 dealership locations, with Whipp Sales & Service in Clarinda being the closest one to the plant in Lenox. “Typically, we don’t work with anybody who works with just us because in the fertilizer application field, we make basically five product lines, and Rice there’s m o r e products needed in fertilizer application that we don’t build currently,” Rice said. “So, they access what they can with us, and we form a dealer agreement with them. Then, they might have a missing piece to their puzzle, and they’ll find that from another manufacturer.” One reason a farmer or company might approach a AG | 3A

CNA photo by KELSEY HAUGEN

A Dalton Ag Products employee applies powder coat paint to fertilizer spreader parts at the plant in January.

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Dalton Ag Products employee Steve Wilmoth operates an iron worker at the plant in Lenox in January.

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AG:

“The key word is ‘specialist.’ We’re the experts in fertilizer application equipment.”

CONT. FROM | 2A

short-liner like Dalton Ag – or a distributor for Dalton Ag – is its equipment is generally more affordable. “When this company was started, it was based on what the average farmer could afford, and (the equipment) did what the average guy needed for the amount of ground he covered at a competitive price,” Rice said. “We usually came in considerably lower than our competitors. Now, we’ve stepped up our game. We’ve built a product that’s equally as good as the other two (manufacturers) I feel we most compete against.” Dalton Ag’s main competitors in its most popular line, anhydrous toolbars, are Case IH, DMI Agriculture and Blu-Jet. “It’s hard to define the average farmer anymore, but we still come in at a price advantage most people can afford,” Rice said. “It’s kind of like when you buy John Deere, it’s like buying a Cadillac versus a Corolla. The Corolla will do exactly what the Cadillac will do – get you from point A to point B. Some guys buy John Deere just because it’s John Deere, and they pay the Cadillac price. We make a functional product that’s equally as good, or better in some ways, in quality.” Hilderbrand said the main advantage Dalton Ag has over full-liners is its focus on one type of equip-

— Mike Hilderbrand

Dalton Ag president

He also travels when there are service issues. “If there’s an issue and I don’t have a dealership in an area, or I do but it’s a new dealership that doesn’t have a grasp on all the mechanics of our products, I’ll go out and (help) the farmer along with the dealership and work hand-in-hand to make that product functional again,” Rice said.

Sales Rice began working at Dalton Ag, in part, because of his background in farming. He used to work on his family’s farm and is now involved in a ranching operation in southern Iowa and northern Missouri with his wife Melanie and her family. About six years ago, Rice started out as a salesman for Dalton Ag. He then became the regional sales manager and has been in that position for about three years. As the regional sales manager, Rice spends the majority of his time traveling. “It can be anything from jumping on a plane first thing in the morning or jumping in a pick-up and driving to southern Illinois to work with a multiple-location dealership,” Rice said. “It could also mean driving to Des Moines for a show.” Rice does about 15 shows per year, which may take place anywhere from Nebraska to Georgia. For Dalton Ag, the purpose of a show is to introduce products to potential dealers. “I like to get in front of people, introduce myself, show them some literature and provide some numbers,” Rice said. “It’s very hands-on in this business.”

CNA photos by KELSEY HAUGEN

Jake Rice, far right, regional sales manager for Dalton Ag Products in Lenox, leads a plant tour for employees of Whipp Sales & Services in Clarinda in January. Rice signed Whipp as a Dalton Ag dealership prior to the tour. From left are Whipp employees Alan Ascherl, TJ Butler and Tim Henke.

ty at Dalton Ag to meet the needs of individuals. “I think a key part of our quality has to do with input from our dealers and individual farmers,” Rice said. “Some of the bigger companies won’t listen to what the average farmer wants. We take input and use that to our benefit and to theirs.” Dalton Ag outsources engineering to design customized equipment. Then, the product is designed at Customized the plant through the variThough customizing farm ous departments: welding, equipment is challenging fabrication, painting and and expensive, it is a priori- assembly. ment. “The key word is ‘specialist.’ We’re the experts in fertilizer application equipment,” Hilderbrand said. Rice added: “John Deere spends a lot of money researching, and they think their anhydrous toolbar is better than ours, but we only make five products. We focus on these five products, so we think we have the advantage because that’s what we specialize in.”

Dealerships While Dalton Ag manufactures equipment, it relies on its dealerships and distributors to sell the products either directly to farmers or to cooperatives or retailers. Some John Deere dealerships sell Dalton Ag equipment, but the company more often works with New Holland. Last year, Dalton Ag started 21 new dealerships with New Holland alone. “New Holland didn’t have any kind of fertilizer application equipment line unless they outsourced it themselves, so we went to them and provided them with products Case IH and John Deere already had that they manufactured themselves,” Rice said. “So, this gives New Holland the ability to compete against the other two big brands.” Rice is the one in charge of finding new dealership locations. Recently, though, Dalton Ag hired a new sales representative because there were too many dealerships all across the United States for one person to keep track of.

Now, Rice is mostly responsible for one region, while the new salesman covers the other region. “One thing about signing these dealerships is it’s not like selling a used car, where you make the sale, get the money, and then you’re done,” Hilderbrand said. “It’s more like getting married because it’s choosing partners we’re going to do business with together. The dealers will depend on us, and we’ll depend on the dealers. We often think of it as convincing the dealer to sign, but in reality, we’re also convincing ourselves of whether we want to sign that dealer.” Once Rice signs a new dealer, that’s when the real work begins. “We want continual business; we don’t just want them to buy one piece of equipment,” Hilderbrand said. “We want to help them learn how to sell our equipment and understand the benefits of it.” Rice visits every new dealership location to make sure its employees know how the equipment works and how to sell it.

Dalton Ag Products employee Wes Gregg installs an Agri-Cover roll tarp to a Mobility C400 fertilizer and lime combination spreader at the plant in January.

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Creston News Advertiser Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Breaking glass

Rich Lilly, a lead glass cutter at Cardinal Glass in Greenfield, has a “knack” for quickly and efficiently breaking and organizing glass panes. ■

By KELSEY HAUGEN CNA staff reporter khaugen@crestonnews.com

GREENFIELD – While Rich Lilly says his job is pretty easy and a machine does the hard part of his work, his supervisors disagree. To them, Rich and the other glass cutters are irreplaceable assets in the process of making glass for windows and doors at Cardinal Glass IG in Greenfield. “You either have the knack or you don’t – to be able to look at that screen quickly, break the glass out and put it in the right slots. It’s a hard job to fill,” said Lori Ramsey, C a r d i - Ramsey nal Glass human resources manager. “How you handle (the glass) and put it into the rack is also very important because you can’t scratch the glass.” Rich, 51, of Bridgewater began working at Cardinal Glass in 1996. He started in the tempering department, then worked on the line. Now, for about 17 of his 20 years at Cardinal Glass, Rich has been in glass cutting. He is a lead glass cutter on one of the cutting tables. Before starting at Cardinal Glass, Rich worked

CNA photo by KELSEY HAUGEN

Rich Lilly, left, a lead glass cutter, and Kevin Parkison, glass cutting supervisor at Cardinal Glass IG in Greenfield, wait for a sheet of glass to reach them. They will then break it into several smaller panes of glass and place into specific slots on racks behind them. Lilly and Parkison work on one of five glass-cutting tables at the Greenfield plant.

a variety of jobs. Shortly after he graduated from Orient-Macksburg High School, he traveled the nation doing construction for a while. Then, for six years, he was a part-owner of a restaurant in Georgia. Eventually, Rich decided to settle down near his hometown in Iowa and has been at Cardinal Glass ever since. His wife, Brook, also works at Cardinal Glass.

Industry Cardinal Glass Industries has more than 6,000 employees combined at its 35-plus manufacturing locations nationwide. The corporation’s goal is to design and fabricate the most advanced glass products in the industry, whether it’s insulating, coated, laminated, tempered or regular

float glass. Cardinal Glass Industries has both domestic and international clients throughout North America, Europe, the Middle East, Far East and Australia.

Greenfield At Cardinal Glass in Greenfield, the focus is on insulating, tempered and heat-strengthened glass, which is mostly used for windows, doors and skylights. Its top clients are Pella, Andersen, Windsor and Peerless Products. “About 90 percent of our business is some type of residential application,” said Steve Bricker, Cardinal Glass plant manager. Cardinal Glass has five cutting tables. Two tables cut non-coated glass, two

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cut coated glass and one cuts both non-coated and coated glass. “About 98 percent of everything we make has some type of coating, which gives you the clarity but also gives you the performance without having to use tint- Bricker ed glass,” Bricker said. “If you’re using a triple-layer silver coating, typically you’re going to get better value for the southern markets. The dual-layer coating is going to give you good performance for the mid-belt. Then, the single-layer is

CNA photo by KELSEY HAUGEN

Pictured is the computer screen for one of the glass-cutting tables at Cardinal Glass IG in Greenfield. Rich Lilly and other glass cutters look at an image such as the one pictured to determine where a large sheet of glass will be broken into smaller pieces. Each letter-number combination tells the glass cutters where to place each pane glass after breaking it off the large sheet.

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LILLY: CONT. FROM | 4A

better performing for the northern climates. So, (the type of coating) has to do with weather conditions.”

Glass cutter Cardinal Glass has both a stock department, which houses glass for standard-sized windows and doors, and a customized department. While Rich sometimes cuts glass for the stock department, he mostly cuts customized pieces. At Cardinal Glass, about 30 employees total work in glass cutting. “There’s five lines, and for the most part, those lines run anywhere from 600 to 1,500 units a day,” Rich said. “A unit is two pieces of glass, so if a line runs 1,500 units, that’s 3,000 pieces of glass.” Rich works on one of the two cutting tables that cuts only non-coated, or clear, glass. “Clear glass is what it sounds like, just clear glass,” Rich said. “Then we have coated glass, which has a coating on it to reflect or absorb sun rays and heat. There’s probably 30 or 40 different types of coating. A lot of the glass windows you have in your house will Lilly have a clear side and a coated side. The coated side basically blocks the sun from just beating in.” Cardinal Glass runs 24 hours a day, so there’s a day shift, night shift and graveyard shift. Rich works the day shift, which is from 7 a.m. until 3 p.m. He works regular fulltime hours except when the employees have to work overtime, which is usually

CNA photo by KELSEY HAUGEN

Pictured are thousands of stock pieces of glass to be used for standard-sized windows or doors.

during the summer. For Rich, each workday starts out with putting on protective gear – gloves and a cape – and doing recuts, which means re-cutting pieces that were cut wrong or broken on the shift before. Then, Rich grabs the tags that have been printed off. Tags let the glass cutters know what needs to be cut and in what order. “I’m a lead glass cutter, so I take those tags, and then the day shift coordinator decides how we’re going to run of which types of glass down each line,” Rich said. “I put the (tags) into the computer, and then everything else is automated.” Each giant sheet of glass on a cutting table will be broken into panes of all different sizes. A computer screen shows the glass cutters an image of the glass broken into the different pieces, with each piece having a letter-number combination on it. The combination tells the glass cutter which slot

in which rack to place each piece of glass. “The sheets come out in various sizes – anything from 72 by 84 inches to 96 by 144 inches. It’ll come out and the machine cuts it into whatever sizes it’s supposed to be,” Rich said. “Really, the machine does everything except break (the glass) out and put it away. The machine goes and gets the glass, puts it on the table, cuts it. It’s pretty easy, as long as you keep in mind how much you have to run for each line.” As Ramsey mentioned, though, glass cutters have to be quick on their feet. They have to look at the computer screen and figure out in a matter of seconds where they will break off each piece and where each piece must be placed. “This time of year, we’ll do 8,000 or 9,000 square feet a day,” Rich said. “During the busy time, we’ll do 13,000 to 15,000 – that’s a lot. You have to be fast, or you’re just in the way.”

At Cardinal Glass, the process of preparing glass is becoming increasingly quick. Ramsey said Cardinal Glass makes the majority of its own equipment. “They put in a new cutting table last summer, and it’s supposed to be the fastest, most advanced one in the world,” Rich said. “It’s unbelievable how fast it really is.” Another part of Rich’s job is to discard the parts of a glass sheet that cannot be used. “We try to have as little waste as possible,” Rich said. “We try to run at 93 percent on this table, so only 7 percent is waste, and that gets recycled.”

The process Rich’s job as a glass cutter is the just the first step in a long process of making glass for windows and doors. “After a sheet of glass is cut and its pieces are put into racks, the racks go to the line. There’s a feeder who takes (the glass) out of the rack and puts it on the line. It goes through a washer and the edges of the coating are grinded so the Butyl, which is like a putty, on the channel will stick

to the glass,” Rich said. “Then, the assembler puts “We try to have the channel on one side as little waste as of the glass, it goes into a chamber, it’s pressurized, possible. We try pumped full of argon gas to run at 93 perand then packed on an cent on this table, A-frame or whatever.” Rich said the employees so only 7 percent don’t do the trim at Cardi- is waste, and that nal Glass; they just prepare the pieces of glass that go gets recycled.” into the window. “There’s really a lot — Rich Lilly Employee at Cardinal more to (a window) than Glass in Greenfield people think,” Rich said. “There’s a lot of technoloa wrestling meet, it’ll be in gy in it anymore.” evening, so we can still Work/life balance the both make it to those funcRich’s wife works in the tions,” Rich said. “It has channel department at Car- actually worked out really dinal Glass. well for us. Yeah, we get “There’s two pieces of to missing each other or glass (in a window), and whatever, but we both have then there’s what they call a some vacation to take time spacer or channel between off and do something – go the pieces of glass,” Rich goof off on the motorcycle said. “That’s what Brook or whatever.” does. She puts Butyl on a Every year, the couple channel and then hangs the takes vacation from Christchannel on a rack.” mas to New Year’s Day. While Rich works from 7 Rich likes to hunt and run a.m. to 3 p.m., Brook works a trap line, which Brook the graveyard shift, from 10 helps him with. “Everybody thinks it’s p.m. to 6 a.m. The couple has two chil- hard (having opposite dren: 15-year-old Makenna schedules), but it’s not,” Rich said. “You learn to and 12-year-old Zane. “If my daughter has a make the best of what you band concert or the boy has have.”

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Creston News Advertiser Tuesday, March 22, 2016

A blueprint and a pile of parts

By KELSEY HAUGEN CNA staff reporter khaugen@crestonnews.com

As Cory Buckalew welds several stainless steel rods together to create a rack, he bounces around from one spot to another to avoid too much heat concentration in one area. Starting with just a blueprint and a pile of parts, the end result will be a dewatering unit for Regal Equipment, a company that sells reconditioned equipment to food processing industries. The rack Buckalew is welding will be one small part of the dewatering unit, which will allow a food processing company to rid vegetables, likely potatoes, of excess water. Meanwhile, other parts for the dewatering unit are worked on by Bruce Sticken in the fabrication department, who drills holes. Once Buckalew has all the parts and has finished welding them, he will build the final product. “This is where the magic happens,” said Jason Davis, Vanmark Equipm e n t Davis general manager. “Not everyone can take a pile of parts and make it into a machine.” Buckalew, 27, started out working with his father at The Iron Works in Des Moines. At the time, Buckalew was a painter and his father was a welder. “When my dad worked overtime, I would grab scraps out of the scrap bin and teach myself how to weld,” Buckalew said. “I was just messing around, but then they saw that I got good at it, so I went from a painter to a welder. I just fell into it.” It was 2005 when he began teaching himself to weld. Shortly after that, Buckalew worked for Cardinal Glass Industries in Greenfield, then K&K Auto in Creston. In November 2007, Buckalew began working as a welder for Vanmark

CNA photos by KELSEY HAUGEN

ABOVE: Cory Buckalew, a welder at Vanmark Equipment, welds several stainless steel rods together to make a rack for a dewatering unit in late December. BELOW: Pictured is a dewatering unit made by Vanmark Equipment employees that is ready to be shipped to a food processing company. A dewatering unit gets rid of excess water in produce, such as potatoes or carrots.

Equipment in Creston. He is one of the company’s four welders. “I like to start with something that’s just a pile of parts, and then in the end, you can look at it and say, ‘I built that,’” Buckalew said. “If you have pride in your work, your welds represent you. No one else can weld just like you.” In 2012, Buckalew married his wife Brandi, who

works at Bunn-O-Matic, and a year later, they had their daughter Mia, who is now 2 years old.

Standards

Since developing the first commercial potato peeler in 1954, Vanmark Equipment has been a global leader in the manufacturing of industrial food processing equipment. Vanmark’s equipment is designed to meet the specific needs of

food companies, from peeling and washing to inspecting and storing vegetables, fruits and nuts. Because Vanmark manufactures products used for food processing, the company uses stainless steel. With the high standards in food processing, the equipment used must be cleaned frequently and thoroughly. Stainless steel stays in good condition through repeti-

tive cleaning, while other metals may rust. As long as the stainless steel is polished to a smooth surface, it is easy to keep clean. “Welding at Vanmark, since it’s food-grade, you have to be very particular,” Buckalew said. “It has to be gorgeous, clean steel with not much spatter.” Welding spatter means drips of molten metal that lessen the appearance of a welding job. Avoiding spatter is also essential in ensuring the equipment fits food processing companies’ sanitation standards. “If your welds aren’t good and there are places where bacteria can grow, that’s really serious. That

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can kill people,” Davis said. “So we take very seriously food safety and making sure we have good, sanitary equipment.” There are three main types of welding: metal inert gas (MIG), tungsten inert gas (TIG) and arc. “Arc welding is where you weld with just a stick, and with TIG welding, you can do a really tiny bead, but you basically have an electronic torch, and then you put the filler wire into it, so you melt the puddle with the torch,” Buckalew said. “Then there’s MIG welding, where you hold the gun and the wire comes out. The gun and the wire

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CNA photo by KELSEY HAUGEN

Bruce Sticken, who works in the fabrication department at Vanmark Equipment, runs a plasma cutting table, which cuts and drills holes in metal. After Sticken drills holes in a part, the part will go to Cory Buckalew to be welded.

CORY: CONT. FROM | 6A

self-feed, so it produces an arc.” At Vanmark, pulse MIG welding is important to produce smooth, clean welds. “In pulse MIG welding, you can set it up so it will not spatter,” Buckalew said. “On standard MIG, it c r a c k l e s , Buckalew spatters, pops – there’s little metal BBs everywhere.” Vanmark works with major food companies. Basically, if you have ever eaten a potato chip, it was processed with a piece of Vanmark equipment at some point, Davis said. Pulse MIG welding reduces the risk of metal BBs and other unsafe welding mistakes, which is important to food companies. “I don’t think you’d want little metal BBs falling off into your potato chips,” Buckalew said. “Also, if you have a bunch of spattered BBs, they can get stacked up, and then you can get pathogens in there that will make you sick. If your weld isn’t nice and smooth, if it has a jagged edge or undercut, that’s potential for contamination.”

Welding

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If they aren’t on their overtime schedule, the welders work from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. For the most part, they work by themselves. “It’s got its pros and cons,” Buckalew said. “It gives you a lot of time to think to yourself, which isn’t necessarily a good thing. Me, personally, I just put my earbuds in and go into the zone.” When he first gets to work, Buckalew turns on the air compressor and looks at his blueprints to see what he needs to do. He builds a variety of large, industrial pieces of equipment, including potato peelers, conveyors, flume systems and crate dumpers. “It’s not a small potato peeler like you would imag-

CNA photo by KELSEY HAUGEN

Cory Buckalew, a welder at Vanmark Equipment, uses a welding torch to melt a metal stick to hold stainless steel rods together for a rack for a dewatering unit.

ine; it’s one that’s the size of this room,” Buckalew said. “We also build bulk storage tanks for potatoes, carrots, beets that are half the size of the front of the building. They’re huge.” One day, Buckalew might finish five or six projects. Another day, he may begin working on a bulk bin that will stay in the welding department for a week or two. “First, you look at the blueprint and determine in your mind where you need to start and what needs to go where,” Buckalew said. “Then you look at your pallet, find all the parts and make sure they’re bent and cut right. You tack everything 100 percent before you weld it.” A tack is a tiny weld made with a TIG welding torch. “You get the whole thing tacked up, and if it’s all done right, then you can go back through and weld every seam,” Buckalew said. From there, if everything fits perfectly, Buckalew will finish welding it together and then send it to the next department to be sandblasted. Then, it will be ready for assembly. “Cory’s attention to detail is excellent, and he’s very focused,” Davis said.

Safety first

Welders wear a variety of protective gear, including gloves, a protective cape and mask so they can look at the

arc – the light from the arc can cause blindness without a face shield. “You can burn yourself; that’s easy to do. I’ve got several scars and burn holes (in clothing),” Buckalew said. “But fortunately, stainless steel doesn’t put off nearly as much gas. When you’re welding mild steel, it puts off nasty fumes. Stainless is fairly clean, and I would say it’s not that dangerous.”

Job challenges Buckalew is considered one of the senior welders, as he has been at Vanmark for more than eight years. The other senior welder has more than 20 years under his belt. So, the two help the newer welders, who have been at Vanmark less than a year. “Since I’ve been there, we’ve tried hiring at least 10 different people,” Buckalew said. “Trying to train my generation or younger is very hard. It seems like the younger generation is really bullheaded; they know everything.” Right now, it’s no longer an issue, though. “We’ve got two new guys who show a lot of promise,” Buckalew said. “If they have a question, they come to us. We’re a little more capable of figuring out how to build it in our heads. A new guy might just start tacking it together in the wrong order.

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Some of the stuff we build, you have to start at a certain position and do it in a certain order.”

Vanmark work Buckalew said he chose Vanmark for its stability, which is especially important now that he has a family. “It’s a good company and keeps me in Creston doing what I like,” he said. “Cardinal was an easy job, but working graveyard (shifts) is not fun.” The “shop” part of Vanmark consists of about 14 workers. Total, there are fewer than 40 employees at Vanmark. “The group of guys I work at Vanmark with, we’re really close-knit, so it’s kind of a family deal,” Buckalew said.

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Sparks and steel

Cody Keller oversees a variety of agricultural, structural projects as shop foreman at BSM Enterprises in Arispe. ■

By IAN RICHARDSON

CNA staff reporter irichardson@crestonnews.com

ARISPE — It was a slushy January afternoon when Cody Keller sat down in the office of the BSM Enterprises factory building for an interview, the intermittent buzz of saws on steel occasionally drowning out his words. Looking through the inner-facing window into the 30,000-square-foot area where the factory completes its projects, he indicated where workers were performing separate jobs on Keller various machines. “I have two people working on the hay feeders right now,” Keller said. “I’ve got one guy that is trying to run the beam line, and then we’ve got another guy that can run the anglemaster and the plasma table. Everybody brings something different to the plate.”

CNA photo by IAN RICHARDSON

Employee Chad Bounds operates the coping portion of the beam line at BSM Enterprises in Arispe. The beam line is able to perform a variety of functions on steel beams.

Keller, 28, is shop foreman at BSM Enterprises in Arispe, a steel fabrication factory that currently employs 15 workers. BSM completes a combination of structural and agricultural projects, primarily for customers within a 100-mile radius. “We basically do whatever we think we can tackle in a timely manner,” Keller said. “Structural jobs, hay feeders — we play around with different skid loader ideas and attachments. Basically different companies will send us prints and programs for whatever step of

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the job they need done.” Keller knows how to run most of the eight machines in the factory. His day-today duties involve managing jobs and solving problems as they arise. He’s now closing in on his third year working for the factory, which became fully operational May 1, 2015. Prior to May, factory workers had used the available facilities to complete whatever projects they could.

AEC to BSM Keller began working in the steel industry when he was a teenager, taking weld-

ing classes while attending I-35 High School in Truro. In 2006, his senior year, he began working second shift at AEC Enterprises in Truro. A few years later, following a part-time job pouring concrete, Keller applied at W&W Welding and Fabrication, an Arispe steel factory located on the property where BSM Enterprises sits today. He worked there for about 4 1/2 years before the owner, Larry Watersdorf, went into retirement. Keller then opened up his own shop using his garage and a service truck, performing

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truck and trailer repairs, servicing semis and completing welding repair jobs. Then, a fire completely destroyed his garage. But around that time, Keller had also been in contact with Bob Martin, who was purchasing the old W&W building. Martin asked Keller if he would be interested in working for him, and Keller accepted.

steel company he owned for 30 years before selling it so he could settle down at Sun Valley Lake and farm some land he owns in Ringgold and Union counties. Martin’s retirement didn’t last long, Martin though. After Waltersdorf called him in mid-2013 with the offer to sell the W&W Fabrication property, Martin took him up on the offer and began BSM Enterprises. The letters in the title stand for the first and last initials of Bob and his wife, Sharon. The factory currently employs 15 employees but has the capacity to hire 30 to 40. Martin first met Keller when he was working at W&W and has been pleased with his work at the factory so far. “Cody’s intelligent, he’s ambitious, very trustworthy, and he likes working,” Martin said.

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Photo package: People in Industry

CNA photo by IAN RICHARDSON

Cody Keller loads up the steel fabrication software program Raptor on the office computer. BSM Enterprises uses Raptor for examining and creating part data.

KELLER: CONT. FROM | 8A

most structural work. “We process the steel and do some of the weldings too,” Parks said. “Basically when it leaves here it’s ready to be bolted together to make a building.” But Parks said most agricultural projects are fully completed in-house. “The agriculture side of stuff like the box scrapers and the skid loader kind of stuff, most likely that’s start to finish,” Parks said. “When it leaves here, it’s a painted, finished product.” Keller’s day starts at 7 a.m., at which time the workers begin running the machines, meeting if they need to get on the same page. The factory closes at 3:30 p.m., and Keller normally sticks around until 5 or 5:30. While all 15 workers may be needed on a job from day to day, Keller said most of the time workers will be on a few separate jobs, which range from structural to agricultural in nature.

“For the capabilities of our equipment, we’re not even scratching the surface of what we can really do,” Keller said. “We’re not to the point yet where we have continuous work for every machine here. I mean, we’ll get there, there’s no doubt about that.” BSM has one of the only CNC beam lines in the state. It’s a computerized machine that can scribe, drill, mill, tap, countersink steel, which can lead to additional project work. “A lot of times (other companies) will be like, ‘Would you run these beams for us?’ And we’ll process the steel and once this job’s done we’ll actually ship it back and then they’ll weld it all together,” Parks said.

The challenge

What is it that’s kept Keller in the industry for a decade? He said the feeling of accomplishment that comes after finishing a job is part of what makes it enjoyable. “After we load a semi with a bunch of steel that we processed, you know, to see it go down the road, that’s pretty cool,” he said. Expansion He also said the variety of Keller and Parks agree that projects, and the potential for the factory also has the capac- growth of the company, keeps ity to do much more as it con- him excited. tinues to grow. “It’s usually a different chal-

“For the capabilities of our equipment, we’re not even scratching the surface of what we can really do. We’re not to the point yet where we have continuous work for every machine here. I mean, we’ll get there, there’s no doubt about that.”

CNA photo by KYLE WILSON

Tadd Carr builds a manifold for a test engine at Excel Engineering in Diagonal in January.

— Cody Keller

BSM Enterprises

lenge every day,” Keller said. “There’s a lot of people that come in with different ideas, and they’re like, ‘Hey, do you think we can do this?’ Or, ‘How do you make this work?’ That’s always exciting, doing something new, you know, prototypes and building stuff that people have never done before.” In his free time, Keller said he enjoys fishing, camping and other outdoor activities with his family. Keller currently lives in Afton with his wife, Tyan, and 6-year-old daughter, Riley.

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Creston News Advertiser Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Lenox man finds niche working at PPI

By BAILEY POOLMAN CNA staff reporter bpoolman@crestonnews.com

LENOX — Brian Wood had a change of pace a few years after college, and while it wasn’t related to his college studies, it was something that stuck with him for years. Wood, now 43, went from a Bachelor of Arts degree in elementary education from University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls in 1996 to a press operator at PPI in Lenox today. “I did some substitute teaching, taught for a year in Diagonal and here (Lenox), and decided it kind of wasn’t my thing. I decided I wanted to be in charge of myself,” Wood said. “I had a cousin who worked here who suggested it, and I kind of took it up. I’ve been here for 16 years now.” While teaching, Wood realized he didn’t like the job because he preferred being in charge of his own time. “I kind of like just being in charge of myself,” Wood said. “I have my responsibilities here. Rather than being in charge of a bunch of other stuff. I’ve had the opportunities to be a supervisor, and I’ve always turned them down.”

CNA photo by BAILEY POOLMAN

Brian Wood, press operator at PPI in Lenox, demonstrates how to use a press in January at PPI. Wood has been at PPI for 16 years, and coaches high school sports on the side.

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PPI PPI is a company that makes pulleys and idlers. The home office in Pella and the Corning division focus on pulleys used to power conveyor systems, while the Lenox office focuses on making idlers. Idlers are the part of a conveyor system the belt is put on to run things down. They are usually used in industries like mining, food transfer and package delivery. “I usually run presses and stuff, to where I assemble the parts we make,” Wood said. “But, I’m kind of a floater. If somebody needs me, I can run a lot of stuff. I’ve ran the welders, you name it. I’ve helped in shipping and stuff. I kind of like that, it breaks the monotony.” When he started at PPI in 1999, there were about 60 people at the Lenox plant with Wood. Now, there are about 120 in Lenox, and about 600 worldwide. “Here before Christmas, a guy here lost one of his children. We chipped in, and Pella, the home office, said, ‘Whatever you guys can raise here, we will match that.’ We raised in the thousands of dollars to help with the funeral costs. It helped give them something a little extra to take the burden off them,” Wood said. “When I started, everybody knew everybody and we were pretty tight knit. You know, if something were to happen with somebody, we were always there for each other.” The Lenox grad from the

® CNA photo by BAILEY POOLMAN

Brian Wood of Lenox performs his press operator job in January at PPI in Lenox. Sixteen years ago, Wood started out on the paint line, where the produced parts are painted before being assembled. He considers himself a floater and will help with anything that needs completed at PPI.

class of 1991 has a daily schedule he works around at the factory. When he gets in to work, he looks at the high priority orders first. “I always get with my supervisor and say, ‘Hey, I see I’m missing something here. Can you check on that and get that ready for me?’” Wood said. “We get the ball rolling, get a flow to the day.” Wood works in an area with two other employees, and they organize the day and what needs done first. The presses Wood works with are used to assemble machine parts. He takes hollow cans with openings on either side, puts a shaft in the opening and bearings on both sides of the shaft, then seals the bearings to hold the parts in place. “We’ve got a little pod here, where we’ve got presses and I work one of those three,” Wood said. “We kind of organize together, so I’ve got a good group of two other people I work with.”

Coaching Ever since graduating from high school, Wood made time to coach several high school sports. He started as an assistant baseball coach for two summers,

helping head coach Steve Westfall, before attending college. After college graduation, Wood married his wife Jennifer. That same year he began as assistant baseball coach again for three years, and was also assistant girls’ basketball coach. For one year in the middle, he even assisted the head volleyball coach. He eventually stopped coaching everything but baseball, and was the assistant coach from 1996 to 2002. Despite the long hours at PPI, he found the time to be around the kids. “Then, for 10 years, I took a break from coaching, other than working with little league with my son Cullen’s basketball and baseball with his grade,” Wood said. In 2012, a friend of his named Curt Stokes asked if Wood would want to coach high school baseball with him since the head coach resigned. “He (Stokes) said, ‘Hey, if you do this with me, I’ll do it with you.’ We both love baseball and he talked me into it,” Wood said. Stokes and Wood coached side by side for

three years before Stokes resigned. Wood decided he wasn’t ready to be a head coach. While assisting the Tigers’ baseball team, Wood’s day would begin at 4:30 a.m., when he would do statistics, have a prayer session and be at work by 6 a.m. After leaving work at 1 or 2 p.m., Wood would then assist with batting practice until the team’s game, or the bus arrived for an away game. He would be home by 11 or 11:30 p.m., and the day would repeat. “It wore me out quite a bit,” Wood said. “I mean, it was too much. We were really, really busy at the time here, too, to where, I guess, I was just kind of leaving my coworkers high and dry.” Now, Wood leaves work for his 13-year-old son’s sporting events when he can, and hopes to begin coaching again. “I love the kids. I love sports, too, but my heart’s always been on baseball,” Wood said. “We have nice facilities here, and a nice program, and I want to keep it up. Especially with my son coming up, I want to make sure it’s good for him.”

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Growing the business Jason Davis, general manager of Vanmark Equipment in Creston, works to keep Vanmark “the leader in the industry” of industrial food processing equipment.

proved, it is sent to manufacturing to be built. “There’s kind of a passoff,” Sundberg said. “Sales passes (projects) off to us, and we (in engineering) pass them off to Jason, and so on.”

■

Building equipment

By KELSEY HAUGEN CNA staff reporter khaugen@crestonnews.com

If you’ve ever eaten a potato chip or french fry, it is likely you’ve eaten something processed with machines built by Vanmark Equipment in Creston or its sister company in Boise, Idaho. Since Vanmark developed the first commercial potato peeler in 1954, it has been building industrial food processing equipment for both national and international clients, including the largest potato chip company in the world. “We have some competition, especially in Europe, and we have a couple competitors domestically, but by far, we are the leader in the industry,” said Jason Davis, general manager of Vanmark Equipment in Creston. Vanmark doesn’t just make machines for potato products. Its equipment is used by food industries for a number of products, including baby carrots, pickles, beets, onions – even dog treats. “We have certain items we make as a standard item, like a peeler,” Davis said. “But also, (companies) might say something like, ‘We have this much room, and we want to be able to hold six semi loads of potatoes, and we need all the conveyors to move the po-

11A

CNA photo by KELSEY HAUGEN

Jason Davis, general manager of Vanmark Equipment in Creston, oversees the entire process of building industrial food processing equipment, from the time an order is placed for an enormous machine to the time that machine is shipped either locally or internationally.

tatoes from these giant bins through the peelers, and we need inspection tables.’” The staff at Vanmark – fewer than 40 employees – works together to meet the needs of each individual client through the production of customized, food-safe equipment. Davis’ job is to oversee the entire process and, often times, work with customers directly. Davis, 42, of Creston has worked at Vanmark for almost six years, starting out as purchasing and operations manager. Now, for about a year, he has been the general manager. “My main job is to grow the business,” Davis said. “I make sure everyone has all the tools they need to do their jobs. Really, everybody here is really good at

their jobs, so I’m just here to help them.” He oversees the four departments at Vanmark: sales, accounting, engineering and manufacturing. “I like coordinating with all the departments on the different projects and making sure everything is going the way it’s supposed to,” Davis said.

Customization The process of building a product for a food processing company is a group effort. First, someone – usually a sales representative or sales manager Spence Bowen – talks to the client about its needs. “They might say, ‘We need a whole system for storage and transportation through our plant,’” Davis said. “Then we figure out

space constraints. Once we get all that figured out, the engineering department goes to work figuring out what equipment we will need to make to accomplish whatever (the company) wants to do and fit it in the space they have. Then, we’ll provide a quotation, maybe $1 million.” Don Sundberg, Vanmark engineering manager, ensures the product is designed efficiently. For each piece of equipment, the engineering department provides the client with an approval drawing. The client has to sign off on the drawing before the process can move forward. Once it is approved, Vanmark will issue a purchase order that also must be signed.

“The equipment we sell is custom, so it requires work in engineering before we can actually build it,” Sundberg said. “Some things don’t require a lot of time; some things require a lot of customization.” Then, once a design is ap-

“We start off with the components; pretty much everything we build is with stainless steel because it won’t rust,” Davis said. “It’s a lot more expensive than regular steel, but everything in the food industry is stainless steel, so it won’t rust and get contaminants in your food.” A part might be cut or have holes drilled in it by someone in fabrication, such as Bruce Sticken, using a plasma cutter. After that, it might be bent and then welded by one of the four welders, such as Cory Buckalew. “There are also a lot of purchased parts that go into those machines, like motors, brushes – things we don’t make here but purchase and assemble,” Davis said. “After (parts) are welded, they go to bead blasting, which is making it look pretty and getting that nice, even finish while (fixing) the discoloration from welding.” Next, those parts are taken DAVIS | 12A

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Creston News Advertiser Tuesday, March 22, 2016

DAVIS: CONT. FROM | 11A

to the assembly area, where they are put together to make the final product. Then, the product is shipped to the company that purchased it.

Managing Vanmark

Meet the

potato chips, and we’re selling to them,” Davis said. “Just last week, we sold six peelers to China to make potato chips. I think places like that will be an area of growth for us in the future – India, China, kind of the emerging nations.” Since Davis has been the general manager, he has traveled to India, Germany and Dubai for shows and special meetings with clients. “The traffic (in India) is crazy,” Davis said. “There was a flood when I was there, so we had to take a back route to get to this large french fry factory. There were cows walking across the street; they’re loose there because they worship cows. We were driving through deep water, and everybody’s honking at everybody else all the time, so it was interesting for sure.” He doesn’t have much time to site-see when there’s a trade show going on, but he did visit the Cologne Cathedral while in Germany. “It was like nothing I’ve ever seen before,” Davis said. “That was probably one of the neatest things I’ve ever seen.” While he enjoys going to shows and meeting new people, Davis said being away from home and family – his wife Ann and daughters Paige and Payton – can be difficult. Sometimes he’s gone for only a couple days, but one of the trips took almost two weeks.

When Davis moved into the general manager position from purchasing and operations, he picked up more work on the sales and marketing ends of the business. He’s happy to do more in these areas, though, as he has a marketing degree and Master of Business Administration degree from Northwest Missouri State University Before starting at Vanmark, Davis worked as the marketing and production manager at Innovative Industries in Creston for 10 years. As the manager of Vanmark, Davis sits in on numerous conference calls with customers or some of Vanmark’s CNA photo by KELSEY HAUGEN international sales representaVanmark Equipment in Creston has several collages made tives. with potato chip bags from around the world. Most of “Working with the different the potato chip companies Vanmark makes equipment time zones can be interesting,” for send bags of chips to Vanmark for the employees to Sundberg said. “If you have a sample. conference call, generally it’s “It’s challenging to try to get it into negotiating with customgoing to be at some odd hour, all done quicker and quicker. ers, we collaborate to reach either early morning or late We want to satisfy our cus- an agreement with (clients),” evening.” tomers’ needs, so sometimes, Sundberg said. Davis also spends a lot of There’s one benefit of when they all want stuff done time in meetings, some of which are held to coordinate at the same time, that’s chal- working at Vanmark that out-of-state or international lenging. But it seems like we all the employees can enjoy: free potato chips. trade shows, which allow com- Challenges/perks always find a way; the team “Most of the (potato chip) panies in different industries Davis said the toughest part comes together and makes it companies we do business to showcase their latest prodof being in charge of Vanmark happen.” with, we get their potato ucts or services. is constantly trying to grow the chips in and sample them in Sundberg agreed it’s a Trade shows business. the break room,” Davis said. Vanmark plans five or six “It seems like it’s feast or group effort. “We work back and forth a “So that’s a perk of working trade shows per year. Davis famine. When we’re really here; you get to taste-test and the sales manager usual- busy, that’s when people want lot, and little issues that come all different kinds of potato ly attend the shows, and they more equipment,” Davis said. up with projects when we get chips.” meet up with sales representatives in the area. They will bring some of their equipment to show, and then people interested in buying food processing machines might stop at Vanmark’s exhibition. If someone is interested in either a standard or customized Vanmark product, Davis will talk to them about their needs. “That’s how we get some of our jobs,” Davis said. “From the presidents of big food processing companies to engineers, all kinds of people come to the shows.” International trade shows are becoming increasingly important for Vanmark. “People in India and China, CNA photo by KELSEY HAUGEN they’re starting to get a little Pictured are two stainless steel peeler/scrubber/washers designed and built by Vanmark more disposable income, so Equipment employees. These machines can be used by food processing companies to they’re eating more stuff like peel and scrub a variety of products, namely potatoes.

Your Recovery is Our Top Priority

Staff of

RESTON UTOMOTIVE Jeff Kralik - Sales Jeff is celebrating his 9th year of service to the customers of Creston Automotive. Jeff serves our customers in sales at Creston Automotive. In addition to helping customers in sales, Jeff also serves as the title clerk to help our customers with getting fees paid through their local Treasure’s Office. Jeff is married to Marcia Kralik, who is the manager of Adair County Mutual in Greenfield. Together they have two adult children, Jordan and Kilee. Kilee lives in Winterset and is a teacher at Winterset Grace Academy. Jordan, and wife Oakel, farm and are raising two boys, Keaton and Kelton. When Jeff isn’t at work, he enjoys spending time with his grandchildren, raises cattle and helps Jordan on the farm. Jeff is just one of the reasons you’ll enjoy your visit to Creston Automotive! Stop by and see how we are changing for you. We strive to put people, like Jeff, in positions that will improve your experience with Creston Automotive. Come see the difference!

Terry Freeman Sales/Internet Terry is celebrating 31/2 years of service to the customers of Creston Automotive. Terry works in sales and also handles the internet duties such as internet leads and web site maintenance. Terry is married to Shelby Freeman, who works as a pharmacy tech at Greater Regional Medical Center in Creston. Together, they have two children, Ethan (13) and Abby (7). When he isn’t chasing his kids’ school activities, Terry also enjoys helping coach youth sports and taking pictures at many of the school events. When not being involved with kids’ activities, he is also a member of the Creston Kiwanis Club, Creston School Improvement Advisory Committee, and RAGBRAI Promotions Committee. In his spare time, Terry also enjoys fishing with his family and friends, and enjoys grilling and learning to smoke meats. Terry is just one of the reasons you’ll enjoy your visit to Creston Automotive! Stop by and see how we are changing for you. We strive to put people, like Terry, in positions that will improve your experience with Creston Automotive. Come see the difference!

Katie Bauer - Office Manager

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Katie is celebrating her first year of service to the customers of Creston Automotive. She is the Office Manager and is in charge of a host of book keeping obligations, as well as, helping taking payments and answering phone calls from our customers. Katie is married to Alex Bauer who works for the Adair County Road Maintenance Department. Together, they have a son, Chase, and two dogs, Shelby and Missy. Katie’s favorite activity is coed volleyball, but also enjoys going fishing, being outside, and being with her cows. Katie is just one of the reasons you’ll enjoy your visit to Creston Automotive! Stop by and see how we are changing for you. We strive to put people, like Katie, in positions that will improve your experience with Creston Automotive. Come see the difference!

410 W. Adams • Creston, IA 866-782-2179 or 641-782-2179

www.crestonautomotive.com

Creston News Advertiser Tuesday, March 22, 2016

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‘Whatever you bring in, we try to fix it’ Shop manager Dave DeLong will repair anything from a combine to a car at BSM Enterprises in Arispe. ■

By KELSEY HAUGEN CNA staff reporter khaugen@crestonnews.com

ARISPE – There aren’t many repair jobs Dave DeLong will turn down at BSM Enterprises. In the repair building, DeLong and one other mechanic take on projects as large as a combine and as small as a lawn mower. “We pretty much do everything here, but it’s mostly semis,” said DeLong, shop manager. Located in Arispe, BSM Enterprises is a steel fabrication factory and repair shop that completes a variety of structural and agricultural projects for clients within a 100-mile radius. The factory was previously W&W Welding & Fabrication until it was purchased in May 2013 by Bob Martin, who renamed it BSM Enterprises. Martin has a small staff of 15 employees but has the capacity for about 40 employees. “We do a lot of agriculture-type work, and we do contract work primarily, not necessarily a product of our own yet,” Martin said. “We do some of everything – anything that comes along that’s carbon steel and even some aluminum work. We’ll fix any type of farm equipment that needs repairs.”

CNA photo by KELSEY HAUGEN

Dave DeLong, shop manager at BSM Enterprises in Arispe, works on a customer’s personal pickup in February. The customer needed work on his brakes, intake, rotors and tires.

Starting at BSM

DeLong, 42, has been in mechanics for a total of 22 years. “When I quit high school, I started as a mechanic in a factory,” DeLong said. “Then I went to driving a truck for a few years and decided there’s more money in being a mechanic, so I went back to being a mechanic, and I’ve been doing this ever since.” Before starting at BSM in 2013, DeLong was a mechanic for Hawkeye Paving in Bettendorf “There’s always Corporation for 17 years. new tools and “It was the sheer interest in how things work new technology. thatseeing got me involved in meThere’s so much chanics,” DeLong said. “If something new comes in, to learn, it’s I want to see what makes crazy.” it work. You learn something new almost every — Dave DeLong day. There’s always new BSM Enterprises shop tools and new technology. manager There’s so much to learn,

it’s crazy.” DeLong already knew Martin, so when Martin decided to buy the factory, he called DeLong to see if he was interested in working there. “I figured it was time for a change,” DeLong said. Now, DeLong lives and works in Arispe with his wife, Mindy. The couple has seven children. When he isn’t working, DeLong enjoys spending time with his family, especially during tee-ball season, and riding motorcycles. He’s looking to buy a new Harley Davidson this year.

Splitting off When BSM was in its infancy, Martin only had one building. Now, there are two buildings: one for fabrication and one for repairs. “Cody (Keller) and I kind of did both fabrication and repair until the big building

got up, then Cody went over there to take care of the (fabrication) building, and I’m taking care of this one,” DeLong said. Keller, shop foreman at BSM, oversees the fabrication employees. In the repair building, it’s just DeLong and one other mechanic, Spencer Hysell.

Mechanics On the mechanic side, DeLong and Hysell work on semis, farm equipment and personal vehicles. Repairs can be anything from issues with the engine or brakes to regular maintenance to cosmetic fixes.

“Some farmers bring their personal pickups in,” DeLong said. “Sometimes, we get combines in here. Sometimes, we get log splitters. It’s just a wide variety. Whatever you bring in, we try to fix it.” Because DeLong is interested in any and every repair request, he said he and Hysell have done odd jobs, including fixing a lawn mower. But the majority of the repair work at BSM comes from farmers or big industries that use semis. “We work with a lot of farmers; we do all of Iowa Select’s fleet,” DeLong said.

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“We also work on Bunn-OMatic’s semis.” While BSM has clients in Creston and other surrounding areas, about 75 percent of its business comes from Arispe or Afton, DeLong said. In addition to in-house repairs, BSM offers 24-hour emergency roadside assistance. DeLong goes out in a service truck at least once, if not multiple times, each workday. “So if somebody gets a flat tire in the middle of the night, they can call us and we’ll come out,” DeLong

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14A

Creston News Advertiser Tuesday, March 22, 2016

DAVE: CONT. FROM | 13A

said. So far, he has traveled up to 100 miles outside Arispe for service calls. “We don’t really have any restriction; it’s kind of our call on how far we travel,” DeLong said.

Large equipment Most often, it is semis that are brought into BSM. “We do a lot of services and a ton of DOT (Department of Transportation) annual inspections on semis and trailers for farmers and for Iowa Select, Bunn and whoever,” DeLong said. “We also put PTOs (power take-offs) and hydraulic systems in semis. If a guy buys a new one and wants to turn it into a dump truck, we can do that.” One semi with a trailer can fit in the repair shop. Without trailers, four semis can fit. Anything that isn’t currently being worked on is parked outside the building. “There’s days we’ll have 15 or 20 (pieces of equipment) come through here, depending on what they want done,” DeLong said. “But if it’s a major overhaul or another big job, there’s times we’ll have one truck in here for a month.” In the repair shop, the busiest time of the year is during harvest season. “All the farmers will get their grain trucks out, and they want their air conditioning fixed, and they want their truck inspected,” DeLong said. “They want everything working (for harvest), so that’s usually our busiest time.”

Personal vehicles While BSM doesn’t work on personal cars or pickups that often, DeLong said the company does have the capability to repair most smaller vehicles. “We can diagnose any car but the newest stuff,” De-

CNA photos by KELSEY HAUGEN

ABOVE: Spencer Hysell, mechanic at BSM Enterprises in Arispe, works on a customer’s truck in February. BELOW: Pictured is a semi that lost a tire and hubcap on a highway. The semi was parked outside BSM Enterprises in Arispe until Dave DeLong, shop manager, was ready to repair it.

Long said. “We do not have a computer cable going above probably 2010. The cost of the software is so unreal that for a shop our size, we just can’t justify it. We don’t have a whole lot of car traffic. But as far as semis go, we can pretty much do anything. Some of Iowa Select’s are 2015 or 2016.” DeLong said BSM hasn’t put out advertisements so far, but he thinks the company should at least advertise its tires. “We don’t get as many cars as I’d like,” DeLong said. “I think we could beat a lot of people on prices of tires, but no one knows that because no one knows we do that. It’s all been by word of mouth. Busi-

ness from farmers (and indus- line blew in half, they could tries) has kept us really busy, bring it in here, and we’ll make them a brand new one. Before, but I’d like to see us grow.” farmers in this area had to go Other products While the focus in the shop all the way to Creston.” is repair work, DeLong said BSM also sells products for vehicles or farm equipment. “We sell a lot of stuff we don’t work on, like oil, bolts and diesel treat. There are a lot of people who stop in just to buy stuff,” DeLong said. “We also make hydraulic hoses, so if a farmer pulls a hydraulic line, he can just come right here to get a new hose made. Almost all farm equipment has hydraulic hoses that hook into the back of the tractor, so if they were using that and the

Customers

For DeLong, the toughest part of his job is pleasing everyone. There’s a lot of work to be done and only two mechanics to do it. “You’ve got 50 people wanting everything done at once,” DeLong said. “Ninety percent of the phone calls go to my cell phone instead of the office, so there’s a lot of paperwork on my end, a lot of parts to order and trying to keep to a schedule to keep customers happy.”

With business increasing since BSM opened less than three years ago, DeLong said he and Martin have discussed bringing in another mechanic. “I foresee it coming, probably this year sometime, which would take a huge load off

me,” DeLong said. “It’s really hard sometimes, especially if my phone rings and Iowa Select wants something. I get in the truck and go, and that leaves just Spencer here. So, it’s a challenge. For a small town, we are busy.”

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Creston News Advertiser Tuesday, March 22, 2016

15A

Love of farming keeps Creston man in ag By BAILEY POOLMAN

and get it done.” The technology, Baker said, isn’t new, it just wasn’t utilized like it has been the past four or five years. “It’s a good job to have, and my job has changed along the way. Around here, if somebody needs help, you help them. It’s kind of the way we work,” Baker said. “It’s kind of like a family, if you want to go that route. Everybody has their specific things that they do, but if someone on the other side of it needs help, you go help.”

CNA staff reporter bpoolman@crestonnews.com

Farming is in Luke Baker’s blood. At 30 years old, Baker, a Creston native, has lived for agriculture. After graduating from Creston High School in 2004, he went to Ames, where he earned an agricultural business degree from Iowa State University in 2008. Then he began his work in the agricultural field. “I’m a senior sales rep here (at Wilbur Ellis),” Baker said. “Basically, what we do here is we’re an agricultural retail facility. We sell crop inputs, feed, chemical, fertilizer and fencing.” The work load varies, which Baker called “feast or famine,” and some days he may have lots of customers purchasing products. Even with the varying customer flow, Baker has his regular job description, which includes being in charge of other salesmen and helping with pricing and products.

Wilbur Ellis Baker started working at Advanced Ag when he graduated from college, which was eventually purchased from Cody Shay by Wilbur Ellis in 2014. “I’ve kind of grown with the company as it’s gotten bigger,” Baker said. Wilbur Ellis, an agronomic services company, did not change the services provided during Advanced Ag’s reign, just the way the company was run from the corporate side of things. The only difference aside from that is Advanced Ag Seed is a separate business owned by Jeremy Ide. “It’s something new, but all in all, I think it’s been a great shift,” Baker said. “When Wilbur Ellis bought us out, I used to do a lot more in the seed side of things, and now I do a lot more on the fertilizer and chemical side of things.” Baker helped with every-

Agriculture

CNA photo by BAILEY POOLMAN

Even though his main job is talking with customers, Luke Baker, senior sales representative at Wilbur Ellis, also helps around the business stocking products and such.

thing he could, including the seed and feed departments. He didn’t have a title then, as he was general help. He grew as the company grew and expanded, and Baker has been in the position of senior sales representative since about October. Specifically, Wilbur Ellis

now has computer software called Ag Verdict available to help farmers do things like GPS soil sampling, application of chemicals and recommendations for what to apply to soil. “All technology is a benefit. Everybody has to get used to using it,” Baker said. “It’s

beneficial because some of these things take less time. Like with soil sampling and variable rate spreading, it gives farmers a way to know where they need their inputs (fertilizers) at in their field.”

Technology When Baker started eight years ago as general help, the technology wasn’t available to customers then. “In the last eight years, when we first started out spraying everything, we didn’t have GPS. Now it’s a must,” Baker said. “There’s a lot more things done on computers now, when it comes to billing and all that.” Technology is also used

when it comes to taking grid samples. Grid samples are when cores of soil are taken out of each square in an earthen grid to analyze the nutrients. That analysis helps farmers know when to put fertilizers and chemicals in spreaders, which can automatically spread the correct amount needed into each grid square, even if back-to-back squares will have varying amounts. “We also use yield analysis to figure this all in, but that (Ag Verdict) is the program that we use to make this happen,” Baker said. “There’s a lot of us behind the scenes doing all this still. This just allows us to put it in the system

Baker, who loves talking with customers the most at his job, grew up in a farming family. His parents, John and Retta Baker, own farmland, and Baker was “out in it everyday.” “I worked on the farm, I worked with a lot of farmers,” Baker said of his rise in the agricultural field. “I like being around the farm and the animals, and all that good stuff. It’s a lifestyle, and I like it. It’s what I’m used to.” Even though he took the opportunity to work for Advanced Ag because it was close to home, Baker, who has a son Owen with his wife Kim, still hopes to get some farming in whenever he gets the chance. “You get to be out in nature. It’s just a lifestyle you get used to. You’re in charge of what you want to do, working with the land and the soil,” Baker said. “My favorite time of year is summer because you’re watching the crops grow, watching them develop, and it’s nice to see.”

208 W. Taylor, Hwy 34 • Creston 641-782-7021 www.crestoniowachamber.com chamber@crestoniowachamber.com

Contributed photo

Luke Baker poses for a family photo with his wife, Kim, and son, Owen.

Support our Local Economy and Chamber Member Businesses!

Creston is our home and we need to make sure our city’s economy continues moving and growing! When you shop locally...

You support the schools your children attend instead of sales tax going to schools in surrounding cities and counties. You support the local owners and employees who contribute to community projects in Creston. You fuel our local economy...helping create local jobs and improve the quality of life for all of us. Support the local business men and women who support our community by being Chamber members*...they are listed below!

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Arispe 641-346-2224 Mt.Ayr 641-464-3821

Creston 641-782-7202 Osceola 641-322-2139

Diagonal 641-734-5303 Shenandoah 712-246-2253

Indianola 515-961-6300 Elwood,KS 913-365-8041

A & G Pizza & Steak House Adams Street Country Lodge Bed & Breakfast Adams Street Espresso Advance Services Inc Advanced Restoration Services AgriVision Equipment Group Akin Building Center Alliant Energy American Family Insurance, Turner Insurance Agency American Home Design Center American Homes by Dave Long Arlan Biere Arnold Motor Supply B.M. Sales Backdoor Restaurant & Lounge Ben Adamson, State Farm Insurance Big Boyz Toyz Bill Fastenow Bob & Betty Jungst Bob & Freida Berning Boyd Appliance Center, Inc. Buena Vista University Built Networks by Dennis LaMasters Bunn-O-Matic Corporation Callahan Real Estate Carroll Family Chiropractic Carter Agency Inc. Casey Wireless LLC Casey’s Store - North Casey’s Store - South Casey’s Store – East Casey’s Store – Hwy 25 Casey’s Store – Hwy 34 Casey’s Store – West Central Iowa Power Cooperative Central Plains Electric Charles & Bonnie Westman Charlie Brown Auto Chat Mobility City of Creston Coen’s Furniture Inc. Connections Agency on Aging Cook Video & Appliance Cornerstone Financial Group Country Court RV Park Crest Haven Care Centre Crestmoor Golf Club, Inc Creston Audiology & Hearing Aid Center Creston Automotive Creston Chiropractic P.C. Creston Community Schools Creston Family Fun Center

Creston Farm & Home Supply Creston Farmers Market Creston Livestock Auction Creston Medical Clinic Creston Publishing Company Creston Specialty Care Creston True Value Creston Veterinary Clinic Creston Vision Center, P.C. Crop Production Services Curves Dairy Queen of Creston David Young Di Miller at 3’s Company Dick & Peg Anderson Dr. Al & Pat Pokorny Dr. Brian Kinkade, O.D. Dr. Dan Coen, D.D.S. Dr. Dave Buck, D.D.S. Dr. Michael Buck, D.D.S. Dr. Wm Todd Scott, D.D.S. Draper, Snodgrass, Mikkelsen & Co. Eby’s Auto Echo Electric Edward Jones Investments Edward T. Harvey, Jr. Elite Staffing Elm’s Club F & M Body Shop Family Shoe Store Family Vision Center Fareway Stores Inc. Farmers Cooperative Company Ferrara Candy Company First National Bank Fredricksen Memorials Garden & Associates, Ltd Gavilon Grain, LLC Gay Lynn Owens, GO Realty Graphic Displays Great Western Bank Greater Regional Medical Center Green Accounting & Tax Green Valley Pest Control & Lawn Care Green Valley Realty Hahn Roofing Hazel Marie’s HCI Hospice Care Services Heartland Tire & Auto Center Hi-Crest Auto & United Super Wash Homestead Assisted Living & Memory Care Hometown Insurance Hometown Realty Hy-Vee Food Store Innovative Industries, Inc.

Iowa Focus Iowa State Savings Bank Iowa Tool & Manufacturing, Inc. Iowa Vocational Rehabilitation Services IowaWORKS ISU Union County Extension & Outreach iwireless J & A Flooring J & J Plumbing & Heating James Law Office, P.C. Jane’s Headquarters Java J’s Jo Anne Duckworth, Union County Emergency Management Journey Massage Studio Kawa Construction Ken’s Barber Shop Kenyon & Nielsen, P.C. Kilgore Rental & Lease Kilgore’s Enterprises, Inc. Kilgore’s RV Sales & Service Kinkade Industries KSIB Radio Leslie’s Dance & Tumbling Loretta Harvey M & M Motors Maple Street Memories MATURA Action Corporation McDonald’s (J & D Restaurants 2, Inc) Mediacom Medicap Pharmacy Mid-State Surveying & Consulting Midwest Opportunities, Inc. Moberg/Iowa Realty Morning Star Internal Medicine Clinic Ms.T’s Massage LLC NAPA - Creston New Life Family Medicine Nishna Valley Credit Union Oetken Office Machines PCSB Bank Pearson Family Funeral Services Perspective Counseling Pine Valley Golf & Bowl Piper Sign Art Pizza Ranch Pokorny BP & Automotive Service Powers Funeral Home Prairie Solid Waste Agency Precast Concrete Co., LLC Precision Optical Group Punky’s Quik Cash R Realty

*Current Chamber members through March 16th

R.E. Lewis Refrigeration Rhine Body Repair Rich & Terry Madison Rieman Music Roger Saxton, Stewart Realty Salon G SCICF, Union County Sharon Bennett Southern Hills Veterinary Services, Inc. Southern Iowa Regional Housing Authority Southern Iowa Resources for Families Southern Iowa Rural Water Association Southern Prairie YMCA Southwestern Community College Southwestern IA Chapter of SHRM St. Malachy Foundation St. Malachy School Stalker Car Wash Stalker Chevrolet Inc Stalker Rentals State Savings Bank Stewart Realty Studio 101 Subway – Hwy 34 Subway – Walmart Super Center Super 8 of Creston Supertel Inn & Conference Center Taco John’s Tanned & Toned Teresa’s Fine Floral The Learning Center of Southwest Iowa The Lobby The Lobby Apartments The Trophy Shop The Windrow Restaurant & Sports Bar three C design Thrivent Financial Timberview B & B Tyler Insurance Services, Inc U-Haul Union County Abstract Upper Crust Vanmark Equipment LLC Vernie’s Drapery Shop Vickers Programming & Service Vintage Park Apartments Walmart Super Center Winterstien Construction Wishing Well

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Creston News Advertiser Tuesday, March 22, 2016

17A

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May 10 - Mt. Ayr School Athletic Awards Night May 13 - Diagonal High School Graduation - Diagonal May 14 - County Wide Garage Sale May 14 - Senior Citizen’s Activity Center - Garage Sale - Mt. Ayr May 15 - Mt. Ayr High School Graduation - Mt. Ayr May 16 - Mt. Ayr Elementary Art Show May 28 - Mt. Ayr Alumni Banquet - Mt. Ayr May 28 - Diagonal Alumni Banquet - Diagonal May 28 - Tingley Alumni Banquet - Tingley May 28 - Kellerton Alumni Banquet - Kellerton May 29 - Prairie Chicken Warrior Run - Diagonal May 28 - Ringgold County Outdoor Alliance - Mayhem on Madison - Mt. Ayr May 30 - Mt. Ayr Memorial Day Service - Mt. Ayr May 30 - Kellerton Legion Memorial Service - Kellerton May 30 - Diagonal Memorial Day Service - Diagonal — JUNE — June 4 - Ellston June Jamboree June 4 - KSIB Tractor Ride through Ringgold County June 11 - County Wide Garage Sale June 29 - Mt. Ayr Softball Classic — JULY — July 2 - Mt. Ayr Softball Classic July 6-10 - Ringgold County Fair July 9 -County Wide Garage Sale

July 22-23 - Ayr Days - Smokin in the Ayr BBQ - Mt. Ayr July 23 - Senior Citizen Center Pie & Ice Cream Social - Mt. Ayr July 26 - RAGBRAI County Pass through — AUGUST — August 13 - County Wide Garage Sale August 27-28 - Princess Theater - Annual Anniversary Gala - Mt. Ayr — SEPTEMBER — September 3 - Ringgold County Conservation Board Monarch Tagging September 3-5 - Diagonal Labor Day Celebration - Diagonal September 17 - Ringgold Outdoor Alliance Banquet-American Legion - Mt. Ayr September 17 - Diagonal Community Scholarship Golf Tourney — OCTOBER — October 2 - Begger’s Bash - Judge Lewis Park - Mt. Ayr October 22 - Ringgold County Conservation Haunted Halloween Hike October 22 - Ringgold County Outdoor Alliance Halloween Hayride October 27 - Ducks Unlimited Banquet - American Legion - Mt. Ayr October 31 - Tingley Halloween Parade - Tingley

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18A

Creston News Advertiser Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Lumbard pivotal at Excel Engineering

Isaac Lumbard was the second person hired by owner Doug Sobotka in 2002. Today, the business has 15 employees who test engines for major manufacturers across the United States. ■

By KYLE WILSON

CNA managing editor kwilson@crestonnews.com

DIAGONAL – Isaac Lumbard’s love for getting greasy came at a young age. Growing up, his family wasn’t ever “drowning in money,” so as early as 6 years old he was helping his father Spencer maintain and repair the family’s main vehicle. The work didn’t bother Isaac. He liked tinkering under the hood of their 1975 Ford pickup. Later, he would make repairs to his own 1979 Ford. “Even as a young boy, he would follow me around and would ask a thousand questions,” said Spencer Lumbard, who was a licensed mechanic in the 1980s, working mainly on farm equipment. “But, you could show him something once and he could do it. It’s always been that way. We didn’t have a lot of money, so we fixed a lot of things most people would take to town.” Spencer recalls one time when Isaac wouldn’t let his mother throw away a broken mixer. Isaac wanted to unbolt it so he could better examine and understand how the machine worked.

Spencer also remembers, more than once, when Isaac took the family’s lawn mower completely apart. “I wasn’t even having any problems with the mower. It wasn’t broken. It ran fine,” Spencer said. “But I’ll tell you this, it ran a whole lot better when he got done with it.” Isaac graduated from Diagonal in 2000 and soon left to gain additional automotive education at Indian Hills Community College in Ottumwa. He completed coursework in the college’s 18-month diesel program, where he learned about engines, transmissions and hydraulics. On the weekends, he worked at Mount Ayr Tractor Machines where he fixed farm equipment and semis. He graduated from Indian Hills in 2002. And, it wasn’t too long after that he was contacted by Doug Sobotka. Sobotka wanted to hire Isaac for his brand new business on 160th Avenue in Diagonal. Lumbard accepted, which pushed Excel Engineering to a three-person operation after including office manager Pam Grace, who is Sobotka’s sister. “He was someone that I could rely on,” Sobotka said about hiring Lumbard. “He has the ability to bring common-sense approaches to a complicated project. He has a good work ethic, and he has the fundamental qualities that all employers are looking for.” When Excel Engineering got off the ground in 2002, Sobotka and Lumbard were mostly inside constructing parts for tractor pulling and building turbo engines. And for at least the first two months, people on the outside were curious about the business, especially

CNA photo by KYLE WILSON

From left, Jeff Beaman, Caleb Baker and Isaac Lumbard run an emissions test on an engine at Excel Engineering in Diagonal. They also test engines for speed, load capacity and duration.

considering a sign posted outside reads: “Future site: Doug’s Bait & Tackle.” “That sign wasn’t up very long,” Sobotka said. “It was put up by the bulldozer (operator) when he was leveling the pad for the building. He’s somewhat of a joker. People kept asking him what was being built. So, he made a sign and told everyone it was a bait shop.” Some people believed him. After all, Diagonal’s Fogle Lake is located just one mile east of Excel Engineering. Sobotka said he even received a phone call about the bait shop from Iowa State University. “Eventually, people figured out we weren’t a bait shop. Some were disappointed we weren’t,” Sobotka said. Sobotka said Lumbard may have been the third

employee, but the fourth (Jeremy Grace) was hired just six months later. By 2004, business had really taken off for Sobotka and the primary workload there had changed from building turbo engines to testing engines for major vehicle manufactures like John Deere, Freightliner, Arctic Cat and others. For those manufactures, they test the engines for emissions, load capacity and duration. Excel Engineering produces large amounts of data during these tests. That data is then sent to the manufacturer’s engineers through an Excel document and the manufacturers use the information to improve their product. “Every engine has its own unique set of instructions

from the manufacturer,” Lumbard said. “Essentially, we are reporters, too. We report the results of the tests, and if the engine isn’t performing the way they want, we can change parts here or ship it back to them for the changes. It’s up to the customer.” “We send them more data than you can fathom,” Sobotka added. Lumbard said the smallest engine he’s tested is a 800cc, which would be about the size used in a four-wheeler. And the largest he’s tested? “It was 65 liters,” Lumbard said, “and about the size of this room (15-feet wide). It probably powered a big ship of some kind. We don’t know exactly what the engines will be used in later. The manufactur-

er doesn’t normally tell us that.” Lumbard, group manager at Excel Engineering, said his favorite part of about working at the business each day is “doing something someone else can’t do.” Today, Excel Engineering has three buildings and 15 employees. The second and third buildings were constructed in 2007 and 2011, respectively. Sobotka said while his business has been successful, it hasn’t come without struggles. “There have been bumps in the road,” Sobotka said. “It’s not been easy. What a lot of people don’t know is it takes a lot of hard work, headaches and sleepless night to find success, and that some days will feel more like the American nightmare than the American Dream.”

CELEBRATING 10 YEARS!!! Contributed photo

At first, this sign was posted in front of Excel Engineering in Diagonal and, with Fogle Lake less than 1 mile away, some locals thought Doug Sobotka was being serious about this new bait shop.

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Creston News Advertiser Tuesday, March 22, 2016

The complete package By IAN RICHARDSON

CNA staff reporter irichardson@crestonnews.com

Rich Castelan knows a thing or two about keeping things running smoothly. As a loadout technician at Creston soybean processing plant CHS Inc., his job involves operating the machines that package a variety of soy flours for shipment around the world. To do this, Castelan and his fellow technicians fire up, monitor and troubleshoot the bagging and toting machines in the factory’s flour building. “We could be running any of X-amount of products, so we have to make sure that we’re getting the right product from the right bin into the right bags or the right totes,” Castelan said. The 31-year-old Castelan has been working at CHS for about nine months. But he brings a diverse background. After graduating from Diagonal Community School in 2002, Castelan joined the Marine Corps, where he would serve through 2007. He completed training in North Carolina and boot camp in California. His assignments included a small naval base near Washington, D.C. and a year at base on Okinawa, Japan. When he returned from the military, Castelan worked a few jobs before starting at Wellman Dynamics, where he would work for the next five years. Then, about nine months ago, he began working at CHS. “I just heard about it on the radio and had heard good things about it, so I applied,” Castelan said. “And I got the job.”

“The bean plant” CHS in Creston is one of eight soybean processing plants owned by CHS. Six are located in the United States, one in Israel and another in China. Creston’s plant, acquired from Creston Bean Processing LLC in 2011 produces genetically modified organism (GMO) and non-GMO crude vegetable oil, meal, white flake and flour. The finished products, Castelan said, go all over the world. “They go anywhere from Nigeria to the Middle East to Europe, and around here as well,” Castelan said. CHS flour manager Isaac Arndt said the Creston CHS purchases its soybeans from Gavilon in Creston. The plant works with local farmers to ensure they have both GMO and non-GMO beans, the latter of which Arndt said seem to be increasing in demand. As a company, CHS Inc. processes nearly 120 million bushels of soybeans annually. The 63-employee CHS plant in Creston processes 9 million per year. Arndt said most people probably aren’t aware of everything the plant does. “I think a lot of people in town just call up the ‘bean plant,’” Arndt said. “I think we’re trying to do something a lot more important than just put beans in. We’re providing a food source that’s sometimes going out to malnourished children. Some of it’s going to milk replacement. Some of it’s going to like soy isolates, where it’s heavy in protein food, so it’s pretty important what we do.”

Flour Castelan will load several

varieties of flour as part of his job. CHS manufactures flour at a variety of protein dispersability indexes (PDIs), which measures how easily the protein will dissolve in water. A higher PDI means a higher percentage will dissolve in water. Castelan said the most common flours are 20, 70 and 90 PDI. CHS also produces grits. The plant also makes sure the GMO and nonGMO products remain separate. If Castelan has packaged a GMO flour and must switch to a non-GMO variety, he said, he must flush the bagger or toter machine by running 500 pounds of non-GMO flour through it. This flour will still be sold as GMO flour in case any of the previous GMO flour was remaining in the pipe.

Packaging 101 CHS packages flour in either 50- to 55-pound bags or 1,800- to 2,300-pound bags. For the smaller bags, Castelan runs the bagger. The bagger is essentially a long conveyer belt connected to a small pod in the middle of the room. The bags begin their journey inside this pod. Before flipping any switches, Castelan stocks it with empty, flat bags. Once the bagger is up and running, an arm moves each bag to one of two spouts, where it opens it, pours in the appropriate amount of flour, and then vibrates the top quickly to heat and seal it. The bags then sit on a conveyer belt, where an inkjet printer marks them with the lot number, and a metal detector checks for any metals inside the bags. Metals are rarely found in soy flour, Castelan said, but if the machine detects any inside a bag, it will reject the bag by directing it to a different belt. If they pass the metal test, the bags continue traveling

19A

Former U.S. Marine Rich Castelan packages soy flour as a loadout technician at CHS Inc. in Creston. ■

CNA photo by IAN RICHARDSON

Rich Castelan, loadout technician at CHS Inc. in Creston, stands near a full pallet of bagged flour. The pallets include 10 layers of five sacks, with each sack containing 50 pounds of soy flour.

to a corner, where they are prepared for placement on a pallet. Five bags, lying flat, will make one square layer on a pallet — two facing horizontal and three facing vertical. Once 10 of these rows are stacked on top of each other, the pallet travels down the belt to where another machine — the “hooder” — places a clear wrap around it, then pushes it further down to where Castelan, using a forklift, will carry it out a large garage door and into the warehouse area. Every hour, Castelan also performs a weight check, recording the weights of nine bags to see what the average weight of the flour inside is. He said the flour is also sampled throughout the process to ensure consistency of the product. Castelan can run the machine himself, although he said normally someone else is also in the room, too, allowing them to run the toter and bagger simultaneously or to keep cleaning the room, which he said has a penchant for gathering soy flour dust. Castelan said a normal bagger load takes three to four hours to complete, while a

load on the toter, which fills much larger bags that must be transported to the warehouse individually, takes 2 1/2 to three hours.

The work week As he performs his job, Castelan said he enjoys how Arndt, his manager, allows the workers to be self-sufficient. “It’s pretty self-tasked,” Castelan said. “We come in, figure out what we’re going to do, you know, you just come out here and do what you’re supposed to do. Usually everything runs pretty well, all the machines and things. It’s a pretty enjoyable day.” Castelan said another rea-

son he enjoys his job is the hours. Castelan’s days are 12 hours long, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on an alternating “3-2-2” schedule, which alternates groups of days on and off so he will work seven of every 14 days. “It’s 12-hour days but it’s a lot of home time,” Castelan said. “I enjoy that.” In his free time, Castelan said, he enjoys bow hunting, fishing and spending time with my family. His wife of nearly 6 years, Jennie, works second shift at Wellman Dynamics, where she works 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. The couple currently has three children. Their daughter Kenna is 6 years old, son Kyler is 3 and daughter Kenzie is 1.

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Rich Castelan performs a weight check along the bagger, in which he takes the weights of nine sacks to get an average of how the machine is portioning out the soy flour.

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20A

Creston News Advertiser Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Lens crafter

By IAN RICHARDSON

CNA staff reporter irichardson@crestonnews.com

On the factory floor at Precision Optical in Creston, Lance Christensen walks among the machines, joking with employees and pointing out the different steps that transform an uncut plastic or polycarbon circle into a prescription optical lens. This January day, Christensen said the factory will likely produce about 1,200 orders of one or two lenses apiece. That’s a relatively low-intensity day for a factory that averages 1,500. “We’re a pretty big operation for eyeglass labs,” Christensen said. “There’s not a whole lot of independently owned optical labs any more.” Christensen is the vice president of production at Precision Optical, a position he has held since 2007. His duties involve oversight of 85 employees, with four department supervisors reporting to him. Christensen said the majority of his job involves helping employees on the factory floor work the most efficiently and maximizing machine time so lenses are produced with minimal spoilage and breakage. “I sit up here, run my reports, look at how many jobs we went through each piece of equipment, and (then I) go down, try to find out why there’s a holdup or, in the rare occasion that we’re knocking it out of the park, saying, ‘How’d we do this?’” Christensen said. Christensen began working in the optics industry at age 16. Then a high school student in Indianola, he took a job at in-town factory Midwest Labs for the summer. He would continue to work there and move up the ladder for about 18 years. Mike Tamerius, Precision Optical’s co-founder and owner, said he began recruiting Christensen in the mid-2000s because of his experience. “That ability to know the business from the ground up is pretty rare to find,” Tamerius said. “It took me a few years to convince him to come down here, but we were after him because we knew that he had grown up in the business.”

Today, the Creston factory, now at 701 S. Oak St., employs approximately 100 workers. The company, known as P.O.G. Labs, now includes two more locations: a thin-film coating factory in Chicago and an industrial safety glasses manufacturing plant in South Carolina. Tamerius, now the company’s sole owner, said Precision Optical in Creston is also one of the top 10 independently owned labs in the country for size and volume of sales. In 2015, the optical news company Vision Monday named Precision Optical No. 4 in its top 20 independently owned wholesale labs based on jobs per day and No. 9 based on sales. “From here, (orders) go all over the U.S.,” Tamerius said. “We’ve got eyecare professionals of various sizes pretty well in all 50 states. We do export some into South America.” Christensen said localized production, rather than outsourcing the work to China, can work to a company like Precision’s advantage when it comes to speed. “A farmer here in Creston can order a pair of lenses and they can be made in China and back in a week,” Christensen said. “Our goal this year is 1.3 days in-house. We want to turn it over quicker and beat that.”

What’s in a lens

Precision Optical constructs lenses from a variety of materials. There’s plastic, high-index plastic, polycarbonate and, of course, glass. Christensen said glass is not nearly as popular as it once was, and the factory processes only about 70 of these jobs a day. “Glass is kind of a dying industry,” Christensen said. “No

Lance Christensen, vice president of production at Precision Optical, oversees 85 employees at one of the country’s largest independently owned optics labs. ■

one wants the heavy glass, but glass has superior optics and obviously doesen’t scratch as easy as the plastic, so glass is a whole different animal.” Tamerius said Precision Optical produces all of the glass lenses for Wal-Mart stores in the United States and works with other larger companies too, such as America’s Best. Precision Optical also markets to other labs to do their glass work for them, which Christensen said could be an area of growth as other labs give up their glass departments. Christensen said 65 to 70 percent of Precision Optical’s business is “uncut” businesses, in which an independent doctor or a chain orders the factory to process the lenses, which Precision Optical will send back without cutting them down to the size of glasses frame. The lenses begin as large circles of material and will ship back to the doctors and chains in this form. The rest of Precision Optical’s business involves taking the uncut circles and cutting them down to fit the frames. “I believe (cutting lenses) is

the hardest part,” Christensen said. “There’s more of a chance of spoilage, breakage, scratches — whatever. But I think we have a very good finish supervisor, and I think we’re improving and getting more work. So that’s good for our business.” Precision does not construct any frames. Christensen said most are sent by the customer or ordered by the company for the customer. Even though the factory performs similar work each day, Christensen said each day always manages to be unique. “It’s challenging, for sure,” he said. “It’s always changing. Every day is different. We make the same thing every day but somehow we do it different every day — which can be maddening — but I like the change.” When he’s not working, Christensen enjoys golfing, fishing, camping and spending time with his family. He currently lives in Creston with his wife, Julie, and two daughters, Emma and Ali, who both attend Creston Community Schools.

CNA photos by IAN RICHARDSON

ABOVE: Lance Christensen holds an uncut piece of polycarbon, a common material for making eyeglass lenses. BELOW: This machine, called an orbit generator, is a computer-operated machine that uses cutters to process each lens. Christensen said it can do 32 orders an hour.

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