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8/85,
<br />MAGAZINE
<br />
<br />I After 40 years, firm
<br />I seeks broader identity
<br />
<br />is far from out of the picture in I}.' ever-
<br />changing COmlmtcr-aidv¢l-fh,si~n and
<br />manufacturing (CAI)/CAMI imlu.trv.
<br /> Reecnt key staff additi.ns and the ac-
<br />quisition of thc most sophisticated
<br />CAD/laser dic-cuttin~ and plotting-
<br />
<br /> s:,mpling system in the United States
<br />I~I)ITOII'.~'.\ftY'I'~: TI.' !)!~i';!) ~clc. oil;er industries. XLmela usvd state-.f- have h, unt'hcd Xbmcla into a str~,n~ re-
<br />n;iirlif,ting sta// tttl);.~ with n~iiny int~,r- the-art tcehn(fl%~' and ultimately devel- buihling program.
<br />estingproldr during, the day. Every once opcd a next' thcrmal kiss-cutting proccss Although no longer in an exclusive ca-
<br />in a whih,, a teb,marketer ~ u'bo knows in cooperation with thc Thompson Na- pacily, ;bmela still provides serxices to
<br />a good story u'hen I1~, bears our ~ shares tional Press Co. Thermal kiss-cutting some of its former client's divisions. And
<br />with a eolh, agm' what he has b,ttrm, d. creates an impression on vinyl material that's what is keeping them above water
<br />Thc foil, wing article is a res,lt o/one of using a sophisticated heat treatment, as young LaManna. his family and trea-
<br />those intere.stin~ teb,lflmne com'ersa- Due to its long-term exclusive rela- sured employees work to build an iden-
<br />ti~ms, ti¢mship with its client, however. Xkmlcla tity for the company in the marketplace.
<br /> gained no-identity in the marketplace. "For the first time in our histo~- we
<br />Vomeh~ Specialty Co. has been in All products wer~ shipped under mail- are faced with direct selling. Prcvioush'.
<br />business 40 years and no~' Rock La- ing labels bearing the client's name and our key client would just call in an order
<br />Manna x~ants people to kuow about logo, and all billings and correspon- and we would deliver a quality product
<br />them. Named vice president and gert- deuce were between the customer and quickly," LaManna said. "My father
<br />eral manager last vcar. LaManna fat'cs the client, was always proud of that. But now, we
<br />some challcn~es in meeting that goal. Its technology and kev client, plus are working with an adve~ising/mar-
<br />LaManna's father Carlo, prcsident quality, service and creativity, kept hb- keting agenO- for the first time to ~si-
<br />and CEO of the company, purchased mela growing for many years ~ reach- tion ourselves as the company that not
<br />~bmela four years ago after managing lng a peak 340 emplov~e~ in 1978. only delivers lair steel-rule dies and die
<br />the companv for 35 vears. For the htst 25 But then the struggling economy, cutting, thermal kiss-cutting, foil
<br />years the company has been a "captive" coupled with a slowdown in its relation- stamping, blind embossing, laminating,
<br />plant ~ providing services to one major ship wilh its kev client, which consoli- custom vinyl ~aphics and CAD/CAM
<br />corporate custonn.r, dated its n~nufacturing, hastened a de- services . . . but also quality, service
<br />That service was thc precise cutting of. clin~ culminating in economies and and creativity.
<br />pressure-sensitive vinx'l film with appli- employee reductions. "And we're beginning to grow again,"
<br />cation in the automotik'c, packaging and Todhv, Ybmela has 45 employees, but he added confidently.
<br />1 500 jobs seen for" 2 htgh-' tech fields
<br />Future biomedical and computer While many biomedical and com- 102 or one-third o[ all executives eon-
<br />bnsiness expansions have the potential purer companies are already ~dergoing tatted are involved in some phase of ex-
<br />
<br />I
<br />I
<br />
<br /> I
<br />'1
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<br />to create almost 1.500 new jobs in Min-
<br />nesota over thc next year and a half. ac-
<br />cording to projections shared by corn-
<br />pan,;' officers with Department of
<br />Energy and Economic Development
<br />~ DEED ~ telemarketi'r~g staff.
<br /> The telemarketing program, begun
<br />earlier this year. is designed to put grow-
<br />lng businesses with"specific needs in
<br />touch with DEED resources. The pro-
<br />gram also compiles data on business is-
<br />sues of conceYn,
<br /> During the tc]cmarkctlng exchanges,
<br />DEED staff members offer to be per-
<br />sona] contacts within state government
<br />should future business necds arise.
<br />Companies with immediate business
<br />needs are referred to appropriate
<br />DEED per~nnel for financial or tech-
<br />nical assistance, or general information.
<br /> The initial phase (ff thc effort targeted
<br />biomedical executives, and from May to
<br />June DEED's Markcting Office con-
<br />tacted l ] 7 decision makers in the com-
<br />puter industry.
<br />
<br />expansions xx'ith private funding, tele-
<br />marketers reached others who would
<br />like to expand, but need state economic
<br />development assistance to achieve their
<br />goals.
<br /> Seven referrals for expansion financ-
<br />ing in the computer industry were made
<br />to DEED programs with the potential
<br />for creating about 100 new jobs. An
<br />eighth referral invoh'es a large telecom-
<br />munications company which employs
<br />2.000 individuals in Minnesota. State
<br />economic development representatives
<br />are now working with the firm to assist
<br />with its planned expansion and a possi-
<br />ble 400 new jobs in ..Minnesota.
<br /> Twenty-five computer industry con-
<br />tacts (one of every five interviewed I indi-
<br />cated that their companies are either
<br />currently expanding or will expand
<br />within the next 18 months. Project em-
<br />ployment from these expansions is 443
<br />new jobs in Minnesota,
<br /> When combined with the results from
<br />interviews with biomedical executives,
<br />
<br />pansion.
<br /> Biomedical and computer executives
<br />shared the same business issue con-
<br />cerns. Taxes, either individual or gen-
<br />eral, were mentioned as the primary
<br />concern of each group,
<br /> For executives in both industries,
<br />workers' compensation ranked second
<br />and unemployment insurance third as
<br />business issues most needed to be ad-
<br />dressed by the legislature.
<br /> The economic development tele-
<br />marketing program's third phase has
<br />now been completed, calling executives
<br />in the electronics, milhvorking and met-
<br />alworking industries. That data has yet
<br />to be tabulated and analyzed.
<br /> If the same trends continue, however,
<br />the majority of companies contacted will
<br />have fewer than 50 employees, and 6 to 7
<br />percent of those interviewed will be re-
<br />ferred to specific DEED business assist-
<br />ance programs.
<br />
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