Small Businesses of the Year: Then and Now

Previous winners have changed in many ways since receiving the award, and many credit the honor itself with at least part of their success.

The first

Terminal Consolidation Co. was the first winner, in 1992, but don’t try finding Terminal Consolidation in the phone book today. The Strafford company rebranded itself TCSI/Transland in 1997, but ownership remains in place.

Founder Glen Walker is CEO, while son Mike Walker, vice president at the time of the award, is now company president.

“Back then in 1992, we had around 55 employees, 40 tractors and did around $10 million a year in revenue,” Mike Walker said, noting that the company also moved recently to a new facility on 33 acres near Strafford. “Now, we have 280 associates, 200 tractors and $50 million in annual revenue.”

That growth, he added, comes despite tough economic times – especially for the trucking industry, which faces rapidly rising fuel costs.

“This company and many other companies in this industry are in trying economic times,” Walker said, “but what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.”

A hot story

The story is similar for 1994 award winner, Heatway Systems. That company also has a new name – Watts Radiant – but local leadership remains the same with brothers Mike and Dan Chiles.

In 14 years, the company has grown from a locally owned, 55-employee operation manufacturing electric radiant heating systems out of a large garage to a 180-employee operation owned by a large East Coast corporation, with 150,000 square feet in Partnership Industrial Center and plans to expand.

That comes despite a 10-year struggle over a class-action lawsuit based on a defective product supplied to the company by Goodyear, which resulted in Goodyear setting up a $322 million account to make good, as well as the local company being purchased by Massachusetts-based Watts Water Technologies Inc.

These days, the company’s focus is returning to its roots. Solar collectors, which were the company’s first idea when it opened in 1981, are becoming popular again.

“We have come full circle to that same industry,” Dan Chiles said. “There is no doubt now that we are facing critical energy shortages in the future, and the alternative will be new kinds of energy – hydroelectric, solar, wind and biofuels. Of all those options, the one we focused on in 1981 was solar, and it’s making a strong comeback.”

Sweet success

More recent winners have also seen significant changes since receiving their kudos.

Candy House Gourmet Chocolates, the 2005 honoree, relocated its Carthage retail location to east Springfield, adding to its existing Springfield and Joplin locations.

The company also has added an emphasis on corporate gifts and private label products, such as confections for all 41 Bass Pro Shops stores under the Uncle Buck’s Bait and Ammo label and chocolate for the gift shop at the Titanic museum in Branson.

“We’ve decided to go in a direction of being more of a corporate gift supplier and not just a retail store,” said company co-owner Terry Hicklin. “We’re providing gifts for area corporations for the holidays; we want to be more of a Harry and David’s-type supplier.”

Hicklin’s company is no stranger to professional recognition; in March the company received the Blue Ribbon Small Business Award from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, making it the first Missouri company to receive the honor.

Candy House sells its chocolate through Sam’s Club’s Web site, and Hicklin said he sees continued growth potential in the company’s corporate and gift endeavors, as well as its burgeoning online sales division through www.candyhouse.net, which was redesigned in 2006.

Clowning around

The 2006 award winner, Amberg Entertainment, has gone through its own growth spurt.

In 2007, the Springfield-based party supplier opened a new division, Out of This World Games to develop, design and build inflatable games and other party attractions for companies around the world. Amberg also has opened offices in St. Louis and Dallas since receiving the award two years ago.

The company now employs close to 100 full- and part-time workers between its main company, its game-design division and the Party Place, an indoor birthday party facility at 2025 E. Chestnut Expressway. Owner and founder Ted Amberg said his main goal now is spreading the word about the Party Place concept.

“Party Place was just a baby at the time of our award,” Amberg said. “It’s grown tremendously, and we’re looking at opportunities to license it out to others around the country who can take that business model and run with it.”

The company’s reach now extends 1,000 miles, from Pennsylvania to Colorado and Utah, and Amberg’s goal now is to manage the growth while cementing its Springfield base of operations.

“Because we have so many divisions, it’s easy to get sidetracked,” Amberg said. “My goal is to strengthen what we have and grow our footprint in this area. We’ve always loved Springfield, and we think it’s a great base. Springfield is perfect for our needs.”

Reaping the rewards

All four former honorees say they’ve seen great benefits from the Strube award.

Hicklin said he likens the award as similar to the “Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval for businesses.”

“I think people want to deal with other good businesspeople, and this says these are people trying to do the right things for their employees and their customers,” Hicklin said.

For a relatively new or unknown business, as Amberg Entertainment was when it won the 2006 award, it can have a profound impact.

“People who hadn’t heard of us before got a chance to work with us, and those who have worked with us for many years were reassured,” he said. “It cemented in their minds that they were working with a company that’s going to be around for a while.”

He said it also inspired his employees – a sentiment echoed by TCSI President Walker, who said his company still uses the title in its promotional materials.

“There’s no question it was a catalyst to propel us into the future and motivate us to do better and do more,” Walker said. “This is a great gig – it’s an institution that people look forward to, it’s a great springboard for all the local businesses, and I hope this (award) goes on for 100 years.”

W. Curtis Strube Small Business of the Year Winners

2007 – Family Pharmacy’s Plainview Road location

2006 – Amberg Entertainment

2005 – Candy House Gourmet Chocolates

2004 – Millwood Golf & Racquet Club

2003 – PFI Western Store

2002 – Environmental Works

2001 – Carnahan-White

2000 – Aire-Master of America

1999 – ServiceWorld Computer Center

1998 – Butler, Rosenbury & Partners

1997 – Springfield Business Journal

1996 – Opfer Communications

1995 – Mears Floral Products

1994 – Watts Heatway (Watts Radiant)

1993 – Big Cabin Wholesale Gifts

1992 – Terminal Consolidation (TCSI/ Transland)