Central States Manufacturing Enjoys Good Year Among State's Top Private Companies

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Central States Manufacturing Enjoys Good Year Among State's Top Private Companies

by George Waldon on Monday, May. 21, 2012 12:00 am

Central States Manufacturing CEO Rick Carpenter, left, and Presidents Donna Leger stand in the main lobby of their office in Lowell. (Photo by Central States Manufacturing)

Central Moloney Inc. of Pine Bluff registered a one-year revenue gain of 9 percent, with $120 million in transformer-related sales.

"Sadly, top-line growth doesn't always translate into a corresponding bottom-line growth," said Chris Hart, vice president of personnel and community relations at Central Moloney. "We have seen a slight increase in profitability. But our traditional markets aren't where they used to be.

"The primary basis for our business is and always has been new housing starts. As long as those starts are muddled, we won't be able to return to business as usual."

With the residential market languishing, the company has expanded its product lines to include larger transformers in the battle for revenue.

"You don't hang around as long as we have without knowing how to get through good times and the bad," Hart said.

Allens Inc. of Siloam Springs reported a 10.7 percent drop in annual revenue from its lines of canned and frozen vegetables.

Further declines in revenue are likely in 2012, since in March Allens sold four frozen vegetable plants - three in New York and one in Wisconsin - to the Bonduelle Group of Montreal.