Contemporary Office Interiors (COI) has gone national following a merger and acquisition that dramatically extended the contract furniture firm’s market reach. Announced on February 1, the merger with Business Interiors and purchase of Workplace Resource, both of Toronto, has transformed COI into “the leading contract furniture dealer in Canada,” reports a company press release. Thanks to the expansion, the business has grown from 130 employees to 210.
Sewer Equipment, a Dixon, Illinois-based manufacturer of sewer cleaning and vacuum excavation gear, just passed a huge corporate milestone. The family-owned firm celebrated its eightieth anniversary last year and continues to develop new products and set new goals.
It is a common nightmare for anyone who owns a manufacturing or industrial plant that a disaster—natural or otherwise—strikes their facility, damaging specialized technical equipment. The inclination, in such situations, is to throw out any damaged electronics and buy replacements. If a company wants to save time and money, however, they could contact disaster recovery experts AREPA instead.
In decades past, long-distance commercial truckers faced limited options when it came to communicating with fleet operations managers. Once they hit the highway, truck drivers could radio in their location, mileage, and other performance indicators—provided they had a radio and clear reception. Beyond reports from the driver, there was no way an operations manager could monitor real-time truck performance while back in the office.
From its Grand Rapids, Michigan headquarters, ArtiFlex Manufacturing, an innovative, vertically integrated enterprise, has big plans for growth based on partnerships with other businesses. The firm’s name—an amalgam of artisan and flexible—summarizes its unique approach to design and manufacturing, with the company organized into four groups devoted to innovation, tooling, automation, and manufacturing.
These are busy times at Globe Food Equipment Corporation, a Dayton, Ohio-based firm which designs and manufactures commercial kitchen equipment. Since Business in Focus profiled Globe in October 2018, the company has introduced new products, adjusted to the market realities of COVID, and taken up distribution duties for a company called Varimixer.
A spirit of community and growth pervades the Town of Davie, located in Broward County, Florida, despite the challenges posed by COVID-19. The Town responded decisively when the virus struck, protecting residents and helping businesses. Now that the worst of the pandemic has hopefully passed, Davie is eager to finish a series of large capital projects and launch new developments.
New Braunfels was booming when Business in Focus profiled the Central Texas city in November 2019. The boom has not subsided despite COVID-19, and the city continues to attract new residents, new construction, and new developments. Over the past three years, several major companies have either expanded operations in New Braunfels or announced plans to set up in the city.
Once viewed as the stuff of science fiction movies, ‘connected’ consumer goods have become ubiquitous. Using ‘smart devices,’ homeowners can remotely program their coffee makers and barbecues, download directions in the car and automate chores such as watering the garden. Smart gadgets connect via an online network known as the Internet of Things (IoT) to relay data and receive commands.
Hightowers Petroleum Company (HPC) has successfully adapted to the challenges posed by COVID and shifting energy markets. Incorporated in 1984, this Middletown, Ohio-based, family-run gas and diesel wholesaler, profiled in the July 2019 issue of Business in Focus magazine, continues to be a leading African-American-owned fuel company, primarily serving the downstream petroleum sector.
