Control Technologies Inc.

Company Finds Niche in Automated Process Controls

Craig R. Pair, who started Control Technologies in 1987, says his mother still asks him, “Now just what is it that you do?”

Pair says his company makes automated process controls — the use of computers and program logic controllers to make the most efficient use of automated machine and material handling processes, as well as tracking production and data acquisition.

Pair had injured his knee working in an oil field in Oklahoma. While living off worker’s compensation benefits, he visited a friend who was a data entry clerk. During his visit, his friend’s computer screen went blank and a repair technician was called in. The technician found the problem — a blown fuse — in a couple of minutes, then wrote out a bill for $365.

“I said to myself, ‘Now that’s the job for me,’ and I went out the next day and enrolled in Westark [Community College].”

Starting with his own money, Pair has added employees as projects have increased. The company now has eight employees, most of whom are programmers.

“This is a new industry,” Pair says, “and there’s really no one to model the company after.” So he says he tries to do what’s best for the customer. “As long as you keep their interests in mind, you’ll be all right. We constantly strive to develop unique ideas and strategies to solve our customers’ problems.”

Pair says he has been active with the Arkansas Small Business Development Center for about six years and has been a member of the Arkansas Executive Conference for four years.

“They have given me a lot of guidance and helped me with many problems and projects.”

An Arkansas Quality Award winner, Control Technologies is right in the middle of an industry that has a bright future as more companies look for ways to manage their production more efficiently. Pair expects to add 30 employees in the next five years and to enjoy an annual revenue growth rate of 10-15 percent.