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Linton Steel Service, the newest division of Linton Industries Inc., is set to open Nov. 1, bringing the company full circle in terms of products and services.
"Now, I think we have all the pieces of the puzzle we need to build on to continue to grow," says Thomas L. Linton II, president. "I don't see the company getting into anything else, but we'll improve on what we've spent the last five years building. Now, we should settle down and work to become more efficient and more productive."
This year, sales are projected to reach $5.5 million, most of which comes from customers within a 60-mile radius of New Castle, Pa., where the company has been located for 21 years.
"We will travel depending on the job," Linton says. "We've had projects in places like Mansfield and Wheeling. But we find there's enough work here, which makes it nice for employees. I'm very family oriented and know how important it is to have the guys home. They might stay over on a job for no longer than a week maybe three times in a year."
Litton employs 38 full-time and four part-time.
The company, which specialized in industrial maintenance, was started by Linton's now-retired father, Thomas L. Linton Sr., in a 4,500-square-foot shop. "We did no major types of construction," his son says. "It was more of an 'If it's broke, fix it' kind of thing."
When Linton joined the company full-time in 1987, he began eyeing new directions. "My Dad is by far the most mechanically inclined person I know," says Linton, now 30 years old. "He got the business running with that ability and old-fashioned hard work. He did an outstanding job at the beginning -- it's always much more difficult to start than to continue. But the business today doesn't really compare with what it was when he had it.
"But the difference is...