HIGHLIGHTS
P & H Casters Rolling into the Future with Grand Opening
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The company is a major supplier of casters for grocery and home improvement retail shopping carts , medical equipment and other rolling equipment in the United States . “ Chances are , you are using our product when you go shopping ,” P & H Casters Chief Executive Officer David Hicks said .
The company ’ s new facility opened in June at 807 W . Harris Road in south Arlington and houses the company ’ s manufacturing plant , office and warehouse operations under one roof . Standing at 173,000 square feet , the new facility is more than triple the size of the company ’ s previous distribution facility on West Harris Road and manufacturing facility on Commercial Boulevard .
“ As the business grew , we actually built our first building in Arlington . It ’ s the best decision quite honestly I ’ ve ever made ,” Hicks said . “ It ’ s really overwhelming to look back and think about how many of the people have transitioned through P & H Casters the 30 years we ’ ve been here . We ’ ve touched a lot of lives . We really strive to make it a place where people want to work .”
The company ’ s expansion was six years in the planning , according to Jesse Peltier , P & H Casters Company president and chief operating officer . The ability to attract and retain employees from across the region , the availability of nearby land , and the willingness of the City to help navigate the development process made staying in Arlington the obvious choice , he said . P & H Casters is a family-owned and family-oriented company that put down its roots in Texas in 1969 .
“ The American Dream is summed up in terms of having the opportunity to take that leap of faith , to take that risk on and try to do something grand with it ,” Peltier said .
The Alternative Funding Sources Webinar
The City ’ s Office of Economic Development and Business Diversity Office teamed up to host a free virtual webinar in October on the U . S . Small Business Administration ’ s Lender Match program , a service that makes introductions between small business owners and potential lenders based on industry type , location and financial need . The webinar featured Arlington business owner Lakida Stewart of Kids Company Academy and her lender , Kendra Gouge , First United Bank vice president . The two were connected through this program after Ms . Stewart had been previously turned down from lending from several banks . Once connected with the right lender , Ms . Stewart secured the funding she needed to expand her business . The SBA Lender Match program is open to any business that does not have traditional funding secured , and works like a matchmaking service . Around 30 participants joined the webinar live to participate and ask questions , and several made networking connections that continued after the webinar .
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