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Superior Industrial adds stability to Racine's inner-city

BY MICHAEL BURKE, April 19, 2000

RACINE -- Vince Ruffolo had to make a choice about where Superior Industrial Coatings and its 58 jobs would reside in the future.

Would the hemmed-in Superior, at 1715 Taylor Ave., choose an environment like the great wide-open spaces of Kenosha or Lake County, Ill.?

Or the old, industrial zone of Racine's inner city, which it now occupies?

With some financial help, Ruffolo chose the latter.

"We wanted to remain and build on in the inner city, because I truly believe we need to create jobs in certain parts of the community where jobs are needed the most," said Ruffolo, owner, president and chief executive officer at Superior.

Not that the Kenosha native and his wife, Katherine, from Racine, weren't tempted to find land for expansion elsewhere.

"We're land-locked here," Ruffolo said, in the present building just north of the Racine County Workforce Development Center. At first, Superior wasn't able to elbow its way outward.

"So we looked at other communities as well, and there were some very attractive packages that came forward," he said.

Pushing against that temptation was the considerable cost of moving, and the fact that Superior draws its work force mostly from its neighborhood. Ruffolo said about half of his employees, in a combination of semi-skilled and unskilled jobs, walk to work.

When a financing deal blossomed, Ruffolo was sold on staying. He credits the Racine County Economic Development Corp. for brokering a deal that will total $1.01 million.

A critical piece of the financing package will be a zero percent interest, forgivable loan of up to $138,000 from the federal Community Block Grant Development program which the city administers. Although that still requires final approval by the Racine City Council, the city Community Development Committee has recommended that use of CDBG money.

Superior, founded in 1956, provides high-quality coating, assembly and packaging to industrial customers including CNH Global and Apple computers. Most revenues come from electrostatic application of powder finishes to customer-supplied parts, including parts for the automotive and electronics industries.

The $1 million project, set to break ground next month, will allow Superior to buy an adjacent parcel of property that was formerly part of Walker Forge and most recently owned by Shurpac. Superior will add 17,150 square feet of production space to its present 38,000 square feet, buy a new industrial cleaning machine and add a new production line. It will also build a new parking lot, as the present lot will be the building expansion site.

Ruffolo bought Superior in May 1989 when its business was crumbling and close to bankruptcy, according to RCEDC. He took over a company with eight full-time and four part-time employees, and now has 58.

Ruffolo's major improvements have included a $350,000 cleaning system and a $250,000 state-of-the-art automated production line system designed specifically for Superior.

The growth finally was constricted by physical space. "We haven't been going after new markets," Ruffolo said. "But this will change that."

He said Superior will manage its growth carefully but eventually could add 20 to 30 new jobs when the expansion is finished later this year. Ruffolo said he's happy things turned out this way.

"I'm glad it worked out," he said, "because our goal was always to stay here."

From the Racine Journal Times, April 2000

Superior Industrial Coating

Superior's history of continuous growth has been a result of combining many metal finishing and coating disciplines with total service and dedication to quality. Good customers demand the best and constantly challenge our company to provide nothing but the best. Superior Industrial Coating, Inc. welcomes the opportunity to earn business from the most discriminating customers. We stand ready to serve you with over forty years of quality, cost-effective coating and finishing experience.

From The Manufacturer August 2002