Logan Clay Products Company
The Great Recession shuttered companies nationwide and businesses directly influenced by the imploding housing market were particularly at risk. To survive, tough choices had to be made. Rudy talks about Logan Clay Products' road to recovery.
The Road to Recovery
Matt Pottmeyer
Rea & Associates
Vitrified clay pipe has been around since the ancient aqueducts. Over time though, as new materials were introduced to the marketplace, similar companies folded.
Rudy Brandt
Logan Clay Products Company
The recession was brutal. Under different owners, Logan Clay would have been shut down and auctioned off.
We were heavily reliant on housing industry. So when the recession hit, our volume was cut in half. Really tough decisions had to be made. It wasn't easy. But those tough decisions saved us.
Matt
The managers at Logan Clay had been good stewards with the company's money, which put them in a position to weather the leaner times.
Rudy
My father, who was president at the time, never wavered. He believed that if we kept at it, we would survive. Today, by revenue, we are three times the company we were in the depths of the recession.
Matt
When I started working with Logan, they were looking for ways to diversify. We were able to assemble a team that could expertly assess the situation and help them determine which options made the most economic sense.
Rudy
We turned the corner. We purchased Sawmiller, a hardwood sawmill and pallet company. And we started to explore a new product line for clay pipe.
Rudy
Our people get up every day and run each operation like it's their own. I have to do very little with regard to the day-to-day operation of the either business, which has allowed me to work on special projects, support managers as needed and find opportunities for further growth.