By Davies Hood, Induron CEO
We would like to say a huge thank you to all those who attended our Plant Expansion Ribbon Cutting Ceremony last week on Thursday, September 5, 2013. We were thrilled to have a fantastic turn out, and saying thank you was really the theme of the day.
We are so thankful to City of Birmingham Mayor, William Bell, and all he has done for our city. We love our hometown of Birmingham and continue to see many advantages of being headquartered here on Richard Arrington Jr. Boulevard North. It was an honor to have Mayor Bell speak at our event, help us cut the ribbon and spend some time touring our facilities.
The Birmingham Business Alliance (BBA) has also been a huge supporter of Induron, and we appreciate Fred McCallum, President of AT&T Alabama and 2013 Chairman of the BBA for speaking at the ceremony as well.
Following those two important speakers was a tall order for me, but I was thankful for the opportunity to speak to so many influential people who have helped Induron achieve its success, including suppliers, neighbors, friends and employees.
Thirty-two of our 34 employees were in attendance, including several from out of state. One of our sales reps came all the way from Wisconsin. I attribute much of our success to our company culture, which is as good as it’s ever been right now.
We are thankful and proud to have had this opportunity to expand and invest $1.2 million into our plant facilities. Here are a few factors:
- Why: We have a growing, dedicated sales force. We have added three new sales employees so far in 2013. We are seeing a lot of success in new domestic markets such as electrical power transmission & distribution and 100% solids, self-leveling epoxy floor coatings. Lastly we are preparing for growth in international markets.
- How: This has so much to do with the pro-business climate in Birmingham and an encouraging leadership team, including the Mayor’s Office and the BBA.
- What: This is our largest expansion since 1962. We have added a state-of-the-art customer service center and storage space. The expansion allows us to increase our production square footage by 50% and our product capacity by 150%. It will help triple our throughput. The more efficient operations, streamlined processes and increased quality controls will allow us to sharpen our focus on customers.
I am so appreciative to all those who have been mentioned above. In the end though, Induron Protective Coatings would not be where it is today if it wasn’t for my father, David Hood, who ran the company up until just a couple of years ago. He has been a huge support to the company for many, many years and continues to be a support to me and our company today.
Thank you, Dad, and thank you to all the others who helped make our plant expansion possible and celebrated with us at our ribbon cutting ceremony. We hope you enjoyed the Dreamland BBQ!
Founded in 1947, Induron manufactures high performance coatings that serve a range of industrial applications, including the wastewater, transmission and distribution and groundwater storage industries. Learn more about us at www.Induron.com.