On June 22, 2012, Alamosa business owners Randy and
Micah Jackson of Rustic Log Furniture were recognized in Denver as one of
Colorado’s Companies to Watch. This
competitive process narrowed down the nominations to just 50 companies, which
were highlighted in the ColoradoBiz, June 2012, magazine. As Mike Cote summarizes in his article, these
companies are “successful, they’re growing and,
chances are, you might be hearing about many of them for the first time.”
Colorado has become one of the
"shining star examples" of how to conduct the program, says Penny
Lewandowski, director of entrepreneurship development at the Edward Lowe
Foundation, which also oversees Companies to Watch programs in several other
states.
"Second-stage companies are an
important component in Colorado’s economy and a significant driver of job
growth," said Ken Lund, executive director of the Colorado Office of
Economic Development and International Trade. "These companies account for
nearly 39 percent of the state’s economy in terms of sales and are responsible
for 34 percent of all of the jobs created."
Recognizing and celebrating the impact
of these companies represents a major step toward ensuring the state creates
the proper environment for them to succeed. Second-stage companies are looking
for something more than business planning and marketing assistance. And they
tend to move fast, Lewandowski says.
"They need much more sophisticated
help, services that deliver pertinent information and guidance can play an
incredible role," Lewandowski says. "They tend to learn from their
peers. That’s where they feel there are trusted sources. Activities that are
peer-to-peer are very important them."
Executives in these companies often are
facing leadership issues that come with leaping to the next stage, Lewandowski
says. "They start to look at management in a very different way because
the entrepreneur can no longer be the person that takes care of everything at
this company. Their growth issues and their strategy issues are very different
than at early stage."
Snapshot: Alamosa-based Rustic Log Furniture
manufactures log furniture products using dead standing aspen from the Rocky
Mountain forests and distributes them to retail stores across the country.
Leadership: Randy and Micah Jackson were founders of
the business in 1996. Randy served as
the Chair for the Alamosa Economic Development Corporation and they also
volunteer as speakers for the Leading Edge Business Seminar. Randy also serves on the Adams State
University Foundation Board. They are
graduates from Adams State and are involved in their local church and
community.
Work force: Rustic Log furniture ended 2011 with 35
full-time-equivalent employees, a 71 percent increase over the previous year.
It expects to employ 45 this year.
Pivotal moment: When Rustic Log outgrew its
manufacturing location, the company leased adjoining property that had more
acreage and highway frontage. Walk-in traffic surged as a result.
Technological edge: Rustic Log Furniture is connected with
most of its suppliers for virtual automation of the inventory-ordering
processes. The invoice software is linked to the factory’s batch processing
reports that export piece lists for the various work stations. Machinists used
by Rustic Log have developed new equipment and modified existing equipment to
optimize various processes.
Competitive Edge: Rustic Log Furniture has developed,
streamlined, and automated processes to deal with the irregular nature of log
furniture. Its product line is the most extensive in the industry, according to
the company. Competitive advantages it has realized from collaborating with
suppliers and distribution networks have allowed it to price products 10
percent to 20 percent below the competition.
Growth curve: The company’s revenues soared 34 percent
in 2011 over the previous year, and it is projecting a 20 percent gain this
year.
For more information, please see: http://www.cobizmag.com/articles/50-colorado-companies-to-watch-2012.
