One of the things I’m interested in when I read about top industry people or companies, is how they respond once they’ve achieved a certain level of success. There’s an old adage about how your character is not defined by how you treat people when you’re at the bottom, but rather, how you treat people when you’re at the top. It seems to me, the best people and companies are equally, if not more, respectful and generous once they’ve reached lofty levels of success.
A recent example of this concept crossed my desk recently, and I had to share. Greg Sharp is the president of Corner Solutions Inc., a company specializing in custom metal corners and column wraps. The company is based out of Auburn, Washington, but five years ago on a road trip with a brief stop in his family’s ancestral roots in southern Iowa, Sharp was struck by the special connection he felt to this small town.
After years of planning and purchasing real estate in Tingley, Iowa, boasting a population of 172, Sharp is roughly 120 days away from the grand opening of his new manufacturing facility in the town.
Sharp bought his old family farm and has a residence there, but also the lot where the new plant will be located, as well as adjoining property to clear out some very old dilapidated houses and turn the several block area into something that would attract tourists to the area. He also purchased additional property in the town to restore an orchard and an old schoolhouse, all in an effort to help revive this dying town.
The only other business of note in the town is a small café, and Sharp said he will tell his employees that on any day they are working in his facility, they can eat lunch at the café on his dime so that the town will see the increased cash flow.
This is an amazing story, one that Metal Construction News will follow as it develops, bringing our readers the in-depth reporting that stories like this demand.
Speaking of grand openings, our Special Report on page 22 features the new insulated metal panel manufacturing facility that NCI Group opened in Jackson, Miss., creating new jobs and providing much-needed stimulation to the local economy.
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