Te thriving company purchased over
five acres in Milton, Florida, and moved into a 30,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in 1998. Tey’ve since added 12,000 square feet, with plans for even more space. Brown’s role at Strand Core evolved similarly as the company expanded. Even as a youngster, he remembers going into the plant with his father on school vacations and holidays. “I didn’t do too much back then—cleaned equipment, moved spools of wire, swept floors, and did my share of goofing off. As I got older, I sanded and painted wood reels, changed worn fasteners on equipment, and did light maintenance. Eventually, I ran stranders, spooling benches, and welded wire.” As Brown’s role(s) and Strand Core
progressed respectively in the first decade, the company’s mission stayed the same: to provide their customers with a consistent, affordable product. “We worked very hard on giving the customer a product that worked, and in many cases, changed design to help customers meet their needs.”
THE WILLINGNESS TO HELP CURRENT AND NEW CUSTOMERS WITH ANY AND ALL REQUIREMENTS KEEPS US IN A POSITION TO HELP CUSTOMERS GROW. AND WHEN THEY GROW, WE GROW.
Building a customer base was a steady point of focus early on for Strand Core, and following the incorporation in 1983, they expanded their product lines into marine, aerospace, automotive, commercial, industrial, and government, and began to experience exciting growth. “We continued to expand with equipment, workforce, and sales, and are still doing so,” Brown asserted. “We are still in these markets and expanding every day.” Plenty of that expansion has occurred since 1997, when Strand Core landed in Florida. Te enterprise was impressed
with the Sunshine State’s business value and overall living benefits. But building the new workforce wasn’t a walk in the park. “It was challenging,” admitted Brown. “We had a few employees from the Maryland facility move with us, and this definitely helped. But it took a few years to get established.”
And once they got established in
Florida, Strand Core continued with the mission and, thus, the growth— establishing themselves among the industry’s best, and ultimately attracting the eye of Central Wire Inc. (CWI) in 2014, a market leader in specialty wire products, and the largest re-drawer of stainless steel and nickel alloy wire in North America. “It was a good fit; Central Wire is a long-time supplier of stainless steel wire products to us,” said Brown. “Tey were looking for opportunities to expand their own business. Strand Core gave us another platform of product line that we could both build on. Tey provide us with the depth, support, and expertise to grow. “Te philosophy of Central Wire is not to upset the balance of how Strand Core operates or conducts business. Tey believe in what we stand for and how we operate—and they give me the full support I need to continue running the business the way we always have.” Brown is now running the business that his father started and ran successfully for over 40 years. Albert Brown Jr. retired after the CWI acquisition in 2014. Part of the depth and support that CWI brings to the table for Strand Core comes in the form of customer/sales reps that cover the entire U.S., as well as parts
of Canada—which gives Brown cause for great optimism. “We’ve continued to build our infrastructure and I don’t see any limits that we can’t reach. “We offer a wealth of products in
strand, wire rope, and assemblies of different grades of steel. We offer a quality product with as much support as the customer wants or needs. And our QMS is AS9100/ ISO9001 certified.” Additionally, Strand Core has
developed further capabilities, including swaging of rope, electronically cut and welded cut lengths, and a variety of cable assemblies. Brown looks back at how far the company has come, and finds great pride in its current position among the industry’s premier wire rope manufacturers. “I’ve been involved in the growth
of Strand Core as it grew from a very small family owned domestic wire rope manufacturing business to where we are today,” he emphasized. “I’ve always felt we would continue to grow as long as we don’t lose sight of what got us here, keep making a quality, reasonably priced product, and do what it takes to maintain great customer relations.” Te continuation of these commitments defines Strand Core’s success, and all but guarantees its promising future—an order that Brown is more than willing to fill. “We are growing and expanding our
product lines and increasing inventories of finished product. Te willingness to help current and new customers with any and all requirements keeps us in a position to help customers grow. And when they grow, we grow.” y
Mike Chalmers is Chief Copywriter with Trive Content Solutions – a writing, marketing, and strategic content creation company based in Chicago, IL. 26 JULY-AUGUST 2015 WIRE ROPE EXCHANGE
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