TAA for Firms

THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN TRADE ADJUSTMENT ASSISTANCE CENTER
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Manufacturing Efficiency, Marketing Effectiveness & Revenue

Poly GloThe Trade Adjustment Assistance program was beneficial from the very beginning. When you’re an old company like we are, starting in 1961, the tendency is to get tunnel vision. Our TAAC project manager was able to provide an informed unbiased perspective on our business, where we needed to set our goals and how to get there. – Adeline Smith, President, Old Western Paint Company 

Background

Adeline Smith started working for her father’s paint company as a teenager.  Since its inception in 1961 to today, Old Western Paint Company has provided quality products to meet the needs of the paint and flooring industry. Now, as president of Old Western Paint Company, Adeline oversees the manufacture and distribution of a full line of high performance, commercial and residential floor finishes, surface cleaners, and high-quality paints, as well as the operations of an in-house retail store.

Situation

Consolidation has been a significant game-changer in the industry. As the larger multi-national conglomerates gain scale in their operations through acquisitions, the competitive challenges continue to mount for the smaller manufacturers. Already armed with a strong customer base, and quality niche products, Old Western Paint Company utilized the Trade Adjustment Assistance for Firms program to strengthen its marketing efforts, as well as to streamline a part of their manufacturing process.

Solution

Old Western Paint Company has several marquee products they wished to better highlight. The first product to attack was Poly Glow, a concentrated surface cleaner for daily maintenance of hardwood floors. All marketing materials for the product were completely revamped, including the creation of a new product logo, label and brochure.  Old Western Paint then took on another product, Rocky Mountain Pure Paint, a new paint line with significantly lower VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) and odor levels than the industry norm. New labels and brochures highlighting these attributes were developed to gain a market advantage in an increasingly green market environment. In fact, sales of this product have already increased by 10% in the eight months since instating the new marketing materials.

All Old Western Paint Company products are manufactured and bottled on the premises. Trade Assistance Funds were used to design and build a new container filling system that can be used for all of Old Western products. The addition of changeable parts for different product handling, angled equipment for ease of pour, and sizing that is compatible with forklifts to remove the finished product, has resulted in significant reduction of labor hours needed. For the majority of product batches, two hours of labor have been eliminated. With 500 to 3,000 gallons of product a day, those labor savings have increased efficiency and capacity to meet increased business demands.

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2595 Canyon, Suite 120
Boulder, CO 80302
Phone: 303.499.8222
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Joni L. Waddell

Director

wadell
waddell@rmtaac.org
303.499.8222, ext. 2

Joni Waddell has over twenty years of sales and marketing expertise, both domestic and international. She has been with RMTAAC since 1994 and has worked with clients in a wide array of industries. She specializes in sales and marketing consulting, market research, and business and marketing plan development. Before joining RMTAAC, Joni worked in the medical equipment and pharmaceutical industries, and also has experience as an investment portfolio manager for a New York based brokerage house after becoming a licensed broker. Joni received a Master of Business Administration with an emphasis in marketing from the University of Wisconsin at Madison, as well as bachelor’s degrees in both Finance and Accounting.

 

Kathy McGinnis

Office Manager

Kathy McGinnis
mcginnis@rmtaac.org
303.499.8222, ext. 1

Kathy McGinnis has been with RMTAAC since 1998, after coming to RMTAAC from the Boulder Valley School District. She has spent her entire career in accounting, after receiving a degree in mathematics from Susquehanna University in Pennsylvania.

 

Christopher Stone

Project Manager

Christopher Stone
stone@rmtaac.org
303.499.8222, ext. 5

Chris Stone has been with RMTAAC since 2000. His experience includes electronics industry consulting and forecasting, corporate business-to-business sales, and environmental and medical equipment safety consulting. Early in his career, Chris spent two years as a production and research technician at a Golden, Colorado high-tech manufacturing company. Chris holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Colorado and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Pennsylvania.

 

Tania Bahr-Torline

Project Manager

Tania Bahr-Torline
bahr-torline@rmtaac.org
303.499.8222, ext. 3

Tania Bahr-Torline has been helping manufacturers strengthen and grow their businesses with assistance from the TAA for Firms Program since 2003.  She has over 20 years of experience in marketing and business strategy, in addition to her experience as a mechanical engineer.   Prior to joining RMTAAC, Tania worked for major companies in the aerospace and telecommunications industries.  Her experience includes product design and manufacturing, corporate and field marketing, and management.  Tania earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Colorado Boulder.  She also earned her Master of Business Administration from the University of Colorado Boulder Leeds School of Business with an emphasis in Marketing.

 

Amy Graziano

Project Manager

Amy Graziano
graziano@rmtaac.org
303.499.8222, ext. 4

Amy Graziano started with RMTAAC in 2005 and has over twenty years of experience in marketing and database marketing management. Prior to joining RMTAAC, Amy spent time as a product manager and database marketing manager in the telecom industry and in the financial services industry. In these positions, she developed new business plans and diversified product plans as well as assisted in the launch of significant business development strategies and marketing initiatives.  Amy holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin at Madison with a double major in Marketing and Management.