100-year-old Welhener Awning Co. changes hands

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Welhener Awning Co. is celebrating its 100th anniversary in business with a new face at the helm. |ret||ret||tab|

Jay Zimmerman, former director of business development for Ramey-Price Cutter, purchased the north-side awning manufacturer June 24. The purchase relieves Rick Jackson of his double duty as Welhener's owner/general manager and a practicing Certified Public Accountant.|ret||ret||tab|

The sale also includes the Saville Ornamental Iron Co., which Jackson acquired in 1995, a year after he and seven other investors purchased Welhener. The Welhener and Saville companies are now a tandem business.|ret||ret||tab|

The two operations allow the plant to custom manufacture anything from awnings, patio covers and walkway canopies to iron furniture, staircases and railings. A wide selection of product is something that enticed Zimmerman when he was looking for a business to purchase. |ret||ret||tab|

"We are a pure custom manufacturing company," Zimmerman said. "We are only limited to the imagination of the client. It's satisfying to be able to build somebody's dream." |ret||ret||tab|

Another factor was the company's storied history. "That held some special fascination when I went out looking for a company to buy," he said. "Certainly a company's reputation and its track record are very important." |ret||ret||tab|

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Local roots run deep|ret||ret||tab|

The history of Welhener Awning began in 1902 when the Welheners founded the business on Commercial Street. The family owned the business until 1950. Since then it has cycled through five different principal owners; three since 1975: Zimmerman, Jackson and Gus Litteken, owner from 1975 through 1994. It has remained on Commercial Street since its inception and now is at 505 W. Commercial. |ret||ret||tab|

Jackson bought out the investor group and became sole owner in 1998. In January 2001, he took over as the plant's general manager. That move is what led to the sale of the company, Jackson said. |ret||ret||tab|

"I couldn't devote full time to it," he said, largely due to his duties as a partner in his CPA firm of Jackson & Jackson CPAs.|ret||ret||tab|

Zimmerman, a past customer of the company, also is serving as the plant's general manger.|ret||ret||tab|

"One of the things I wanted to make sure in selling it was that I went with someone who was going to be a full-time manager/owner because it really needed that," Jackson said. |ret||ret||tab|

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New plant manager |ret||ret||tab|

With two months of leadership under his belt, Zimmerman is already looking to add another market segment to the lineup "that will fuel growth into the future," he said. However, he would not disclose what the plans are so as not to tip off the competition.|ret||ret||tab|

"It will dovetail nicely into what we do now," he said. "It's something that this company should have been doing long ago. I'm in the process of hiring an expert to get us into the business."|ret||ret||tab|

In the more distant future, Zimmerman would like to open a retail shop to complement the plant operations. "I would love to ... put a retail showroom somewhere on the south side of town." He also wants to sell his products wholesale to independent home improvement centers. Those plans will be dictated by the company's revenue stream, he said.|ret||ret||tab|

Which, according to Jackson, was doing quite well this year. Before he sold, signed contracts in the first quarter were up 70 percent from 2001, he said. For the 2001 fiscal year, the company generated $525,000 in gross sales. Zimmerman is projecting to bring in $650,000 to $700,000 in his first full year.|ret||ret||tab|

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Manufacturing industry woes |ret||ret||tab|

Although the manufacturing industry is suffering through a recession on the national level, Zimmerman said his company is somewhat sheltered because it is locally owned and has a 100-year old track record. But the state of the industry did cross his mind when purchasing the manufacturing company.|ret||ret||tab|

"I felt like at the time (of the purchase) the economy was beginning to turn," Zimmerman said. "I think the worst is behind us." |ret||ret||tab|

Officials in the industry agree. |ret||ret||tab|

Don Wainright, chairman of the National Association of Manufacturers, told local manufacturers at a recent luncheon in Springfield that the industry has bottomed out and he does not anticipate a double dip. Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce and Springfield Area Manufacturers Association co-hosted the manufacturers luncheon.|ret||ret||tab|

However, Wainright also warned that it would be a long road back to the industry's previous levels.|ret||ret||tab|

Zimmerman does not expect Welhener's and Saville's business to fluctuate along with the national trends.|ret||ret||tab|

"The very nature of our business being a custom manufacturer insulates us to a point," he said. |ret||ret||tab|

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