Latest / Grow Clinton Podcast / GCP271 - Designed to Withstand Nature's Extremes w/Ryan & William of Atlas Roofing Corporation
Transcript
- 0:00SPEAKER_04: If you're willing to put in the hard work, put in the hours, and learn.
- 0:03SPEAKER_04: That's a big one, like you talked about.
- 0:05SPEAKER_04: Learn.
- 0:05SPEAKER_00: You're listening to the Grow Clinton Podcast.
- 0:08SPEAKER_01: Grow Clinton is a 501c6 nonprofit economic community development and tourism organization based in Clinton, Iowa.
- 0:15SPEAKER_01: For more information, visit growclinton.com.
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- 0:20SPEAKER_01: Now, back to the show.
- 0:22SPEAKER_01: What's happening, everybody out there in Podcast Land?
- 0:24SPEAKER_01: Thank you so much for tuning in to another episode of the Know It.
- 0:26SPEAKER_01: You love it.
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- 0:28SPEAKER_01: The Grow Clinton Podcast brought to you by Grow Clinton, an economic community development and tourism organization based in the eastern side of the great state of Iowa, right along the mighty Mississippi River.
- 0:37SPEAKER_01: As always, I am your host for today's episode, Andy Sokolovich, president and CEO.
- 0:41SPEAKER_01: As always, joined in the studio by Jenny Home, our director of member and community relations.
- 0:45SPEAKER_01: Jenny, what's happening?
- 0:46SPEAKER_02: You know what?
- 0:46SPEAKER_02: It's a busy day today.
- 0:47SPEAKER_02: We have a lot going on and I love it.
- 0:49SPEAKER_02: I say it all the time.
- 0:50SPEAKER_01: Busy.
- 0:51SPEAKER_01: And we're a little late.
- 0:51SPEAKER_01: This podcast is starting uh 15 minutes late.
- 0:54SPEAKER_02: Right.
- 0:54SPEAKER_01: Because the little gremlins that like to come in here and unplug things when the lights are off.
- 0:58SPEAKER_02: I don't get it.
- 0:59SPEAKER_01: Did me dirty again, so I had to fix it all.
- 1:01SPEAKER_01: I'll tell you what.
- 1:02SPEAKER_01: But like my grandfather used to say, nothing happens, you've got nothing to talk about.
- 1:06SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
- 1:07SPEAKER_01: So here we are.
- 1:08SPEAKER_01: Sponsors, Jenny.
- 1:09SPEAKER_01: Woo! Citizens First Bank.
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- 1:21SPEAKER_01: Member F D I C at Craft Printware.
- 1:23SPEAKER_01: They've been in the custom parallel games since 1970.
- 1:26SPEAKER_01: Oh, started out as a small family-run operation.
- 1:29SPEAKER_01: Now have a cutting-edge biz, providing top-notch customized printware to teams and companies all across the United States.
- 1:35SPEAKER_01: For all of your custom printware needs at craftusa.com.
- 1:38SPEAKER_01: Be sure to check out Sully Sports.
- 1:40SPEAKER_01: It's an amazing sporting goods store located off on 19th Avenue Northwest, right here in Clinton.
- 1:45SPEAKER_01: You can also go to their website, Sully Sports.com.
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- 2:10SPEAKER_01: Lionel Bsell, Clinton Complex.
- 2:12SPEAKER_01: They produce high density, low density polyethylene plastic resins used to create a variety of products, including household and industrial bottles, pressure pipe, food packaging, outdoor durable goods, construction of roof materials, and toys.
- 2:22SPEAKER_01: LYB, as they're commonly referred to in the stock ticker, is committed to being a responsible, engaged neighbor in the communities where they operate.
- 2:28SPEAKER_01: Just like here in Clinton, Lionel Bassell, solutions for a better tomorrow.
- 2:33SPEAKER_01: Thank you to all of our sponsors.
- 2:34SPEAKER_01: Great show today, Jenny.
- 2:36SPEAKER_02: This is going to answer the question of everybody who goes out Highway 30 and says, What's that?
- 2:40SPEAKER_01: What is that construction project?
- 2:42SPEAKER_01: No, it's not a Dave and Busters or a Steak and Shake or the world's largest Chick-fil-A.
- 2:47SPEAKER_01: That is Atlas Roofing Corporation.
- 2:49SPEAKER_01: And joining us today in the Stew Stew studio, we have Ryan and William from Atlas to talk about what's going on out there in the Lincoln Way Industrial Rail and Air Park.
- 2:58SPEAKER_01: Gentlemen, thank you so much for joining us on the show.
- 3:00SPEAKER_01: Thanks for having us.
- 3:01SPEAKER_01: So, Atlas Roofing Corporation was an amazing project I had the opportunity to work on.
- 3:08SPEAKER_01: They came to the region, looked at the rail park, we entered in some tough negotiations.
- 3:14SPEAKER_01: Lo and behold, it all came through to fruition at the end of the day.
- 3:17SPEAKER_01: And here they are calling Clinton home.
- 3:20SPEAKER_01: But since we broke ground on the hottest day of the year, uh, I mean, it was in I don't know whose idea this was, probably mine.
- 3:28SPEAKER_01: I'll kick myself, but we had barbecue for lunch.
- 3:31SPEAKER_01: I'll take that anytime.
- 3:32SPEAKER_01: It was real heat, like 102, like legit real heat.
- 3:35SPEAKER_01: So hottest day of the year, very rememberable.
- 3:38SPEAKER_01: And uh so uh you weren't there, you weren't there yet.
- 3:41SPEAKER_04: I was not, I was not an employee by Atlas at that point yet.
- 3:44SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
- 3:44SPEAKER_01: So Ryan, what's been going on out there at the plant?
- 3:48SPEAKER_04: Uh a lot of construction.
- 3:50SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
- 3:50SPEAKER_04: So obviously the building is enclosed, right?
- 3:53SPEAKER_04: Um we've got all the utilities to the to the factory.
- 3:59SPEAKER_04: The manufacturing lines are one is completely installed.
- 4:03SPEAKER_04: The second is what would you say, Bill, 60%?
- 4:07SPEAKER_04: Yeah, somewhere in the neighborhood.
- 4:09SPEAKER_04: So we've got contractors on site that are actually turning the rolls for the production line and communications set up between our networks.
- 4:18SPEAKER_04: So a lot of good stuff.
- 4:20SPEAKER_01: Now Atlas manufactures the world's most durable roofing shingles.
- 4:25SPEAKER_01: And you don't realize how badly you need roofing shingles until you go up there and you start cleaning out your gutters and you find all that fragment in your gutters, clogging them up.
- 4:36SPEAKER_01: You need some new shingles, you need a new roof.
- 4:39SPEAKER_01: William, what makes Atlas Roofing Corporation shingles unique and durable?
- 4:45SPEAKER_05: You know, from a unique perspective, uh for the roofer themselves, they are larger shingles than uh anything else on the market, which means you need less of them to put up on your roof, which is you know easier for the rooker to install.
- 5:00SPEAKER_05: Um, in addition to that, there are no strap associated with it.
- 5:04SPEAKER_05: What does that mean?
- 5:05SPEAKER_05: I'm not a roofer.
- 5:06SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
- 5:06SPEAKER_05: So when you install a roof, you offset the shingles as you go down the roof.
- 5:11SPEAKER_05: And most of them you're gonna see the rougher cut off the edge and just flip it on the ground.
- 5:16SPEAKER_05: With these, you get to use it throughout different parts of the construction of it.
- 5:21SPEAKER_05: And so ultimately, there is less waste associated with Atlas shingles than there are with any other any of our competitors.
- 5:28SPEAKER_02: A lot of saved time too.
- 5:29SPEAKER_02: I've roofed a place before that, you know, that saved time.
- 5:33SPEAKER_02: You did?
- 5:34SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
- 5:34SPEAKER_01: Just you were up there on the roof.
- 5:36SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I believe it.
- 5:37SPEAKER_01: I'm not surprised.
- 5:38SPEAKER_01: I believe it.
- 5:39SPEAKER_02: Yep.
- 5:40SPEAKER_01: But uh, yeah, was it your home that you were doing?
- 5:42SPEAKER_02: Yeah, Steve.
- 5:43SPEAKER_02: Yeah, Steve and I did it.
- 5:45SPEAKER_01: Oh, I see.
- 5:46SPEAKER_01: Hey, I was lead.
- 5:48SPEAKER_02: I was the lead.
- 5:48SPEAKER_01: It was a bonding moment.
- 5:50SPEAKER_01: Plus, you guys you guys don't just carry like the traditional black or gray.
- 5:55SPEAKER_01: You have different color varieties as well, correct?
- 5:57SPEAKER_04: We do.
- 5:58SPEAKER_04: We've got different uh what do we call them warranty varieties as well.
- 6:03SPEAKER_04: I mean, you've got your good, better, best.
- 6:06SPEAKER_04: Sure.
- 6:07SPEAKER_04: Uh what do we run?
- 6:09SPEAKER_01: Uh probably a dozen or so colors that are in different uh you got a pretty big like layout space out there just west of the plant.
- 6:19SPEAKER_01: So you'll be storing a lot of stuff outside.
- 6:22SPEAKER_04: Correct.
- 6:22SPEAKER_01: But then I believe aren't your colored uh shingles gonna be inside too?
- 6:26SPEAKER_01: Is that accurate?
- 6:27SPEAKER_01: Because I remember at one time that was discussed so that the sun wouldn't fade the color or anything like that while I was sitting in inventory.
- 6:33SPEAKER_04: Uh there'll be some.
- 6:34SPEAKER_04: It'd be more staging for shipping out, uh bringing them in, getting them ready to go on van trucks.
- 6:40SPEAKER_04: Uh, but the majority of them would be held outside on we got 40 acres of storage outside.
- 6:45SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that's awesome.
- 6:46SPEAKER_01: I mean, the facility is beautiful.
- 6:48SPEAKER_01: Uh as an economic development professional, I'd much rather look at uh an industrial plant sometimes than other things because you know about the hard work you put in there and the sweat equity.
- 6:58SPEAKER_01: So when Atlas first came to us, and it was Adam and Brian, which man, tough negotiator, especially that Brian guy, man, that guy does not play around.
- 7:07SPEAKER_01: But we've become friends now uh over the years, and I'm very excited to see that come through to fruition.
- 7:12SPEAKER_01: But really, the 36th Avenue South, which is the roadway that goes from east to west through the rail park, would not have existed but for Atlas Roofing.
- 7:21SPEAKER_01: So the ingress-egress plan that the Department of Transportation had figured out for the park was no bueno.
- 7:28SPEAKER_01: Brian and Adam did not like it, and ultimately I didn't like it.
- 7:31SPEAKER_01: It was a J-turn concept.
- 7:32SPEAKER_01: So basically, uh let's just say you were pulling out on 54th, you'd have to turn east heading back into town, and then hit this long turn lane and basically swing a UE and come all the way back and then head west.
- 7:44SPEAKER_01: And that was not safe, especially for the number of trucks that you were you were uh estimating.
- 7:49SPEAKER_01: So we built 36th Avenue South, and that has turned out to be really the catalyst to the growth and development of that park.
- 7:56SPEAKER_01: Shortly after announcing Atlas Roofing Corporation, we worked with Pete Clausen and brought in Super 8 Logistics.
- 8:01SPEAKER_01: But you guys have been working on that plant.
- 8:04SPEAKER_01: Uh the construction time has been a long time, but that's what it takes to get a plant of that size and caliber up and running.
- 8:10SPEAKER_01: Um and you know, now you're doing some hiring as well, correct?
- 8:13SPEAKER_04: That is correct.
- 8:14SPEAKER_04: Uh actually, William's been doing uh the initial hiring of his hourly production staff.
- 8:20SPEAKER_04: I'll let him talk about it.
- 8:21SPEAKER_05: But yeah, it's been fantastic.
- 8:23SPEAKER_05: We just had a complete outpouring of applicants.
- 8:26SPEAKER_05: Um right now we're looking for team leads, uh production team leads as well as our raw material processing leads, um, as well as quality inspectors, and just had uh, you know, fantastic candidates.
- 8:39SPEAKER_05: We have five that are gonna be starting here in the near future.
- 8:43SPEAKER_05: Um and so we're we're really excited about that.
- 8:46SPEAKER_05: Um and we will just continue to hire until we get uh fully to our plan.
- 8:52SPEAKER_05: It's gonna be, you know, it's a a bit slow but steady pace as as we continue throughout this year and into next year.
- 8:59SPEAKER_02: When a lot of times we we talk about hiring all that, but it's amazing how many uh people it brings to our community and the impact, the economic impact that it has.
- 9:10SPEAKER_02: So what's the next level of hiring after this?
- 9:14SPEAKER_05: So we will um we'll continue throughout all of our operator positions.
- 9:19SPEAKER_05: Um, and we are going to have some, and correct me if I'm wrong, Ryan, um some supervisors that we are still looking for for our warehouse positions.
- 9:29SPEAKER_04: Correct.
- 9:29SPEAKER_05: Um, we are continuing to the skilled trades departments between uh our mechanics and electricians.
- 9:36SPEAKER_05: So um, you know, we have with this position, obviously, uh, you know, no one around here has any experience with it.
- 9:44SPEAKER_05: We send a lot of folks out to to learn and and we're really looking for experienced operators that that have skills and experience with HMI screens.
- 9:54SPEAKER_05: So uh being able to um use the different computer software systems we have to make sure that the machines are are doing what we need them to do and um staying within spec.
- 10:06SPEAKER_01: That was gonna be my next question, too.
- 10:08SPEAKER_01: I mean, opportunities for career advancement.
- 10:10SPEAKER_01: That's really what I like about the manufacturing sector is it's very versatile, but you can come in as an operator.
- 10:16SPEAKER_01: And as long as you demonstrate that you have the skill set and the desire to learn new skills and the passion for the industry, really you can go as high as you want.
- 10:25SPEAKER_05: Absolutely.
- 10:26SPEAKER_05: I think uh, you know, and and maybe if the three team leads that we uh are waiting to start here are are hearing this podcast, you know, we offer them jobs because we think they have the potential to grow with the company.
- 10:40SPEAKER_05: Um, we really like the experiences they bring.
- 10:43SPEAKER_05: Um, and and you know, we really hired them for the next steps.
- 10:46SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
- 10:47SPEAKER_01: Now, Atlas Roofing Corporation is part of a larger holding company.
- 10:50SPEAKER_01: Um, so there's several different companies under Hood Holdings or Hood Companies.
- 10:56SPEAKER_01: And it's amazing what they do.
- 10:58SPEAKER_01: I mean, everything from corrugated cardboard, obviously roofing shingles, and the list goes on and on.
- 11:03SPEAKER_01: Um, working with the Hood family and the leadership of the Hood companies has been great over the years.
- 11:09SPEAKER_01: Uh, we knew that we weren't the only show in town, and we had to compete to get Atlas Roofing Corporation here.
- 11:16SPEAKER_01: And it just so happens that we had everything that they were looking for.
- 11:19SPEAKER_01: So not only are we very excited, but Jenny talked about the economic impact and really the ripple effect of manufacturing.
- 11:25SPEAKER_01: When you bring in a manufacturing plant, I mean, you're supporting hundreds of contract jobs.
- 11:30SPEAKER_01: Uh, from the start, the first time we dig that hole and we do some grading and you work with BJ out there at Ritmer to get everything where you need B, to the contractors that are putting in rail, because you guys are a rail ser facility too.
- 11:42SPEAKER_01: And and Ryan, if you don't mind, just explain you know how beneficial it is to have access to rail, specifically with the UP and what that does for the company.
- 11:52SPEAKER_04: That's actually been huge for us.
- 11:53SPEAKER_04: I mean, majority of our ingredients will come in, the raw material come in by rail.
- 11:58SPEAKER_04: You know, um and the UP's been fantastic to deal with so far.
- 12:03SPEAKER_04: And now that we've got the relationship with Burlington Junction as the the switch yard, uh they've been fantastic.
- 12:10SPEAKER_04: But really, we'd be talking I don't know, fifteen times more trucks if we were coming in with trucks.
- 12:19SPEAKER_04: But the rail is such a benefit to us to bring our ingredients in and actually make our shingles.
- 12:25SPEAKER_04: It actually helps us control our cost, you know, and and provide a good product to the customer at at not such a high.
- 12:31SPEAKER_01: Now the the logistical assets that we have here in Clinton with three class one railroads, a robust highway system, of course, you're not using it, but access to the river.
- 12:39SPEAKER_01: So if for any reason you ever decided to buy ingredients at bulk that need to get shipped via via river as in a barge as opposed to rail or truck, you have access to intermodal facilities along the river that can transfer that stuff from a barge to a truck and then to the facility.
- 12:55SPEAKER_01: So we've got it all here in Clinton, and it was just cool to work with your team and identify.
- 13:00SPEAKER_01: But we hit some snags along the way.
- 13:02SPEAKER_01: I know that every once in a while I get a call from Adam going, hey man, what is this stuff 12 feet below the ground?
- 13:09SPEAKER_01: It's your land.
- 13:10SPEAKER_01: I don't know what it is, you know?
- 13:11SPEAKER_01: And then the DNR comes out, we turn it up, it's just organic matter.
- 13:14SPEAKER_01: It was way back, you know, probably hundreds of years ago when they just dump like livestock into um, you know, livestock that has expired into a pit and then cover it with dirt.
- 13:25SPEAKER_01: And that's the way they did business back then.
- 13:26SPEAKER_01: But until you start excavating it down 12 feet, you realize it's there.
- 13:30SPEAKER_01: But all these little things, that's what I love about my job, is they were problems that we were able to solve.
- 13:35SPEAKER_01: And they weren't huge impediments.
- 13:36SPEAKER_01: It wasn't like uh we couldn't get over it, but you guys continue to grind and you continue to get to the point where you're opening.
- 13:43SPEAKER_01: When you are, William, up in operational, what is your anticipated employee headcount?
- 13:48SPEAKER_05: You know, I'm gonna defer that question to Ryan to make sure I don't answer incorrectly.
- 13:53SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
- 13:53SPEAKER_04: So, you know, 150 plus people.
- 13:56SPEAKER_04: Yeah, that's that's what I think it's really been the standard answer, but um will there be more?
- 14:01SPEAKER_04: Possibly.
- 14:02SPEAKER_04: It just depends, you know.
- 14:04SPEAKER_04: The positive thing that Mr.
- 14:07SPEAKER_04: Hood has invested in us is they built us for growth.
- 14:11SPEAKER_04: Yeah, you know, so if if there need be expansion, it's we're available to do that.
- 14:16SPEAKER_04: So, but right now we're starting off with 150 plus to be able to run the plant and and we'll see where we go from there.
- 14:22SPEAKER_01: Well, I mean, there's no s there's no slowdown of houses being built.
- 14:25SPEAKER_01: I think we're gonna see that market really kind of shoot off here in the next couple of years, and every house needs a roof, every new, every roof needs a shingle.
- 14:34SPEAKER_01: Right.
- 14:34SPEAKER_01: And that's really exciting to be able to watch because your shingles are, I mean, scotch card you have baked into that.
- 14:40SPEAKER_01: So the color retains for longer.
- 14:43SPEAKER_01: I mean, that's the whole thing with roofing is you want that natural, kind of vibrant look of what a brand new roof can do to a house.
- 14:49SPEAKER_01: And especially in the Midwest, where we have some, I don't know, weather every once in a while.
- 14:55SPEAKER_01: That's not kind, like Doratios and stuff.
- 14:57SPEAKER_01: I mean, then you have the insurance companies filing claims and needing a new roof.
- 15:01SPEAKER_01: I mean, it keeps the contractors in business, but it really helps you guys out in the long run too.
- 15:05SPEAKER_04: It does.
- 15:05SPEAKER_04: And uh ultimately, you know, our our goal is to protect the consumer.
- 15:09SPEAKER_04: Right.
- 15:09SPEAKER_04: You know, make sure their house is taken care of.
- 15:12SPEAKER_04: Um, you know, you mentioned color staying vibrant, it does.
- 15:16SPEAKER_04: But we we spend a lot of time our our RD department testing and testing, making sure are there any advances we can do.
- 15:26SPEAKER_04: And it's been for us, it's good.
- 15:28SPEAKER_04: Um we've got a great wind rating on our our products.
- 15:32SPEAKER_04: And you know, the other thing that you see along houses is you see those dark streaks coming out of them.
- 15:37SPEAKER_00: What what causes that?
- 15:38SPEAKER_04: That's algae.
- 15:38SPEAKER_00: Algae.
- 15:39SPEAKER_04: Okay all of our product has the ability to combat that.
- 15:44SPEAKER_04: You don't Atlas roofs do not get algae on it because of what how we build them.
- 15:49SPEAKER_01: So now your shingles are available in most big box stores, correct?
- 15:52SPEAKER_04: Correct.
- 15:52SPEAKER_04: You know, Menards is one of our big cons uh customers.
- 15:55SPEAKER_04: ABC Supply is another one.
- 15:57SPEAKER_04: Okay.
- 15:57SPEAKER_04: So we are in the big box stores.
- 16:00SPEAKER_04: You can get them even through Home Depot, you gotta order them.
- 16:03SPEAKER_04: But you know, Menards, if you go in, you'll see our boards up on the wall, the different standard colors.
- 16:07SPEAKER_01: Well, I had a friend of mine built a house in Florida, and to support local, he demanded Atlas Ruby Corporation shingles.
- 16:15SPEAKER_02: All right.
- 16:16SPEAKER_01: Um, not only because he knew there was a plant coming to Clinton and under construction at the time, but he wanted the best.
- 16:22SPEAKER_01: And when you're making these investments, sizable investments, uh like new construction in a home, or even if you're just replacing the roof on an existing home, you'll want it to last.
- 16:30SPEAKER_01: Because when you go out and you buy a house, the number one-ish, or at least top five thing you look at is the roof.
- 16:36SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
- 16:37SPEAKER_01: Because if you buy that home and you get in there and within a year you realize you need a roof, that's not a cheap repair.
- 16:43SPEAKER_01: Correct.
- 16:43SPEAKER_01: So having quality shingles on there plays a huge role in the longevity of that house.
- 16:48SPEAKER_02: So we are also pretty impressed with Atlas coming to our community.
- 16:52SPEAKER_02: You do do some community outreach.
- 16:54SPEAKER_04: Correct.
- 16:55SPEAKER_02: And so tell us a little bit about that.
- 16:56SPEAKER_02: I was speaking with someone, I think, yesterday, and they were talking about a student of the month program that you're involved in, and you have some other things that you're doing in town too.
- 17:05SPEAKER_04: We do.
- 17:05SPEAKER_04: Uh because one, I'm from Clinton, right?
- 17:09SPEAKER_04: Born and raised.
- 17:10SPEAKER_02: That's right.
- 17:10SPEAKER_04: Uh left for work, came back with Atlas.
- 17:15SPEAKER_04: Where were you at Tennessee?
- 17:16SPEAKER_04: I was in Tennessee.
- 17:17SPEAKER_04: Uh South Carolina and then Tennessee.
- 17:18SPEAKER_04: So you know, our family's still here.
- 17:21SPEAKER_04: So to me, it's important to be a good neighbor.
- 17:26SPEAKER_01: Uh a corporate citizen.
- 17:28SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
- 17:28SPEAKER_04: You know, it's my face that people have to see.
- 17:32SPEAKER_04: And and and to me, it's important to give back to the community, get back to the kids, you know, take care of the community that took care of me raising being raised up.
- 17:40SPEAKER_01: So you had a good hire, you have a young lady that's working for you, uh, very very short in stature.
- 17:46SPEAKER_04: Be Miranda, whatever.
- 17:47SPEAKER_01: Miranda, yeah.
- 17:48SPEAKER_01: Uh so Miranda does a phenomenal job engaging the community.
- 17:52SPEAKER_01: And of course, obviously being a Clintonian herself, she knows everybody around.
- 17:56SPEAKER_01: She's very outgoing, extremely approachable.
- 17:59SPEAKER_01: And just working with her over the last several months, uh, we feel great.
- 18:03SPEAKER_01: Because I don't want to always be blowing up your phone asking you things.
- 18:06SPEAKER_01: But now that we have access to Miranda, and it is very important.
- 18:09SPEAKER_01: You know, we talk about that in economic development.
- 18:11SPEAKER_01: Probably we should talk about it more often.
- 18:13SPEAKER_01: Is what does it mean when a company wants to be a good corporate citizen?
- 18:16SPEAKER_01: They want to give back.
- 18:17SPEAKER_01: All of our companies do it, right?
- 18:18SPEAKER_01: It's expected.
- 18:19SPEAKER_03: Right.
- 18:20SPEAKER_01: Uh, we Lion Dell gives back uh heavily to the United Way, they do their day of caring, ADM, Nestle Purina, the list goes on Custom Pack, the list goes on and on and on.
- 18:30SPEAKER_01: So all of our companies give back.
- 18:31SPEAKER_01: Attracting new companies, quality companies, quality employers like Atlas Roofing Corporation benefits us greatly beyond just the injection of new wealth in the community through tax dollars and things of that nature.
- 18:43SPEAKER_01: So I was excited from the very beginning.
- 18:45SPEAKER_01: Uh, when you guys first came, I think you were not here, but it was myself, Ryan, Adam, and Dustin.
- 18:54SPEAKER_01: Dustin, yeah.
- 18:54SPEAKER_01: And I was wearing flippy floppies and shorts because I was supposed to be golfing that day.
- 18:59SPEAKER_01: And there we are out there walking the rail.
- 19:02SPEAKER_01: And I'm sure those three looked at me like, what is this dude doing?
- 19:05SPEAKER_01: And they had their little blue beam up on the on their iPad and we're designing, and then it's just crazy the amount of technology.
- 19:12SPEAKER_01: And within a couple of weeks, we started talking about what it would actually look like if you came to Clinton.
- 19:17SPEAKER_01: And that was a year of my life, I think I dedicated to just that project alone.
- 19:22SPEAKER_01: And to have you guys here is is really something that's is not even impressive for you, but also for the the Grow Clinton resume as well.
- 19:30SPEAKER_04: Yep.
- 19:30SPEAKER_04: Yep.
- 19:31SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
- 19:31SPEAKER_04: We're very appreciative.
- 19:32SPEAKER_04: The the relationship that we've had with you guys, you know, from the start.
- 19:36SPEAKER_04: And and I know Adam believes that, Brian believes that, but it's it's it's one of the factors that brought Atlas here, right?
- 19:43SPEAKER_04: I mean, the relationship, the being able to give Andy a call in the middle of the night if they needed something, you know, between that and the the rail access and really the acceptance in the community has been huge.
- 19:55SPEAKER_04: So it's a very important relationship.
- 19:57SPEAKER_02: I always like it when people say something to me about the airport, like, you know, do what goes on at our airport?
- 20:03SPEAKER_02: And I say, you know, we do use that.
- 20:06SPEAKER_02: The people who come into town for our industry use that.
- 20:10SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
- 20:10SPEAKER_01: Yeah, we've had a few.
- 20:11SPEAKER_01: Yep.
- 20:11SPEAKER_01: Yep.
- 20:12SPEAKER_01: Uh Mr.
- 20:12SPEAKER_01: Warren Hood flew in uh for the groundbreaking of his new facility.
- 20:16SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
- 20:16SPEAKER_01: And I believe that was the first facility that was constructed from scratch.
- 20:20SPEAKER_04: His f from his uh roofing division, yes.
- 20:23SPEAKER_01: Roofing division, yeah.
- 20:24SPEAKER_01: And he flew in with his private pilot and uh nice guy.
- 20:28SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
- 20:28SPEAKER_01: Sat there, had a great conversation.
- 20:30SPEAKER_01: But yeah, people do not often recognize the benefit of the proximity of the airport.
- 20:34SPEAKER_01: Nestle flies in there all the time.
- 20:36SPEAKER_01: Heck, I remember we you and I were at the we were sitting in the aero club offices and we were having a meeting with some uh third-party switching companies that we were going to contract with to move the rail cars within the park.
- 20:48SPEAKER_01: And I think we came down to two, and one came and somebody from Nestle flew in and they had like a bread basket with like all these different breads and stuff, and they said, Yeah, we don't really want to take this with us.
- 20:59SPEAKER_01: Just and they next thing they brought it over, and we had all these the breads to stack on and things like that.
- 21:04SPEAKER_01: But then, you know, the owner of Kleisar, he flies in all the time.
- 21:07SPEAKER_01: Um, the list goes on and on and on.
- 21:09SPEAKER_01: Of course, ADM executives um, they'll fly in from Chicago and just cruise on in.
- 21:13SPEAKER_01: So having that airport closed definitely helps.
- 21:15SPEAKER_01: And I'm sure Mr.
- 21:16SPEAKER_01: Hood was ecstatic to know he could fly in and drive a quarter mile to his plant.
- 21:22SPEAKER_04: And he has several times since since we've been there, you know.
- 21:25SPEAKER_04: He was just here a few months ago uh checking on progress, wanted to see how it's going.
- 21:29SPEAKER_04: Him and Mr.
- 21:30SPEAKER_04: Davis are president CEO, you know, and a lot of people don't know him.
- 21:36SPEAKER_04: I mean, you've you've met him, right?
- 21:38SPEAKER_04: And just down-to-earth guy.
- 21:40SPEAKER_01: Very humble.
- 21:41SPEAKER_04: You know, high morals.
- 21:43SPEAKER_04: My my word is my bond guy, and it's a pleasure to work for a company like that.
- 21:49SPEAKER_04: You know, it really is.
- 21:49SPEAKER_01: So well, I knew that uh just because you know, Brian that works for he works for Hood, um, you know, he great guy.
- 21:55SPEAKER_01: Uh he's an Air Force guy, he was Red Horse uh CE squadron.
- 21:59SPEAKER_01: And Civil engineering, and you know, him and I had a good rapport.
- 22:02SPEAKER_01: Then all of a sudden Mr.
- 22:04SPEAKER_01: Hood flew in and he changed a little bit, not in a bad way, but you could definitely tell like he had a lot of like deep-rooted respect for the company's ownership, and he wanted to be able to demonstrate that.
- 22:15SPEAKER_01: So yeah, really just a great company, Atlas Roofing Corporation.
- 22:18SPEAKER_01: So the folks that are interested in obtaining some of these positions that you have open, I did link within the show notes the uh website.
- 22:27SPEAKER_01: It is just atlasroofing.com, and then there's a tab of a drop down that says careers, and then you can just narrow down your search by location.
- 22:34SPEAKER_01: So you'll be hiring from now until you guys are done.
- 22:38SPEAKER_04: Yes, sir.
- 22:39SPEAKER_04: Uh probably within the next 12 months, we're looking to be at that 150 plus.
- 22:45SPEAKER_03: Okay.
- 22:46SPEAKER_04: You know, we're gonna like William said, we're gonna ramp slow.
- 22:49SPEAKER_04: Um, because we've got to get training done.
- 22:51SPEAKER_04: Nobody around here has ever made a shingle.
- 22:53SPEAKER_04: Right.
- 22:53SPEAKER_04: Right.
- 22:54SPEAKER_04: So there's so certain trainings we gotta do earlier than others.
- 22:58SPEAKER_04: So but yeah, it's gonna be a it's be an eventful process.
- 23:02SPEAKER_04: Uh when William and team have their work cut out for them.
- 23:05SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
- 23:06SPEAKER_04: You know, and it's not just hourly.
- 23:07SPEAKER_04: We have more salary we have to hire, but we'll do it in stages.
- 23:10SPEAKER_04: You know, there's still customer service people that have to come in, there's accounting people that have to come in.
- 23:15SPEAKER_04: Um, but there's salary and hourly positions that'll be available.
- 23:20SPEAKER_01: William, for that training, are you leveraging the community college monies that are out there for that?
- 23:24SPEAKER_05: Absolutely.
- 23:25SPEAKER_01: So 260E, 260F.
- 23:27SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
- 23:28SPEAKER_01: Okay, good.
- 23:28SPEAKER_01: That's correct.
- 23:29SPEAKER_01: What is that?
- 23:30SPEAKER_01: So that whether you have incumbent workers, meaning you're retaining somebody and just helping them get more advanced in their skill set or like they are, hiring brand new individuals that have zero experience, the community college has a grant program that they will help offset that cost significantly.
- 23:47SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
- 23:48SPEAKER_04: Correct.
- 23:48SPEAKER_04: And you know, uh, we're we were sorry to see him go, but happy for him.
- 23:52SPEAKER_04: But Lee Allen retired from the community college, right?
- 23:56SPEAKER_04: But we've been working with him, you know, and it's they've got that, and I know uh Joe from Lion Dell have been a huge proponent for it, but those it's uh process technician.
- 24:07SPEAKER_04: Process technician opportunities.
- 24:11SPEAKER_04: So, you know, it doesn't guarantee a job, but it helps you get in the door to get an interview.
- 24:15SPEAKER_04: And you know, but their electronics and mechanical programs are are top-notch too.
- 24:20SPEAKER_04: They've done a great job.
- 24:21SPEAKER_04: So we've we're looking at that for even if you think of it more of an apprentice style, bring you in and we'll grow you.
- 24:28SPEAKER_04: Let's get your career.
- 24:29SPEAKER_01: Well, it's perfect for operators because they're learning basic disciplines and a variety of different skill sets that come in.
- 24:34SPEAKER_01: Now, for you guys, if somebody applies, do you want to see?
- 24:37SPEAKER_01: I mean, of course, you want to see they have some experience in manufacturing, but what if somebody's transitioning out of a different career field and looking to get into manufacturing just to start?
- 24:45SPEAKER_01: William, what does that look like for you?
- 24:47SPEAKER_05: Yeah, as we're going through all these applications and I'm looking at every resume right now.
- 24:53SPEAKER_05: We're really looking for people that show they have the ability to learn because that is the biggest thing we have right now.
- 25:00SPEAKER_05: Um, there are some applicable experiences people can have, but there's no direct experiences, um, myself included, right?
- 25:08SPEAKER_05: And so, you know, we're looking for those people that we think have have demonstrated the ability to grow within whatever field they may be in currently or in their past, um, and just have that mindset of, you know, I want to grow, I want to succeed, and I want to be a part of a team atmosphere.
- 25:26SPEAKER_02: And I like the idea that you can you're training somebody for development in the company, not just for one position, but they have a chance to grow.
- 25:33SPEAKER_02: I think that's what the generation coming up really wants to hear.
- 25:36SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
- 25:37SPEAKER_05: And I think with the first five folks that that we're bringing in, um, what we really like about them is we think they, you know, as we talk to them, quick learners, but also they have the ability to help us train.
- 25:50SPEAKER_05: Um, because we have a relatively small staff right now that we just need to continue to grow and grow and get more people that can can help train others.
- 25:58SPEAKER_04: You know, we've got a couple people on staff that on paper and and resume.
- 26:04SPEAKER_04: I mean, they they came from the school district.
- 26:06SPEAKER_04: That's right.
- 26:06SPEAKER_04: Right?
- 26:06SPEAKER_04: One was superintendent or uh uh uh vice principal.
- 26:10SPEAKER_04: Vice principal.
- 26:12SPEAKER_04: Um he's actually gonna be managing our asphalt plant.
- 26:16SPEAKER_01: That's crazy.
- 26:17SPEAKER_04: I mean, great worker, does a great job, has dug in.
- 26:21SPEAKER_04: Our training manager, she came from this the school district, you know, and she does a great job putting together these training programs that they're gonna use.
- 26:29SPEAKER_01: So yeah, it's amazing.
- 26:30SPEAKER_01: I mean, that's what I tell everybody when you go and you talk to young students in high school, it's like if you want to advance, sure, you can go off, you can do your post-secondary.
- 26:41SPEAKER_01: If you're pursuing a career that requires a college degree, it's a must.
- 26:45SPEAKER_01: You don't have an option.
- 26:46SPEAKER_01: But if you truly just want to graduate and enter the workforce and start to develop some experience, I'm a good example.
- 26:51SPEAKER_01: Uh I have an associate's in airway science.
- 26:54SPEAKER_01: That is it.
- 26:54SPEAKER_01: Um, I never thought in a million years I'd be in economic development, never even knew what it was.
- 26:59SPEAKER_01: I was an air traffic controller for 12 years, moved here, crop dusters, for those that don't know, have no desire to be told where to go.
- 27:06SPEAKER_01: Uh they kind of just do what they want at like 100 feet above the ground.
- 27:09SPEAKER_01: If that's but I was I had to pivot and you just get in there and you just buckle down and you show that you're willing to learn and you don't think you're the smartest person in the room because you don't have the experience.
- 27:22SPEAKER_01: You soak up all the knowledge you possibly can, demonstrate a solid work ethic, and really there's there's no there's no ceiling for you at that point.
- 27:29SPEAKER_01: I mean, if you want to go to running the company, you can do that.
- 27:32SPEAKER_01: I mean, we went to Traffic Club of Chicago, they held their annual meeting, and their keynote was uh Jim, uh, I think it's uh Vana, uh I can't remember if I'm pronouncing his last name correctly, but he is the president of UP.
- 27:48SPEAKER_01: And he started laying ballast by hand back in the day and has worked his way up to now, not only being the top dog in one class one, but two class ones, and eventually he will retire.
- 28:00SPEAKER_01: But just to hear his story, and how many times do you hear that in manufacturing?
- 28:04SPEAKER_04: Well, I'm one of them.
- 28:05SPEAKER_04: Yeah, right.
- 28:06SPEAKER_04: Uh my degree is I have a bachelor of science in electronic engineering technology.
- 28:10SPEAKER_04: I'm an industrial electrician by trade.
- 28:13SPEAKER_04: You know, given the opportunity, just keep working forward.
- 28:16SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
- 28:16SPEAKER_04: You know, I if you're willing to put in the hard work, put in the hours, you know, and learn.
- 28:23SPEAKER_04: That's a big one, like you talked about, learn, you know.
- 28:26SPEAKER_04: I I think you can go as far as you want to go.
- 28:29SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
- 28:30SPEAKER_02: We're so fortunate to have uh Atlas come to our community and be able to give people that opportunity to, you know, to be able to grow and to be able to learn a new trade.
- 28:40SPEAKER_02: And so, you know, I really appreciate the fact that, you know, you're willing to educate them up.
- 28:45SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
- 28:46SPEAKER_01: And having a rock solid culture helps too.
- 28:48unknown: Yeah.
- 28:49SPEAKER_01: I mean, we've all, I mean, it's almost palatable.
- 28:51SPEAKER_01: Like when you go or when you walk into a uh manufacturing plant and you are aware the culture is not where it should be, right?
- 28:59SPEAKER_01: You can almost like feel that.
- 29:00SPEAKER_01: Yeah, you can.
- 29:01SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
- 29:01SPEAKER_01: And it's like, ooh, the energy is not great.
- 29:04SPEAKER_01: There's not a lot of feng shui going on around here.
- 29:07SPEAKER_01: Um, but working with the Atlas team, I have no doubt that your culture is going to be top-notch and something that's sought after and hopefully uh replicable as you continue to grow and expand.
- 29:16SPEAKER_01: So best of luck to you guys.
- 29:18SPEAKER_01: Any help that you need, be sure to reach out to us.
- 29:20SPEAKER_01: I'm glad to hear you're taking advantage of the community college dollars.
- 29:23SPEAKER_01: You know, they can bring in outside trainers too and cover the expense of that.
- 29:27SPEAKER_01: It's amazing how many companies that we engage that don't take advantage of that.
- 29:31SPEAKER_01: And that there's always something at the state legislature regarding the desire to kind of jockey that program around.
- 29:38SPEAKER_01: Uh, we've been very strong advocates to leave it the way it is because I still believe that locals have their finger on the pulse and understand what local manufacturing wants.
- 29:48SPEAKER_01: Uh, the the plan is or what they're proposing is to kind of shift that more Des Moines-centric, which drives me nuts.
- 29:55SPEAKER_01: Like Poe County has enough.
- 29:57SPEAKER_01: Um, I want to see Eastern Iowa continue to retain control of that and be able to spend those dollars and invest those dollars wisely in the companies that need it.
- 30:05SPEAKER_02: How many sites does Atlas have?
- 30:08SPEAKER_04: So between the four divisions of Atlas, we've got uh 33 sites within the roofing division, we are the sixth plant up for making shingles.
- 30:21SPEAKER_04: So we've got one in Texas, one in Oklahoma, one in Mississippi, one in Georgia, one in Ohio, and then us.
- 30:30SPEAKER_04: So mostly southern based.
- 30:33SPEAKER_01: Now, this plant is that gonna be is this kind of mirror or very similar in design and capacity to the one in Ohio?
- 30:41SPEAKER_04: Uh actually, we are the largest plant.
- 30:44SPEAKER_04: So we every other facility has one line.
- 30:47SPEAKER_04: Um, and we have two that are both designed to run a third faster than our fastest in any other plant.
- 30:54SPEAKER_01: So that gives you some bragging rights for Adam Simpson.
- 30:57SPEAKER_01: You can just call and be like, hey, how's your little plant doing?
- 30:59SPEAKER_01: No, no, no.
- 31:00SPEAKER_01: He's a good old fella.
- 31:01SPEAKER_01: I like to give him crap.
- 31:02SPEAKER_01: So yeah, good dude.
- 31:04SPEAKER_01: Well, no, everybody's amazing at Atlas.
- 31:06SPEAKER_01: Keep up the great work, guys.
- 31:07SPEAKER_01: Again, take full advantage of your investment in Grow Clinton.
- 31:10SPEAKER_01: Never hesitate to reach out to Jenny or myself.
- 31:12SPEAKER_01: Anything we can do to help.
- 31:13SPEAKER_01: And then uh Me Office, Sue Office.
- 31:15SPEAKER_01: So if you ever want to do any interviewing or anything in here, you're more than welcome to.
- 31:19SPEAKER_01: We have a large conference room.
- 31:20SPEAKER_01: Ryan's very familiar.
- 31:22SPEAKER_01: Um, take full advantage of what comes with your membership.
- 31:25SPEAKER_02: And thank you so much for being so responsive to us, too.
- 31:28SPEAKER_02: I mean, I I really it says a lot when you can reach out to people who are so busy, such a big corporation, and they get right back to you.
- 31:36SPEAKER_02: You know, personally, they get right back to you.
- 31:38SPEAKER_04: Yeah, I like I said I appreciate you everything you guys do for us.
- 31:41SPEAKER_04: We'll probably have to have you out for a little visit, see the difference from the hundred people.
- 31:45SPEAKER_04: You don't gotta tell me twice, though.
- 31:47SPEAKER_04: Yep.
- 31:47SPEAKER_04: So yeah, like you said, enjoy the relationship, appreciative of the relationship.
- 31:53SPEAKER_04: So, and looking forward to you know being a great partner for Clinton, yeah, and grow Clinton.
- 31:58SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
- 32:00SPEAKER_01: Well, William, it was a pleasure to meet you.
- 32:01SPEAKER_01: You as well, brother.
- 32:02SPEAKER_01: Brian, good to see you as always.
- 32:04SPEAKER_01: Me too, appreciate it.
- 32:04SPEAKER_01: I think it's great to see a local guy taking over the helm of a company like that, you know?
- 32:08SPEAKER_01: Me too.
- 32:09SPEAKER_01: Says something.
- 32:10SPEAKER_01: Us locals got to stick together.
- 32:11SPEAKER_01: That's right.
- 32:12SPEAKER_01: Even though I'm a transplant, I'm Clintonian now.
- 32:15SPEAKER_01: That's right through and through.
- 32:16SPEAKER_01: Get in your blood.
- 32:17SPEAKER_01: That's right.
- 32:17SPEAKER_01: Jenny, what's today?
- 32:18SPEAKER_01: Wednesday?
- 32:18SPEAKER_01: Busy rest of your week?
- 32:20SPEAKER_02: Yeah, always.
- 32:21SPEAKER_02: Always trying to get what we're doing right now is trying to schedule all our local candidates to be on our podcast.
- 32:26SPEAKER_02: So that's what I've been working on, getting a hold of people.
- 32:29SPEAKER_02: Sometimes it seems like in my head it should be an easy process to get it all scheduled.
- 32:34SPEAKER_02: And then sometimes it's not.
- 32:36SPEAKER_01: So yeah, well, you do the hard part.
- 32:38SPEAKER_01: No, yeah, scheduling.
- 32:40SPEAKER_01: That's where I don't have the patience.
- 32:41SPEAKER_01: So I can't make it the day.
- 32:42SPEAKER_01: I'm like, uh, all right, moving on.
- 32:45SPEAKER_01: You know, Jenny's like, what other day can we find?
- 32:47SPEAKER_03: Oh, that's great.
- 32:48SPEAKER_01: Again, the Grow Clinton podcast app is coming your way shortly.
- 32:52SPEAKER_01: Jenny, I screwed up.
- 32:53SPEAKER_01: I did not realize that the Apple store or the App Store and the Google Play Store require like one to two weeks to review our submission for our application before they make it available.
- 33:05SPEAKER_01: Um, so I got it.
- 33:07SPEAKER_01: Yeah, well, there's there's ways around it.
- 33:09SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
- 33:09SPEAKER_01: But uh you could be able to go to again the Apple store or the App Store, they call it iTunes, I don't know, and then the Google Play Store, and then you'll be able to download the Grow Clinton Podcast app.
- 33:19SPEAKER_01: So you never have to scour the internet looking for new episodes.
- 33:22SPEAKER_01: It'll be right there on your phone.
- 33:23SPEAKER_01: Free app to install.
- 33:25SPEAKER_01: It's gonna be super cool.
- 33:26SPEAKER_01: So I'm excited about that.
- 33:27SPEAKER_02: And we're also gonna be starting to look for some new sponsors.
- 33:30SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
- 33:31SPEAKER_01: Uh no, reaching out to our sponsors.
- 33:32SPEAKER_01: First come, first serve.
- 33:33SPEAKER_01: So our existing sponsors get the first crack at it.
- 33:36SPEAKER_02: Right a first acceptance.
- 33:37SPEAKER_01: That's right.
- 33:38SPEAKER_01: And then we will try to generate some more sponsors for the podcast because we have become so popular, Jenny, and have recorded so many episodes that we had the tier way up in some of our some of our, well, like StreamYard that streams this platform out to all the different socials.
- 33:55SPEAKER_01: We created too many podcasts and had too many listens for us to contain or remain in the individual category.
- 34:01SPEAKER_01: So now we're in like business plus, which went from like 30 bucks a month to 350 bucks a month.
- 34:07SPEAKER_01: And of course, we don't want to stop doing this.
- 34:08SPEAKER_01: So we we have to try to figure out a way to allow a nonprofit to continue to afford cool stuff.
- 34:13SPEAKER_03: There you go.
- 34:14SPEAKER_01: All right, everybody.
- 34:15SPEAKER_01: Well, thank you again for listening to the Grow Clinton Podcast.
- 34:17SPEAKER_01: As always, we appreciate your continued support.
- 34:19SPEAKER_01: Download any app where you get the podcast.
- 34:21SPEAKER_01: Be sure to subscribe and then be on the lookout for the Grow Clinton Podcast app.
- 34:25SPEAKER_01: My name, as always, Annie Sikolovich.
- 34:26SPEAKER_01: Until we talk again, folks, stay classy.
- 34:28SPEAKER_01: See ya.
- 34:29SPEAKER_00: Thank you for listening to the Grow Clinton Podcast.
- 34:32SPEAKER_00: Be sure to subscribe and follow us on all your socials.
- 34:35SPEAKER_00: Until next time, see ya.