Success Stories

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…)

The Iowa Small Business Development Center at The University of Iowa assisted Chuck Dirks extensively with his energy efficient water treatment and tube cleaning systems business and continues to help him grow his company.

Charles (Chuck) Dirks grew up on a farm in Jones County and graduated from Anamosa High School. He joined the Army, served in the Gulf War as a pilot, and throughout his military career flew a number of different aircraft including the UH-60 Blackhawk. He then worked for Cessna Aircraft for several years before joining Rockwell Collins, where he worked as a principal marketing manager for the company’s Next Generation Avionics Program and its information management department. A chemist Chuck had worked with came across a company doing interesting work on energy efficiency technology in Israel, which is kind of the green technology center of the planet right now. Chuck was very interested so he licensed some of their technology and left Rockwell Collins to start his own business. Unfortunately, he started his company in 2009 during one of the most challenging economies in American history.

Chuck went to the Iowa Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at The University of Iowa in April 2010 for help with his business. Center Director Paul Heath first reviewed Chuck’s application for tenancy at The University of Iowa’s BioVentures Center, which was approved. Paul helped him identify potential private and government customers for the company’s technology. He then reviewed the company’s business plan and provided feedback, and assisted Chuck in completing a demonstration fund grant application. (more…)