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Hugh and Doug Harlan have guided Harlan Bakeries Inc. through explosive growth the past two years, establishing their company as one of the top bagel-makers in the country.
So what will they do now?
Well, they're not going to Disney World. But the Harlan brothers are still strapped in on a wild ride. Revenue nearly quadrupled from 1995 to 1996. They expect it to double this year to about $35 million.
By January, Harlan Bakeries will have another production line, new ovens and new staff. That means more bagels, nearly a million more each day. And more bagel chips, doggie bagels and mini bagels. Though bagel shops have sprouted like mushrooms the past few years, leading to a tenuous retail market, the Harlans believe the wholesale business has plenty of room for growth.
"I think they're going to become more of a staple product," Doug says. "Like white bread."
The Harlans are prepared for continued growth.
They've got financing and room for more equipment at their bakery at 7597 East U.S. 36 in Avon. And, though Hugh is only 31 and Doug is 28, they've had years of entrepreneurial training at the feet of their father, Hal.
Hal Harlan is president of Harlan Sprague Dawley, an Indianapolis firm that supplies vaccines, lab animals and other items to the pharmaceutical industry. Growing up, Hugh and Doug often got impromptu lectures on business from Hal. As they got older, they began working for him, caring for the lab animals in the...