Business Name: Uni-Ref/United Refractories
Client: Fred Daniels, VP Operations
Assistance provided: Access to capital; incentives, human resources
Results: Relocation to Indiana, purchase of new building, purchase of new equipment, increase in market share
Trevor Lane, with the Indiana Economic Development Corporation, contacted SEISBDC business advisor Kelly Will in 2012 with regard to a company seeking to move their operations from Ohio to Indiana. As there were incentives associated with the project, Will was asked to perform a financial analysis on the company and worked with Vice President of Operations Fred Daniels.
Uni-Ref, a subsidiary of United Refractories Co., designs innovative, durable refractories with a focus on customer-specific needs and application. United Refractories was founded in 1973 by Raymond Niesen, who later started a manufacturing facility (Uni-Ref) in Cincinnati in 1882. By 2011, they had outgrown their current facilities in Sharonville, Ohio, and had a need for more space. Current expansion of the Sharonville plant was explored as well as moving to another larger facility. (more…)