Businesses applauded for growth moves

When you look at the reasons why the city of Mentor has a robust business environment, a couple of things are clear. First, Mentor is a popular place for new businesses to open.

But Mentor also thrives thanks to existing businesses that grow and stay in the city.

We have enjoyed reading about the different strategies that Mentor businesses have used to grow over the years. These stories remind us that business growth is not a one-size-fits-all proposition and must be tailored to meet the needs of a particular enterprise.

Two recent examples that illustrate this point involve a manufacturer and an industrial equipment provider that are each based in Mentor.

For ORBIS Corp., the key to growth was finding a larger site into which it could move.

ORBIS, a subsidiary of Wisconsin-based Menasha Corp., plans to consolidate its manufacturing plant at 9050 Tyler Blvd. and warehouse at 8100 Tyler — as well as expand — in the former Caterpillar building.

The reusable packaging maker is proposing to lease 270,000 square feet of space, including 14,000 square feet for office use, in the building at 7800 Tyler.

With the project, ORBIS will add up to 80 full-time employees and a make a potential investment of $17.5 million.

The Mentor plant currently employs about 150 people and had a payroll totaling $6.4 million last year.

ORBIS formed in 1997. Its primary market is the automotive industry. The company has grown dramatically in the last two decades, finishing 2017 with $43 million in revenue.

“We’ve just absolutely outgrown where we’re at today, which is exciting,” said Lynn Hediger, ORBIS vice president of manufacturing and product engineering. “It’s a good opportunity.”

A couple of important factors helped turn this good opportunity into a reality for ORBIS.

First, the company found a site that it liked in the former Caterpillar building, which ORBIS plans to occupy by late July or early August.

Re-using an existing building lines up well with the core values of ORBIS and its parent company, Hediger said.

“Menasha Corp. is a sustainability champion with returnable packaging,” he said. “I mean, our board and our family members that own the company like the notion of rehabbing a facility rather than doing another greenfield. They really like the notion of being able to help a community out with a rehab type of program.

“This is a great fit for us. It will be a good marketing tool for us to say we’re walking the talk, so a lot of good things (are) coming out of this.”

ORBIS also will benefit from a financial incentive program offered by the city.

Mentor City Council recently approved a 10-year Mentor Incentive Grant equal to up to $225,000 in payroll taxes for ORBIS. Total taxes paid would range from about $1.7 million to $2.2 million.

While finding a new or larger building is the key to growth for some companies, a business also can add to its customer base and serve a larger territory by acquiring a competitor.

North Coast Lift Truck Inc. of Mentor recently executed this strategy when it purchased Ackerman Industrial Equipment of Curtice, Ohio, located near Toledo.

According to a news release, North Coast Lift Truck acquired Ackerman’s assets, employees and customer contracts. The merged business will operate under the North Coast Lift Truck brand name.

“The acquisition of Ackerman Industrial Equipment affords North Coast Lift Truck the ability to expand our footprint in a contiguous region of Ohio, while continuing to represent the top (original equipment manufacturer) brands such as, UniCarriers, Karcher, and Flexi, that are offered currently in this demographic area,” said James Gardner Jr., president of North Coast Lift Truck.

“We have been seeking an opportunity such as this to increase the scale of our product and service offerings while expanding our customer base. So, this couldn’t have been a better fit.”

The expanded business will now serve 40-plus counties across northern Ohio as well as southern Michigan, the news release stated.

North Coast Lift Truck Inc. is a provider of forklift sales, service, parts and Occupational Safety and Health Administration operator training. The company, located at 9449 Mercantile Drive in Mentor, was founded in 1981.

The city of Mentor should be proud of ORBIS Corp. and North Coast Lift Truck Inc. for taking different paths to growth that will lead both companies to continue operating in Mentor. Hopefully, these two businesses also could provide inspiration for enterprises throughout the region that are looking for ways to grow and become more profitable.