Biz Buzz shares business tidbits from the tri-states. This week, we highlight developments in Dubuque and Maquoketa.
A new book chronicles the history of a local manufacturer that recently celebrated a milestone anniversary.
“Klauer Manufacturing: A Family Enterprise’s First 150 Years” examines how the business grew from a small hardware company into a successful, fifth-generation manufacturer that makes siding, roof flashings and more.
William Klauer, who serves as chairman of the board for Klauer Manufacturing, said that the company will not be selling the book. However, copies are available beginning Wednesday, April 7, at the Dubuque Museum of Art, which is accepting donations for the book.
“We were not in it to make money,” he said. “We are absorbing the costs and have been passing (copies of the book) out.”
Brian Cooper, retired Telegraph Herald executive editor, authored the book and learned that the company and the family running it are “intertwined” and “inseparable.”
He also learned that the company has made a significant local impact, including providing countless jobs over the course of the past century and a half.
“Even during the Great Depression, they preserved jobs … they strived to keep people busy and keep people employed as much as they could,” Cooper said of his research.
Klauer said he hopes the book will serve as an interesting read for customers, current employees and retirees alike.
“I have a lot of pride that we have been around this long, and we have treated people well over the years,” he said. “If you ask around town, I believe we’re a company that is well-liked and has a good reputation.”
Cooper, meanwhile, hopes the books find their way into the hands of some new, budding entrepreneurs.
“I think people who are getting their feet under them in the business world could get some important takeaways from how (Klauer Manufacturing) operated,” Cooper said. “They operated ethically and honestly over the years and it served them well.”
Klauer Manufacturing operates two facilities in Dubuque at 1185 Roosevelt St. Ext. and 2600 Washington St.
NEW BEAUTY BUSINESS
A Dubuque resident with extensive experience in cosmetology has opened her own business.
Abby Giblin this week launched Blush Beauty Co., located at 5025 Wolff Road in Dubuque. The business is a permanent makeup studio that also offers skin care services.
Giblin said the new enterprise is located just a couple doors down from her longtime employer, Embrace Salon. She credited the owner of that business, Tia Dalsing, for passing along the knowledge that allowed her to open her own business.
“She taught me a lot and has been very supportive as I made the decision to open my own business,” Giblin said.
Gilblin graduated in 2014 from Capri College in Dubuque, where she earned a license in cosmetology and aesthetics. She later earned a certification in microblading, a practice that creates a semi-permanent tattoo to mimic the natural look of eyebrows.
The service is popular among a wide range of clients, including cancer patients who have been unable to regrow eyebrows. When a storefront near Embrace Salon recently reopened, Giblin jumped at the chance to start her own business.
“I felt this pull, as if something was telling me ‘Just go for it,’” said Giblin. “So I did.”
Blush Beauty Co. is open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Fridays. It can be reached at 563-590-1676.
CLEAN MANUFACTURING COMMITMENT
A Maquoketa manufacturer has completed a capital improvement project that allows it to meet the evolving needs of customers.
Dynamic Tube recently launched an industrial clean line and inspection facility within its facility at 1286 E. Maple St., according to Business Development Director Brian Deines.
Dynamic Tube manufactures and fabricates high-performance tubing and pipe parts used in engine, fluid and hydraulic systems by original equipment manufacturers in the agriculture, construction, mining, railroad and defense industries.
Producing clean parts for these clients is essential: Deines explained that even minuscule particles of dirt and grime have the potential to damage the internal workings of an engine or piece of machinery.
By investing in ways to create cleaner parts, officials at Dynamic Tube believe they can meet the needs of existing clients and position the company to land new ones.
“The standards for cleanliness are getting more stringent as time goes on,” he said. “This is a response to what our (original equipment manufacturer) customers are telling us.”
Parts now go through three basic steps at Dynamic Tube.
First, they are sent through a five-tank, clean line system, Deines said. Along the way, parts will get progressively cleaner as they are dipped and flushed in these tanks.
Next, the parts are sent to an inspection room and examined under a newly acquired, industrial inspection microscope.
“It’s not enough just to clean them,” Deines said. “You have to inspect them and make sure they are clean.”
Finally, the parts are capped and sealed inside the inspection room, which features an air-filtration system that prevents dust from being reintroduced to freshly cleaned parts.
Deines said the company invested about $250,000 on the project overall. He views it as a worthwhile expenditure.
“Overall, the industry is trending this direction,” he said. “For a company our size, I think we are ahead of the curve.”
Dynamic Tube has been in operation since 1976. It now employs about 65 workers.
The business can be reached at 563-652-5165.