Hegins Township in Schuylkill County counts barely 3,500 residents and is probably best-known for its controversial pigeon shoot (discontinued a few years ago). One small company that started in the corner of a garage, however, is helping shed a different kind of light on the small town.
Ashland Technologies was recently ranked as the fastest growing manufacturer in the state by Inc. Magazine. The honor, based on revenue growth form 2005-2008, shows a 218.4-percent jump in revenues for Ashland during that time, making them the 55th-fastest growing manufacturer nationally.
Ashland, a fully integrated contract manufacturer that makes amusement rides, food service equipment, firearms and renewable energy components, also was ranked as one of the top-10 machine shops in the U.S. by American Machinist and will be featured by state cable network PCN in its PCN Tours program that airs first on Oct. 11 at 8 p.m.
“The guys feel grateful to be recognized, but internally it doesn’t seem any different than last year,” says company president Bill Wydra Jr., whose father founded the company 13 years ago with a six-spindle drill from a junkyard.
“They don’t understand why everyone’s making such a fuss. We’ve been growing every single year we’ve been in existence.
Wydra says that team worked into the evening on Dec. 31, 2008 to meet its lofty goal of doubling revenue from 2007. The company shook its humble beginnings when it moved into a 46,000 square-foot facility in 2007, vastly increasing its capacity and nearly doubling its workforce to close to 40.
“The difference with us is we run our manufacturing operation like a business, not a glorified hobby,” says Wydra. “Also, we’re not just a machine shop or fabrication or finishing shop. We’re a one-stop shop, from design to engineering all the way through, and that reduces costs for our customers.”
Source: Bill Wydra Jr., Ashland Technologies
Writer: Joe Petrucci