The Rea Report Spring 2017 | Página 8

BRIGHT CLIENT THE LOGAN CLAY PRODUCTS COMPANY WHAT MAKES A GOOD COMPANY ‘GREAT’? Strength In some instances, the strength and perse- verance of a company’s products are direct reflections of the organization responsible for their production. This is certainly the case for The Logan Clay Products Company, located in Logan, Ohio. Today, the century-old clay manufacturing company is one of four others that produce the clay pipes utilized by many municipali- ties. And one of only two companies that produce the clay jacking pipe used for inno- vative trenchless installation. Harvested locally, raw clay, shale and wa- ter are combined to become the foundation for products guaranteed to withstand the test of time. In fact, examples of clay piping used for sewer systems constructed thou- sands of years ago remain intact today. “If you look at the physical properties of clay pipe, brick or anything made out of ceramic hundreds, even thousands, of years after it was made, you’ll find that it looks the same today as the day it was made,” explained Rudy Brandt, Logan Clay’s president. As a further testament to the product’s su- periority, environmental studies indicate that clay pipes are considered the most en- vironmentally friendly type of underground pipe material available. Perseverance Logan Clay celebrated 125 years of opera- tion in 2015 – but the journey hasn’t always been easy. “The recession was brutal,” explained Rudy. “At the time, we were heavily reliant on the housing industry. So when the recession hit, our volume was cut in half over the course of about two years. Really tough decisions had to be made. It wasn’t easy. But those tough decisions saved us.” Recently, company leaders sought to di- versify the business. In 2010, Logan Clay 8