What does home grown mean?

Webster City Area Economic Development and Chamber of

Commerce

Homegrown:• Free dictionary: Native or

characteristic to a region

• Webster City dictionary: business started by one or two people and grown into a competitive, trustworthy, local large business.

• We are NOT average.

Peterson Construction• 1957 – Peterson and Huisinga started

this little company. In 1979 Peterson bought out Huisinga.

• Today – John’s sons Gerald and Joel have joined the team and have grown to be a large company – and have a sister company K and H Corporation as well.

Average awaits sufficient case study to prove that it’s worth it, and is therefore late to

everything.

Mary Ann’s Specialty Foods

• Started over 40 years ago as a meat locker in Klemme, Iowa.

• In 1993 they expanded to Webster City.

• With the capacity to produce over a half million pounds of product a week, Mary Ann's has become a company with a national customer base, serving customers from New York to Los Angeles.

Average has no courage.

McMurray Hatchery• Murry McMurray started his chicken business in

1917, selling chickens in the bank lobby where he worked.

•  Today, 99% of their business is done through their catalog, which serves the small farm flock and the hobbyist. They have a 26,000 square foot hatchery and employ many people.

Average businesses seeks to be pretty good at everything instead of

being the best in the world at a few (or one).

Seneca Foundry• W. A. McCollough and

Sons foundry changed it's name to Seneca Foundry in 1955. Robert McCollough was the manager and grandson of W.A. McCollough. Seneca Foundry was small, cast iron foundry for agricultural OEM's and municipal governments. 

• Today they are a modern gray iron and ductile iron castings operation with 35,000 sq. ft. of manufacturing space under their roof.

Average avoids any and all risk, thereby

avoiding both adventure and failure (two of the best teaching tools the world has given us).

Storm Flying Service• Storm Flying Service has been in the flying

business for over 44 years.

Average marketing seeks attention like a

high schooler with low self-esteem.

Swine Graphics• Swine Graphics

Enterprises, L.P. has been a vital part of the Webster City business community since 1980.  By the time Swine Graphics was incorporated in 1986 the client base of records users had grown from 10 farms to 250 Midwestern farms. 

•  SGE now owns eight sow farms.  In the grow/finishing area, SGE owns 35% and contracts 65% of the finishers which produce 500,000 pigs a year. SGE currently employs 180 employees in Iowa. 

Average service focuses on mitigating

complaints as opposed to delivering

extraordinary.

Tasler, Inc.• Tasler Inc. is

celebrating over 30 years in production. Starting with a small-antiquated building with six employees, the company has grown to well over 200 employees and 600,000 square feet of manufacturing and warehousing.

Average finds comfort in standing for

absolutely nothing in order to evade any

possible attack.

Van Diest Supply• Bob Van Diest started Van

Diest Supply Company in the fall of 1956. The business was operated from a small office in the Van Diest home, and business was often times transacted over coffee around the kitchen table. When Bob was in the field farming, his wife Mary would answer the phone, take orders and wait on customers.

• Van Diest Supply Company now employs over 650 people, has 44 buildings at Webster City, Iowa with approximately 28 acres under roof and 16 outlying distribution centers located across the Midwest.

Average never leads.

Vantec, Inc.• In the early 1980’s, Bev and Willie Van Wyhe

heard that Webster City Rewind, a motor rewind company, was selling their plastics operation.  The Van Wyhe’s recognized the opportunity and purchased the company.  At the time of purchase, there were only two injection molding machines and two employees. 

• Today, Vantec, Inc. is housed in a 145,000 sq. ft. building and employs 150 people with various aptitudes.

Average praises incremental change

because it is afraid of revolution.

Webster City Custom Meats

• Webster City Custom Meats, Inc. (WCCM) was formed January 9, 1973. WCCM operates a meat processing facility located in Webster City, Iowa.

• In 1976, WCCM's operation was expanded from just a three-person meat locker into a 15,000 square foot pork processing facility. 

• Their operations take place in three separate buildings. Their campus of buildings consists of the 57,000 square foot main plant, the 35,000 square foot warehouse and the 9,000 square foot truck garage. Currently, 

• WCCM is expanding their boning and sausage operations, and updating the inedible handling area, as well as the ham defrosting facility, ultimately adding over 5,000 square feet to the main plant facility.

Average people are governed by fear, but

convince themselves its prudence.

White Transfer and Storage

• Art White started in business in 1900.

• White Transfer and Storage Company is an industry leading 3rd Party Logistics (3PL) and distribution provider located in the Midwest . They are a family owned company dedicated to total customer satisfaction through a support system for their customers. Through all aspects, White Transfer can provide and support all functions of your company's supply chain management needs.

• With over 100 years of experience and 3 generations of families, White Transfer has the ability to help customer's continued success in existing and new markets. 

Other Business and Industry/Chamber Members

• Black Hills Energy• Cropland• Doolittle Oil Company, Inc.• First State Bank• Webster City Federal Savings Bank• Tile Pros/TMI• Trashman• Webster City RV

There are over 160 Chamber members, many with similar stories – a desire to start a business that caters to the customer and grows to suit the community, state and country. For more information, please contact the Webster City Area Chamber of Commerce at 515-832-2564 or email deb@visitwebstercityiowa.com

You want to know the secret of winning?

Calculate the expectations of those you are serving, and exceed them.

Every single time.

Average is not inherited or thrust upon us.  It’s a decision, a choice we

make.  

Webster City Home Grown –

Far from average

AJ Leon shared the average quotes and you can find him at

http://aj-leon.com/pursuitofeverything/the-anatomy-of-average/