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The little company that could
Company turns skills of disabled workers into Quality Products.
By Steve Moyer
Nevada Daily Mail
It's the little company that could. Quality Products, Inc., 3100 Industrial Parkway, began production in 1989 with 21 production employees and a management staff of five. Over the years the company has grown to 80 production employees and a management staff of 10.
The company has a long-standing arrangement with several local companies like 3M and Crane Plumbing to do assembly and packaging work. According to Clem McFarland, manager, the company even maintains a working relationship with Honeywell, even though that company closed its Nevada plant several years ago.
Quality Products is unusual in that it specializes in hiring disabled workers and helps them acquire needed job skills to prepare them for possible future employment in a more competitive job environment. Most importantly the workforce is able to produce what the company's name implies: quality products.
"The biggest part of our overall business is packaging for other businesses but we do have the wood shop that produces a diverse line of products," McFarland said. "We make benches, swing sets, play structures and all sorts of indoor and office furniture, even roll-top desks."
While the company's biggest client remains 3M, Quality Products lost some of the business they used to do when 3M moved the production of post-it flags from the Nevada plant.
"That hurt us for sure, but it hurt the 3M plant here too," McFarland said. "We still do other work for them but the loss, along with other things has made for a bad three years. One of the products we package here is a bulletin board made with the same adhesive as a Post-It note."
McFarland praised 3M and the other companies that have partnered with Quality Products for their support and for the opportunity it gives the employees to learn useful skills.
"We're doing shipping containers for Precision Aero and point of purchase displays for the Missouri Northern Pecan Growers, we do document shredding for companies, U.S. Bank is our biggest customer of that service," McFarland said. "We also do the displays for a Kansas City company, Old World Spices, and produce hand-woven baskets shaped like the state of Missouri for them to use in making up gift baskets."
The production team can also make the baskets in other shapes.
"We can do all different kinds, pigs, hot air balloons, whatever. If someone wants a specialty basket we can probably figure out how to make it," McFarland said.
The material that is shredded is sent to a workshop in Butler that recycles the paper.
"We looked into getting a baler and recycle the material ourselves but that would involve a big investment and it was just easier to work with the Butler facility to do the recycling," McFarland said.
In addition to the help received from loyal customers in making new contacts McFarland praised Nevada City Manager Craig Hubler and Economic Development Director Sam Foursha for their continuing efforts to keep the Quality Products name in front of possible customers.
"The city has been very helpful," McFarland said. "Sam and Craig have really helped keep us in contact with new customers."
According to McFarland a lot of customers come into the showroom and purchase products right off of the floor.
"We call this our factory outlet store, this is where we sell our wood products" McFarland said. "We don't have any retail outlet for our products but we would sure be interested if a store wanted to carry our products."
In addition to the pre-made products ready to be purchased Quality Products can custom make specialty items.
"A lot of the time a customer will come in with a page out of a catalog or with a picture," McFarland said. "They may want it bigger or out of a different type of wood. Whatever they ask for we try to provide."
To contact Quality Products call (417) 667-8944 or e-mail tcm@sofnet.com