Today we’d like to introduce you to Alissa and Frank Markusic.
Hi Alissa, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
There’s a lot I could cover over 75 years! I’ll start with some important history. Ohio Wire Form & Spring Co. was started in the basement of my great-grandfather, Pyrl Van Horn’s house in 1947. He dropped out of high school when he was 16 and started working for Yost Superior. At 37, after having developed his trade for 20 years, he set out on his adventure by starting his own business with not much other than his family and solid core values.
He worked with just a small hand crank former, a small lathe, and an automatic former making springs and other wire forms. His hard work, perseverance, integrity, and spirit of service carried him through the 1st decade of his business. The business and financial pressures that come along with owning a business took a toll on his personal life. He noticed (and he was open in sharing) that he started drinking more when he realized to save the business, he would have to go to the bank and ask for a loan.
He was discouraged about having to borrow to pay his current bills. At a crossroads, he wanted to quit but made up his mind to proceed with the loan. The banker he met with that day had more to offer than just a loan. He took the time to invest in him in a way he could never repay. Among other encouraging things that were said, was the simple comment, “It takes backbone to stay in business.” This pivotal moment led him out the door with not only his loan but the courage to keep going.
In short, he worked out his problems, got some orders, started attending church with his wife, changed his lifestyle, and eventually helped to build a church. With his faith now at the forefront, and believing that God helps those who help themselves, business started to expand. His creative and inventive spirit also was ignited. He came up with several inventions during this time. He loved being able to use his experience to meet a need and was very passionate about what he did.
Over the years, the company has grown, relocated 4 times, divided into 2 companies between Pyrl’s sons, and is now owned by my husband, Frank, and I, the 4th generation. We make a great team because I’m more front of the house, while he’s more back of the house. His work mostly involves machinery and manufacturing, while I am responsible for business relations (He’s the President and I’m the VP). I started here when I was 18 (1997), worked for 7 years, left, and came back at Frank’s request in 2020.
Frank started working at Ohio Wire when we were dating at age 20 doing piecework. He was like a sponge learning all the machines, eventually setting up the jobs on his own. It’s funny how neither of us knew these skills and desires of his existed when we met, but how quickly it all came to the surface when introduced to it.
Today, we’re standing on the shoulders of Pyrl and the values he instilled throughout the generations. The wild part is that all these years later we find ourselves with the same spirit and the same unfinished business. We both get emotional as we’ve been discovering more of his heart looking back through Ohio Wire’s history. We’ve had so much fun reading old articles and finding his inventions.
For example, a “Mail-kall” that signaled you when the mail was delivered, an “Arm Pole Holder” that attaches to a folding chair to hold your fishing pole, a “Pet-hold” for dog leashes that go in the yard so they don’t tangle, among a few others. The unfinished business of producing our products has been a challenge we (Ohio Wire) haven’t conquered in multiple attempts over 75 years. We always seek to add value to our current customers, while lighting a fire under our inventions.
We understand the challenges it takes to bring a product to market are much different than helping others bring theirs. It is a balancing act. Frank, much like my great-grandfather, is not only engineer-minded but quite creative. When I was interested in learning to roast my coffee, he built me a coffee roaster. I started Saving Grace Coffee—even selling my coffee at a local café. He has patented a “Broom Hanger”, created a guitar display, and just designed a new fire pit for our home.
We’re excited about Frank’s recently patented product called the “Clampster”. He envisioned it out of a need to increase density in a greenhouse he visited. The product goals were that it must have ease of use, and industrial quality, and should facilitate creativity in others. The Clampster™—a clamping device used on a pole (freestanding or wall-mounted) that can secure attachments to perform various functions such as: holding plants, wine bottles, record albums, and more.
Ultimately, we’d love to make accessories that accomplish goals yet to be created by the end user and what they’d like to see displayed. We want to spark creative juices in others to discover new ways to use it. Multiple accessories can also be put together to create your custom setup. We first brought this to market at the beginning of 2020, but Covid hit, and all the other world challenges that followed. We made the most of it by creating sanitizing stations and handing them out to local businesses. We also became super busy with our mainstay, and the timing just hasn’t been right to pursue our brand. Stay tuned because it’s still coming one way or another!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Where do we start?! Haha! We could bore you with the common ones in a family business such as power struggles, health challenges, moving, and splitting, but there isn’t enough paper, and we’d do the environment a disservice to explain it all. We both have had our own set of challenges to face—presenting us with the choice to decide how strong our “backbone” is and how much we want to be here in the long run.
In the beginning, Frank faced some opposition from management that didn’t allow him to grow at the pace he had hoped. He took a pay cut to learn machines. Eventually, he decided to leave the company but was convinced to come back. He took over the company right when we lost our biggest customer. It was a customer we had for 20+ years and it hurt when they chose to make their products in-house. As for me, I’ve been the only family member to be fired, haha! That’s another story.
As a married couple working together—there are also the challenges of balancing home and work life. But here we are despite it all! We’ve learned a lot and ultimately our love of family and the values we’ve adopted, by God’s grace, get us through. We also want to show respect to our small but mighty team. We are just a crew of 8, and 2 have been here for over 26 years! They are all so amazing, and talented, and work so well together to crank it out! Their commitment and loyalty inspire us every day to keep moving on and moving up!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
We are a contract manufacturer that specializes in custom-made wire forms. Although we don’t make coat hangers, it’s a great example of a wire form. Our products are used in everything from exercise equipment to the solar industry. We aren’t yet known for our products. Our goal is to launch the Clampster in that capacity. The majority of products we make are used in other products.
To give you the best visual, please check out the video YouTube-Ohio Wire Form and Spring Company. We take pride when we can add value to our customers and find that sweet spot to manufacture their products. We know we wouldn’t be where we are without them. Ohio Wire’s niche or what might set us apart is being competitive on low to medium-volume complex wire forms.
We’re comfortable taking on the uncomfortable and if we can’t make what our customers request, we let them know, and a lot of times try to refer them to another supplier. We want to be excellent as a contract manufacturer while also pursuing our brand. What we hope sets us apart in the future is paying homage to Pyrl for creating and being successful in our brand. We believe the best is yet to come!
What does success mean to you?
We believe success is adding value and showing respect to anyone in any way you can, whether it be with our customers, employees, community, or in our circles. Success is finding joy wherever you find yourself in whatever role you take on, even when the circumstances aren’t the most favorable.
While speaking of success, I’m also so eternally grateful for all our family who has stuck in there, through thick and thin. Every single member added to the success we have today in their own personal and unique way. It’s taught us that even when there are times of doubt, and we don’t think our role is a success, we believe it is woven together to become a part of a grander plan.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://ohiowireform.com/ & https://theclampster.com/
- Instagram: @myclampster
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theclampster
- Youtube: You Tube-Ohio Wire Form and Spring Company-Commercial & “How to set up your clamps”: https://youtu.be/K0eCyYKQtI0
Image Credits
Diane Sorensen
