2021_PWN_V3_No4_web

INDUSTRY DIRT
A Taste Of Italy
Finance & Commerce, part of
the BridgeTowerMedia network,
reported that an Italian manufacturer
of high-pressure cleaning components
plans to open its U.S. headquarters
in Bloomington, Minnesota this fall,
setting up shop in a renovated space
that used to house a printing operation
owned by Minnesota Timberwolves
and Lynx owner Glen Taylor.
PA NAM Corp., based in Rubiera,
Italy, will use its 65,000-square-foot
building at 1600 92nd St. W. as a
manufacturing and testing facility. The
company manufactures spray guns,
lances, valves, and other commercial
cleaning devices.
Scheduled to open in September,
the Bloomington location will house
12 full-time employees in its first year.
GP Cos. of Mendota Heights and
CAT Pumps in Blaine are among the
company’s local clients.
Stefania Benetti, CEO of PA, said
in a statement that the expansion
to Bloomington is “the culmination
of four years of work” that started
as an internal discussion about how
to increase output “to meet an evergrowing
demand.”
“It became apparent that we
needed a new plant, but duplicating
the one we had in Italy would not
have changed much,” Benetti said.
“Since the U.S. [has always] been our
biggest market, we thought that being
closer to our largest accounts would
… cut transport time and costs” and
improve communication and “our
understanding of the market.”
The company chose Minnesota
“not only for proximity to our
customers, but also because we felt
that, as a vastly industrialized area, it
could offer a wide range of technical
suppliers, and a highly skilled workforce,”
Benetti said.
PA paid $3.6 million for the
building in December 2019, according
to Hennepin County property
records. The company acquired the
Class C industrial facility from Glen
Taylor’s Taylor Corp., which operated
its Litho Tech subsidiary there.
Finance & Commerce reported in
August 2014 that Taylor paid $3.25
million in cash for the building.
The building was built in 1975 and
renovated in 1996, according to the
CoStar Group.
PA tapped Shaw-Lundquist to
renovate the building. The renovated
interior mirrors “the quality and style”
at PA’s facilities in Italy, according to
the city.
Jason Schmidt, Bloomington’s
economic development analyst,
said the Italian company invested
“a couple of million” dollars in the
renovation, which included skylights
to bring natural light into the facility’s
interior.
At press time, the renovation was
complete and the company was just
waiting on green cards for some of its
employees to come over and set up
the equipment.
The Minnesota Department
of Employment and Economic
Development awarded $110,619
to the project from its Job Creation
Fund, which offers financial incentives
to “new and expanding businesses that
meet certain job creation and capital
investment targets.”
DEED said the jobs at the
Bloomington facility are projected to
pay an average hourly wage of $19.68.
Bloomington Mayor Tim Busse
said in a statement that the interior
renovation and reuse of an “existing
underutilized industrial building aligns
with Bloomington’s strategic priority
of focused renewal to create and retain
a diversity of jobs in Bloomington.
The city of Bloomington welcomes
PA NAM Corp. to the United States
and Bloomington.”
Founded in 1982, PA produces
“unloader valves, spray guns and
various components for pressure
washers, car-wash plants, and industrial
fields, such as manufacturing,
construction, food and pharmaceutical
plants,” according to its website.
Performance
Under Pressure
The Mi-T-M Corporation celebrated its 50th anniversary this year.
Founded in 1971 by professional painting contractor AJ Spiegel, who
engineered and developed the very first 1,000 PSI self-contained, gas-powered
pressure washer, the Mi-T-M Corporation, is located in Peosta, Iowa.
Spiegel was a professional paint contractor in 1971 when he recognized
the need for a portable pressure washer. He used his vast knowledge of
equipment to design and build the efficient 1000 PSI pressure washer.
The self-contained, gas-powered unit quickly became known as the
"Mighty 1000." It wasn't long and the name was abbreviated to "Mi-T,"
paired with the Roman numeral "M" and became the company name...
Mi-T-M.
The first Mi-T-M pressure washer was a major contender in the industry.
It was small, portable and affordable. It had significant cleaning capabilities
and soon developed a positive reputation in the marketplace.
Spiegel spent a substantial amount of time and dedication into building
relationships and promoting his new Mighty pressure washer. Before long,
Mi-T-M grew and expanded as did their customer base. By 1982, Mi-T-M
was a major player with over 100 models of pressure washers in its diverse
product line.
Well-known for its pressure washers, the company’s product offerings
now also include cold and hot water pressure washers, air compressors,
portable generators, air compressor/generator combinations, air compressor/
generator/welder combinations, wet/dry vacuums, jobsite boxes, portable
heaters, water pumps and water treatment systems, and other industrial
equipment found on jobsites worldwide.
Mi-T-M equipment is engineered by one of the leading engineering
teams in the industry. This team consistently establishes industry standards
through the development of patented technological designs and, through
years of hard work and dedication, has helped Mi-T-M become a certified
testing facility for CSA.
The Mi-T-M Corporation was born out of an opportunity to fulfill a need
and that same philosophy is what drives the company today. The Mi-T-M
campus spans over 1 million square feet and includes 23 production lines,
11 CSA test rooms, a fully automated 800-foot conveyor line and multiple
expansive shipping docks which allow Mi-T-M to manufacture, test and
ship hundreds of units and parts every day. The company employs the latest
technology in laser cutters, ASME robotic welders, and 7-stage powder-coat
paint systems. The company works directly with component manufacturers
to make sure they follow our strict requirements for quality.
With more than 450 dedicated employees building hundreds of products
every day, Spiegel still leads the company.
In a recent ForConstructionPros.com article about the anniversary,
Spiegel credited his success to the dedication and drive of the employees
that supported him through the years.
“Our workers take pride in the jobs they do. They are the heart of this
company and always have been,” he told the website.
Mi-T-M has been recognized as the Sherwin-Williams’ Partner of the
Year, Grainger’s Partners in Performance, John Deere’s Achieving Excellence
Vendor of the Year, and most recently, Stihl’s Supplier of the Year.
The Cleaning Equipment Trade Association (CETA) awarded its highest
accolade, the Lifetime Achievement Award, to Spiegel in 2012.
14 | PRESSURE WASH NEWS | VOL. 3, NO. 4 | FALL 2021