DAYTON TOP 100:
1-11

     LIST

Published: Sunday, April 18, 1999

       Page: 3F

       Section: BUSINESS PAGE

Primus Inc.

Street: 3110 Kettering Blvd.

City & Zip: Dayton 45439

Year started: 1956

Phone: (937) 294-6878

Fax: (937) 293-9591

Principal business: Distribution

Thumbnail sketch: Primus controls and helps 383 wholesalers around the U.S. that deal in plumbing, heating, air conditioning, electronics, electrical, refrigeration, fastener and industrial supplies.

Sales in 1998: $829 million

Miami Valley employees: 212

Employees elsewhere: 2,750

Outlook: A major change this year for Primus was the naming of Richard Schwartz as president and chief executive officer. Schwartz, 50, a Primus employees 27 years, accepted the top executive post from Chairman Richard Schiewetz, 85, who organized the sprawling business 41 years ago and continues on the job. Schwartz was president of DAPSCO, one of Primus' service companies. Schiewetz expects income to grow more than 10 percent this year.

The Iams Co.

Top executive: Clayton L. Mathile

Street: 7250 Poe Ave.

City & Zip: Dayton 45414

Year started: 1947

Phone: (937) 898-7387

Fax: (937) 264-7342

Principal business: Manufacturing

Thumbnail sketch: Manufacturer and marketer of premium dog and cat foods.

Sales for 1997: $500 million

Miami Valley employees: 475

Employees elsewhere: 800

Outlook: The Iams Co., a locally-based producer and marketer of premium pet foods, expects continued expansion in U.S. and international markets. `In 1999, we will continue to support international growth and our expanding veterinary sales effort,' said Chairman Clay M. Mathile. `We also plan to stay aggressive on new product development.' Mathile, 58, says he has given President Tom MacLeod, 50, the additional title of chief executive officer. `This reflects a natural evolution in our senior management ranks and recognizes Tom's contributions to the company's success over the last nine years.'

Dayton Heidelberg Distributing Co.

Top executive: Albert W. Vontz

Street: 1247 Leo St.

City & Zip: Dayton 45402

Year started: 1959

Phone: (937) 220-6425

Fax: (937) 220-6474

Principal business: distribution

Thumbnail sketch: Distributor of beers, wines and non-alcoholic beverages.

Sales for 1998: $253 million

Miami Valley employees: 160

Employees elsewhere: 620

Outlook: One of Ohio's largest beverage wholesalers, Dayton-based Heidelberg Distributing Co. has operations in Dayton, Cleveland, Akron, Columbus, Toledo and Cincinnati. Chairman Albert W. Vontz says the 12-month business outlook is good. The trend for beverages containing alcohol has turned upward after several flat years. The company continues to maintain a stable work force, and a goal is to use new technology to improve service to retail accounts this year.

The Antioch Co.

Top executive: Lee Morgan

Street: 888 Dayton St.

City & Zip: Yellow Springs 45387

Year started: 1926

Phone: (937) 767-6262

Fax: (937) 767-6244

Principal business: Manufacturing

Thumbnail sketch: Produces scrapbooks and accessories sold through workshops. Also sells journals, diaries and bookmarks. through mass retailers and book sellers.

Sales for 1998: $164 million

Miami Valley employees: 150

Employees elsewhere: 500

Outlook: The Antioch Co. expects sales to jump by 25 percent this year. The company will expand its Yellow Springs operations with an 18,000-square-foot addition that ease office crowding. `Right now we've got people working in trailers because we don't have enough space to cover recent expansions,' Barbara Forester, a spokeswoman said. Forester estimated employment would grow about 10 percent at locations in Minnesota and Nevada. Through acquisitions, the company has expanded its original bookplates business into bookmarks, journals, diaries, stickers, photo albums and accessories.

Shook National Corp.

Top executive: Clarence J. Bittner

Street: 4977 Northcutt Place

City & Zip: Dayton 45413

Year started: 1926

Phone: (937) 276-6666

Fax: (937) 276-6678

Principal business: Construction

Thumbnail sketch: Through its four subsidiaries, Shook performs construction management and general contracting services.

Sales for 1998: $163 million

Miami Valley employees: 200

Employees elsewhere: 150

Outlook: Coming off a record year in 1998, Shook National Corp. expects to make the most of a continuing strong construction market this year. New projects include jobs for General Motors Corp., Emery Worldwide, Wright State University, the City of Dayton and Fairmont High School, Kettering, These contracts will boost the company's revenues and provide increased employment in the Miami Valley.

Gosiger Inc.

Street: 108 McDonough St.

City & Zip: Dayton 45402

Year started: 1922

Phone: (937) 228-5174

Fax: (937) 228-5189

Principal business: Distribution

Thumbnail sketch: Value-added distributor of machine tools operating in eight states with six sales and service centers. The company imports multi-spindle turning machines.

Sales for 1998: $132 million

Miami Valley employees: 96

Employees elsewhere: 94

Outlook: Gosiger anticipates a 10 percent gain in revenues this year with employment increasing by the same amount. The company is adding a 15,000-square-foot sales office and showroom in Pittsburgh. New marketing opportunities are being examined including ways to use the Internet to enhance sales. Gosiger also is testing its first machine tool retail outlet in Cincinnati.

Danis Building Construction Co.

Street: 2 Riverplace

City & Zip: Dayton 45401

Year started: 1916

Phone: (937) 228-1225

Fax: (937) 228-7443

Principal business: Construction

Thumbnail sketch: General construction including office, commercial, health care, retail and industrial, through offices in Dayton, Cincinnati, and Columbus.

Sales for 1998: $125 million

Miami Valley employees: 150

Employees elsewhere: 150

Outlook: Danis entered 1999 with a record backlog of construction jobs including the $50 million Emergency and Trauma Center expansion at Miami Valley Hospital. This is a three-year project involving the erection of the new section along South Main Street and remodeling of the old emergency room. Danis also is erecting a $27 million Hilton Hotel in Easton, a suburb east of Columbus, and a $17 million student center at Cedarville College in Greene County. Chief Executive John Danis said the payroll is expected to rise another 15 percent this year.

Carl S. Akey, Inc.

Street: 6531 Ohio 503N

City & Zip: Lewisburg 45338

Year started: 1963

Phone: (937) 962-2661

Fax: (937) 962-4753

Principal business: Manufacturing

Thumbnail sketch: Supplies feeds and ingredients to the livestock and poultry industries. The company uses its own fleet to distribute products in a 40-state market area.

Sales for 1998: $124 million

Miami Valley employees: 269

Employees elsewhere: 18

Outlook: The agriculture business and swine markets in particular remain depressed in 1999. Nevertheless, Akey is growing its business. `We expect to feed more animals this year than last,' said Mark Poeschl, vice president and director of finance. Poeschl said Akey will accomplish that by expanding into new markets. After boosting the payroll by about 30 jobs over the past 18 months, Poeschl said employment will remain stable. The company is spending $1 million on two additional feed processing facilities and will invest more than $300,000 in its research and development facilities in Lewisburg.

Modern Technologies Corp.

Street: 33 W. First St.

City & Zip: Dayton 45402

Year started: 1984

Phone: (937) 252-9199

Fax: (937) 258-3863

Principal business: Service

Thumbnail sketch: Engineering and other consulting services to government and commercial clients, including custom software development.

Sales for 1998: $101 million

Miami Valley employees: 402

Employees elsewhere: 618

Outlook: Substantial growth continues with revenues expected to increase from 15 to 25 percent. At least 100 to 125 jobs will be added. However, the biggest challenge will be finding qualified workers. The company operates internationally and about 20 percent of the workers will be hired outside of the United States. This year military bases around Huntsville, Ala., will be added to the service territory.

Bush Transportation Systems

Street: 1600 W. Main St.

City & Zip: Wilmington 45177

Year started: 1972

Phone: (937) 382-5502

Fax: (937) 382-5150

Principal business: Service

Thumbnail sketch: Truck leasing accounts for more than 60 percent of the business with rentals and complete delivery service making up the rest. Offices are in Atlanta, Los Angeles, Chicago, Cincinnati, Toronto, and Philadelphia. Dallas will be added this year.

Sales for 1998: $93 million

Miami Valley employees: 151

Employees elsewhere: 76

Outlook: Bush expects a double digit gain in revenues this year after adding infrastructure the past two years by opening new locations and adding people and computer systems, according to Mike Bush, president. `Nationally, we'll probably add about 120 people,' Bush said. That includes 25 to 30 in the Wilmington area. The company operates in major markets in all 50 states.

O-Cedar Brands, Inc.

Street: 1210 Kenton St.

City & Zip: Springfield 45505

Year started: 1860

Phone: (937) 328-6330

Fax: (937) 328-5087

Principal business: Manufacturing

Thumbnail sketch: O-Cedar is the leading manufacturer of cleaning tools, such as mops and brooms, in the U.S.

Sales for 1998: $92 million

Miami Valley employees: 515

Employees elsewhere: 251

Outlook: A new management team headed by President Jack Gainer took control of the company last June. The team's primary focus will be to improve customer service, cut costs and continue O Cedar's long history of introducing innovative products. The headquarters recently returned to Springfield from Cincinnati. As a result, the company has several professional positions available for qualified candidates. Reporting to Gainer are Frank Schossler, vice president and chief financial officer, Barry Vickers, vice president for operations, and Tom Kappa, vice president for sales and marketing.

DAYTON TOP 100 1999
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