GPS 'explosion' brings 229% sales increase

OLS Inc.

dba Ozark Laser Systems

Address: 2519 E. Kearney, Springfield, MO 65803

Top executive: Ryan Zweerink, president

2003 revenues: $1.7 million

2004 revenues: $3.8 million

2005 revenues: $5.6 million

3-year growth: 229 percent

Employees: 13 local, 25 total

Ryan Zweerink credits global positioning systems for his company’s inclusion in this year’s Dynamic Dozen.

“If it hadn’t been for the explosion of GPS,” he said, “we probably wouldn’t be eligible for the award.”

Zweerink’s six-year-old Ozark Laser Systems has experienced 229 percent sales growth since 2003, increasing from $1.7 million to $5.6 million, mostly due to the addition of GPS to the company’s arsenal of construction-surveying products.

OLS is the exclusive regional dealer for equipment manufacturer Topcon Positioning Systems. When Topcon jumped headfirst into the GPS market in 2003, OLS was there to reap the benefits.

“GPS really gives every contractor the ability to know right where they’re at all the time,” Zweerink said. “The guessing game is over with.”

Dale Gillespie of Strafford’s Gillespie Excavating Co. has been buying Topcon equipment from Zweerink since OLS’ beginning. He offered glowing praise for Zweerink and company.

“OLS is my first call (when I need surveying equipment),” Gillespie said. “If every business structured themselves and offered the type of customer service that OLS does, well, it would be a grand world.”

Zweerink started OLS in April 2000 after selling Topcon equipment for three years with Shoring & Supply Co.

United Rentals bought Shoring & Supply in 1999, and Topcon decided not to sell its equipment through the new owner. Instead, Topcon approached Zweerink about starting a new dealership for southwest Missouri, northwest Arkansas and southeast Kansas. Topcon loaned Zweerink and then-partner Bill Smith about $70,000 and OLS was born, selling $450,000 in its first year.

“I feel very fortunate about the opportunity to start our own dealership,” Zweerink said. “We had done a good job for (Topcon) in this marketplace and it means a lot to us just that they came back to us with an opportunity to continue the effort in this market.”

OLS continued steady growth over the next few years, hiring its first employees in 2001. It now boasts 25 employees at facilities in Springfield; Springdale, Ark.; Tulsa, Okla.; Oklahoma City; and Meeker, Okla.

Smith retired in 2002 – the same year OLS eclipsed the $1 million mark in sales – and a silent partner took control of his half of OLS.

Then came 2003, a pivotal year that not only brought GPS into the fold but also saw the acquisition of Topcon rights to the entire state of Oklahoma after OLS bought Davis, Okla.-based Topcon dealer B&F Instruments.

Armed with an expanded territory and GPS, which now comprises 65 percent of the company’s sales, OLS took full advantage of the booming economy and hopping construction industry.

“The GPS revolution was just taking hold,” Zweerink said. “2003 was a very positive year.”

In 2004, OLS bought the assets of former Springfield-based firm XYZ Precision Instruments.

Zweerink expects 50 percent sales growth in 2006.

Meanwhile, OLS’ success has made possible another company: U.S. Photonics.

U.S. Photonics, a precision laser-cutting company Zweerink is starting with partner Jacob Conner, could earn $200 million from single jobs in the biomedical and defense fields.

“The future looks bright,” Zweerink said.