Small Wonder
Princeton-based Glenn Metalcraft Inc. has found big success by taking a small-town approach to business.
Being a small-town company doesn’t preclude a business from making it big, even in today’s hypercompetitive, globalized marketplace. At least that’s the case for Princeton-based Glenn Metalcraft Inc. (GMI), which was nominated in March as a finalist for the 2006 U.S. Chamber Small Business of the Year Award, which is given to companies that demonstrate excellence in business history and commitment to customers, employees, and the community.
GMI fits the bill. The company was founded in 1945 as a machine shop in Minneapolis. But as the metal industry waned in the 1970s, the family-owned business shifted its focus to metal spinning and the contract machining work came to an end. However, the biggest risk came when Joe and Ginger Glenn took their five-employee business and four children from the Twin Cities metro area to the rural surroundings of Princeton.
The move paid off. GMI currently employs 30 workers and overall sales have doubled since 2003, to a record of just more than $6 million in 2005. The company’s clients include John Deere, agriculture and construction equipment business CNH Global, and tank trailer builder Heil Trailer.
The company’s success is particularly noteworthy in what has been a tough environment for manufacturing companies. Indeed, GMI Vice President Joe Roberts says that he’s seen bigger companies in the community shut down over the last few years, thanks in part to fierce overseas competition. One reason for GMI’s success, Roberts adds, is that the company has positioned itself as a provider of “cost-effective solutions to OEM customers for high-quality-gauge CNC spinnings.”
GMI still focuses on quality metal spinning—a new 50-ton CNC spin machine designed to manufacture close-toleranced, oversize metal spinnings will debut soon. The real secret, however, says Roberts, lies in the unique investments the company has made in its workforce. Besides promoting internal training and recruitment, GMI developed a 2,000-hour apprenticeship program registered with the Minnesota Department of Labor for high school students interested in manufacturing careers. GMI has hired apprentices from this program and a similar 1,000-hour program registered with the Minnesota Department of Education. Current employees are also given financial assistance to pursue business and vocational degrees to fine tune their own careers. In addition, GMI’s Ginger Glenn helps co chair a local school-to-work committee, which includes activities such as job shadowing, mentoring, and mock interviews. GMI also outsources some light assembly work to the Mille Lacs County Development Achievement Center, a state-operated employee rehabilitation job program.
As for future plans, the company plans to stay on the track that’s taken it this far. “We’re going to focus on our strengths,” says Roberts. “We plan on being the edge of the cutting edge.”