Well guys, May has come to a close whether you like it or not! In the U.P. it’s definitely a good thing. Snow in May is fairly common, but, June? I think we’re finally in the clear. Bring on the sunshine and pesky flying creatures! I’ll trade my shovel for a fly swatter and bug dope any day of the week.
To kick things off, I'd like to mention one of our new customers, S.D. Ellenbecker of Athens Wisconsin. They have been providing quality service as a general contractor in Central Wisconsin since 1968. With each employee averaging 25 to 40 years of experience in the construction industry, you can be certain you picked the right team to build your project. We delivered GatorBar™ to Guden Farms where they were building a 16 station milking parlor. A non-conductive rebar was specified to help keep stray voltage to a minimum. We were happy to be a part of the solution by providing our non-conductive, corrosion proof concrete reinforcement. Thank you, S.D. Ellenbecker, we look forward to working with you again in the future!
What is stray voltage and how can it affect dairy farm operations? Click here!
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May at Neuvokas was headlined by an effort to introduce GatorBar™ to all of the Lowe’s Store locations in the Houston, Texas area. If you’re in that area, stop by Lowe’s and check out our banner and samples at the Pro Desk. You can place any size order through Lowe’s, just ask the Pro Desk representative for some help! GatorBar™ can be delivered next day to any of the Houston Lowe’s locations. Next day in store delivery is not available outside of Houston. Lead time will vary based on location.
How many GatorBar™ reps does is take to hang a poster in Lowe's? Let's hope it doesn't actually take three, and they were all just too excited not to be involved.
The GatorBar™ truck making another Lowe's delivery to one of the 25 locations in Houston.
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On May 5th, co-founders Erik Kiilunen and Ken Keranen attended the Michigan Celebrates Small Business Awards Gala in Lansing. There was a great atmosphere buzzing with new as well as weathered entrepreneurs sharing their ideas, plans, and successes. Erik and Ken enjoyed mingling amongst the other winners and attendees. We’re rooting for all of the great start-ups in Michigan! Thank you to everyone in our corner cheering us on, including MCSB and Michigan’s SBDC.
Quick video highlighting what Michigan Celebrates Small Business is all about (Courtesy of MCSB). If you watch closely, you'll catch Erik, Braden, and Tara representing Neuvokas!
CEO Erik Kiilunen on stage with the other awardees. (Sixth head from the left.)
Erik and Ken all spiffed up networking at the awards gala. Photos courtesy of Natalie Nicole Photo. See her full gallery of the event here.
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Erik made another trip to the mitten for the Michigan Growth Capital Symposium on May 17th and 18th. The symposium is put on by the University of Michigan Ross School of Business. This year marked the 35th anniversary of the event; it brought together over 450 investors, CEOs and founders, industry professional and executives. This annual showcase features close to 40 'Best of the Midwest' high growth companies looking for venture capital to grow their companies. Erik pitched Neuvokas and GatorBar™ to everyone in attendance.
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Matt Kero, our VP of Engineering, spent a few days in the sunshine state to attend a meeting about the Halls River Bridge Project. This project is the first of its kind in the United States; the bridge is being deigned with 100% FRP reinforcement. That means, no steel, and no corrosion. This a great step towards the overall acceptance of composite rebar in the United States! Matt was able to talk with some industry leaders and learn about the project. Since our long term testing is still in progress, it is not likely that GatorBar™ will be used in this project, but it was good to get our feet wet anyways.
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Coming up in June... GatorBar™ is being placed in an MDOT project for the first time! The construction is happening just down the road from Neuvokas headquarters, so we'll be checking in to see how it's all going.
Talk with you all soon! Thanks for reading. You can always Contact Us if you'd like any additional information.
