Bulldog Battery Expands Building
March 1998
| Diane Stout ][, Editor | March 1998 |
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Bulldog Battery Expands Building
Bulldog Battery Corporation was founded in 1977 by John L. Dawkins and was located in Chicago, Illinois. The company grew quite rapidly and by 1985 outgrew the facility in Chicago. Bulldog began at that time to seek a new facility. Wabash, Indiana had the facility with the area needed for Bulldog's expansion and in 1985 the manufacturing facility was relocated.
After relocating, company growth continued to be good until Bulldog experienced a fire in December 1987. The fire totally destroyed the manufacturing facility. Bulldog rebuilt in the same location using the existing foundation. It was necessary to temporarily relocate the manufacturing operations with a small crew to Urbana, Indiana, in order to maintain our customer base, while rebuilding the facility in Wabash. The facility was rebuilt and in full production within 11 months from the date of the fire.
The company growth has continued since the fire, stimulating the need for further expansion. In 1992 a new building was added to allow the expansion of the casting department. In 1993 the existing facility was extended and casting moved once again and the space was occupied by casting re-allocated for maintenance. In 1994 negotiations were entered to purchase the land directly across from the manufacturing facility. Bulldog purchased the entire row of houses along Water Street across from the manufacturing facility for future expansion. In 1995 a new warehouse was built to support the additional purchased parts inventory. In 1997 the newest building, a 50,000 square foot addition for warehousing, was started and is near completion. The manufacturing facility expanded in 1988 from approximately 30,000 square feet to over 100,000 square feet in 1998.
Bulldog started in Wabash with approximately 18 employees and in 1998 has 41 manufacturing employees and 15 office personnel. The new expansion just completed will provide approximately 10-20 additional jobs in the area.
Bulldog is an industrial battery manufacturing facility with world wide distribution. The Bulldog product name is represented with over 100 distributors throughout the world. There are many more individual customers and national accounts that buy directly from the manufacturing facility here in Wabash.
Public Relations Committee
by Teresa Storm, Nancy J's Fabrics and furniture Medic, committee Co-Chair
Coming up April 8 - The Business Before Hours business sponsors include S & R Enterprises; Coast to Coast Renter Center; Norwest Bank; and 'the paper' of Wabash County, Inc. The community sponsor will be Field of Dreams. Emcee for the breakfast will be Tony Pulley of Pulley Financial Services.
A few spots remain for the June and August Business Before Hours events. If you are interested in being a Business Sponsor, please call the Chamber office for more information.
Our thanks to the sponsors for the February BBH, which included Adko Travel Services, Pulley Financial Services, Step Ahead of Wabash County, TeeJay Enterprises and the community sponsor, Education for Conflict Resolution.
The February BBH was well attended and we hope you will get your reservations in early for the April breakfast.
See you there!
*
Seminar Committee Announces Scheduling Changes for "Brown Baggers"
The Seminar Committee has done some schedule shuffling of two of its monthly Brown Bag Seminars due to changes experienced by the presenters of the seminars.
The seminar titled "Project 2000," originally scheduled for April, will be held on March 12, 1998. Chris Neal, System Administrator for CMI Wabash Cast, Inc., will be discussing the much hyped Year 2000 dilemma that has many businesses and individuals concerned when it come to software programs. Lunch for the March seminar will be sponsored by Avalon Village Apartments.
The "Back to the Basics of Supervision" seminar that was originally scheduled for March will be held on April 9, 1998. The presenter for the April Brown Bagger will be Troy Cole, Personnel Administrator for The Ford Meter Box Co., Inc. and the lunch will be sponsored by Wabash County R.E.M.C.
The noon seminars are held in the Chamber's conference room at 111 S Wabash St. on the second Thursday of each month. The cost per seminar is $10 each for employees of Chamber member businesses and $20 each for employees of no member businesses.
Board Member Spotlight
Board Chair Elect - Troy Cole, the Ford Meter Box Company, Inc.
Troy Cole was born and raised in Wabash County. He graduated from Northfield high School and received a Bachelor of Science degree from Huntington College, majoring in Business Management. While in college, he participated in basketball and golf.
Troy has worked at The Ford Meter Box Company, Inc., and in the Human Resource field for the past six-plus years. The majority of this time has been spent in generalist functions.
He has served the Community of Wabash in many capacities. Troy is a member of the Richvalley United Methodist Church, a member of the Richvalley Lions Club, a member of Wabash Jaycees, a member and current President of the local Crimestoppers, a member and current President of Wabash Area Personnel Association, as well as Chair-Elect, Membership Chair and past Chair of the Seminar Committee of the Wabash Area Chamber of Commerce.
Troy enjoys golf and currently plays in the community basketball program.
Troy has wife Gina, and son, Trae, resident in Wabash.
Chamber Member News
* The Heartland Career Center has announced that their Open House will be Wednesday April 22, 1998 from 7:00 until 8:30 pm. The public is welcome and soft drinks & coffee will be served. Heartland Career Center is located at 79 S County Road 200 W.
Questions should be directed to Daniel Roland or Gary Sweet at (219) 563-7481.
* A Reminder About the Buyer's Guide Opportunity
Don't forget and pass up the opportunity to place an inexpensive advertisement in your Chamber's next Buyer's Guide. You will recall that, in January's Business Chronicle, there was an insert that explained the sizes and costs of the ads. If you need new forms, stop in or call the Chamber office.
Remember, deadline for space and copy is Friday March 20, 1998.
Does Your Business Qualify For the U.S. Senate Productivity Award?
On December 20, 1982, Senate Resolution 503 was enacted creating the United States Productivity Award Program. This award may be given annually by each Senator to the organization which, in the judgment of the Senator, has done the most to promote productivity.
The objective of the Senate Productivity Award is to recognize and honor organizations which are using a particularly effective productivity improvement technique, practice or process which should be shared with other organizations in the hope that it will be replicated and help contribute to national productivity improvement.
For the purpose of the Senate Productivity Award, productivity is broadly interpreted to mean an organization's most efficient and effective use of the resources available to it to produce a high quality product or perform a high quality service at lowest cost. These resources include employee knowledge and labor, modern technology, raw materials, energy, plant and equipment, money and time.
Self-nominations by a company and nominations by a local Chamber of Commerce or other interested individual or organization are accepted. 1997 Award Nominations must be received by no later than April 30, 1998. Guidelines and nomination forms are available from the Wabash Area Chamber of Commerce, (219) 563-1168.
Welcome New Members
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