Rodewald leases part of its space

Tartan Yachts, Strength Safe join manufacturer

In 2018, Jack Rodewald and Anton Wingren went into business together and purchased the former Coe Manufacturing property at 608 Bank St. in Painesville to begin their fabrication company.

They began Rodewald Manufacturing where they offer services of laser cutting, forming, welding and assembly.

The 72,000-square-foot property offered a large operating space that Rodewald said was “a lot more than what we need.” Though the property seemed to have too much space, Rodewald saw “an opportunity.”

At the beginning of 2020, Rodewald Manufacturing leased part of the building to Tartan Yachts.

“We had 19 boats in process when we moved over here,” said Tim Jackett, chief designer of Tartan Yachts.

Rodewald also partnered with the founder of Strength Safe, Stephen Donato.

Donato teamed up with Rodewald and designed a dumbbell safety rack. The rack seeks to provide a safer lifting experience for gym members.

“We had been prototyping it,” Donato said. “I made these for the gyms.”

He said he sold dumbbell safety racks to gyms such as FitWorks, Anytime Fitness, and two Powerhouse Gyms.

Then, the novel coronavirus pandemic struck the

country, which created adjustments for all three companies.

Rodewald said his business shut down for a short time before calls came in requesting his service.

“We shut down the first day and had three phone calls from customers who were critical suppliers to food and medical and wastewater treatment,” Rodewald said. “Our customers are booked through 2021.”

Jacket t said Tar tan Yachts was stuck in the process of moving which halted production.

“We got down to basically a period of time where nothing was happening,” he said. “We’ve spent a good portion of the year dealing with COVID-19 and then relocating the facility. We basically weren’t able to work for six months.”

Now, Jackett said they have seen an increase in interest in their products.

“Production is starting up,” he said. “We’ve now delivered five new boats out

of this shop. We’ve seen certainly an uptick in interest in activity.”

As for Donato, the increase of at-home workouts gave him an idea.

“The pandemic hit and the gyms shut down,” Donato said. “The markets have been crazy because the commercial gym markets tanked. They’re 50 to 60 percent capacity.”

Donato also said other states have only a 30 percent capacity.

As a result, Donato said he asked Rodewald to help him design an at-home version of the dumbbell safety rack.

As the companies find ways to adjust to the pandemic, Rodewald Manufacturing and Tartan Yachts have both increased in jobs offered.

Rodewald has 15 employees, 11 more than when the business started, and Tartan Yachts has 25 and is actively looking to add.

JUSTIN RANSOM — THE NEWS-HERALD Rodewald Manufacturing operates in 19,000 out of the 72,000-square-foot building at 608 Bank St. in Painesville. They offer services of laser cutting, forming, welding, and assembly, and have now leased some of its space to others.

JUSTIN RANSOM — THE NEWS-HERALD Tartan Yachts occupies space leased in Rodewald Manufacturing. As the novel coronavirus pandemic hit the country, Tartan Yachts had to make some adjustments.