Barrington’s Swiss Automation founder hires ‘tinkerers’ like himself
It’s a tough time to find skilled workers in the manufacturing industry. But Ken Malo, founder of 46-year-old Swiss Automation Inc. in Barrington, has his own methods that have proved to work.
Malo, 71, says you just have to know what to look for. And where to look is key. Take the time about a month ago when the CEO was driving to work and passed three “kids” working on their car in the driveway. He pulled over, figuring they may be the right fit for Swiss Automation.
“I quizzed them and found they were taking out the entire interior of one car and putting it into another.” He hired the 21-year-olds on the spot.
“We hire gear heads; problem solvers, people who aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty,” Malo said.
His technique is working as his company that produces precision parts, continues to expand, most recently opening an additional plant in nearby Cary adding 34,000 square feet of floor space. “We snagged a good deal, moving into a 20-year-old building,” Malo said. The company, with its headquarters on Northwest Highway in Barrington, mainly makes internal parts for hydraulic cartridge valves that are used in a variety of construction equipment from excavators to backhoes.
Since the expansion, productivity has spiked 25 percent and 24 employees have been added, the owner said. “We are hiring daily,” Malo said of his workforce of 173.
He added that the company hires people like him.
“I was a tinkerer all my life. I was not into sports. I was always working on cars, go-carts and motorcycles. If you can put gasoline into it, I was interested in it,” he said.
Growing right along
At a time when many companies are stagnant or struggling, just the opposite is true at Oak Brook-based Access Media 3. The telecom service provider ranked in the 2011 Inc. magazine list of America’s fastest growing private companies in Inc. 500.
The company ranked No. 305 on the list and was ranked ninth among telecom companies nationally and the only Illinois company to make the top 500. The firm provides Internet, TV and voice services including design, installation, maintenance and management of these services for multidwelling unit buildings including apartments, condominiums, dormitories and retirement facilities.
Shopping news
Several new retailers are opening at Deer Park Town Center in Deer Park.
A new Ann Taylor concept store, the first in the area, recently opened. Other concept stores featuring “chic” women’s clothing have also launched in New York, Miami, Atlanta and Dallas. Starbucks also moved into the outdoor shopping center on Rand Road.
Growing restaurant chain, Red Robbin is under construction at the Deer Park mall as well.New owners
A high-profile Naperville office building has new owners. Bixby Bridge Capital, with offices in Northbrook and Oak Brook-based Franklin Partners partnered to buy the 205,00-square-foot building at 55 Shuman. Known as MetroWest, the 10-story building constructed in 1986 houses tenants including Dun Bradstreet and Wells Fargo.
Terms of the all cash transaction were not disclosed.
Going green
The Rabine Group in Schaumburg is planning to install the first tubular solar panel system in the Midwest.
The company, a provider for paving, roofing, petroleum distribution and other construction needs, is starting the first phase of the three-phase roofing reconstruction process this month. Rabine is converting the roof at its Schaumburg campus to a LEED certified sustainable roof and a roofing showroom for the Rabine Campus learning facility.
Rabine has decided to install a turnkey solar system with a white, reflective roofing membrane. #147;The Solyndra 70kW solar system was our final choice because of their new, unique design, lightweight components and wind uplift capabilities. The system is actually one of the newest products available in the USA for photovoltaic installations,#148; said a project leader, Greg Gambla of Roofing Solutions America.
The reconstruction is the roofing component of the Rabine Group Campus showroom that aims to provide a facility for learning focused on pavement and roofing engineering and will be featuring samples of both traditional and innovative pavements and roof systems.
The first part of this was completed in 2010 with the installation of Rabine Group#146;s parking lot featuring 14 types of pavements, from asphalt overlays to porous asphalt.
Please press four
It#146;s not a surprise that customers hate automated phone menus. But having a person pick up the phone could mean more sales, according to a recent survey
Of the Internet#146;s top 100 retailers, 21 of them connect callers directly to live representatives, enabling them to avoid the endless maze of music, machines and menu prompts used by most retailers. Locally, Lake Forest-based Grainger was one of the top Internet retailers that does not use automated phone menus.
Others include Amazon.com, LL Bean, Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus.
#147;Retailers are realizing that something as basic as answering the phone can pay big dividends and go a long way toward increasing customer loyalty,#148; said Jordy Leiser, organizer of the study.
Ÿ Kim Mikus, Daily Herald Business Ledger Editor welcomes comments and tips at kmikus@dailyherald.com.