SIDNEY — The year 2017 was a record-breaking one for Lochard Inc.
“We experienced a generous spike of new business in 2017 and are anxious to continue that growth in 2018” said Mike Lochard, president. Lochard Inc. is a third generation family owned company consisting of a contract manufacturing division, an HVAC and plumbing division and retail Do It Best Hardware store that has been serving Shelby and surrounding counties for over 70 years.
His report continues:
The Lochard Inc. sheet metal fabrication division saw a double-digit percentage increase in annual sales in 2017. One of the more noteworthy advancements this past year was the purchase and installation of a new CNC controlled Haas machining center that has allowed us to triple our output of machining options. It will also help to secure new customers we otherwise could not have serviced before. With the addition of the machining center, the entire machining operation moved to our second plant located at 950 Wapakoneta Avenue across the street from the original location.
Ray Shaw, fabrication sales manager, said, “Very few people, even people that have lived their whole lives in this area have any idea the amount of volume that we can produce. I like to tell new customers we are Shelby County’s best-kept secret. Even though we have been here for 70 plus years, customers are always surprised to learn about our capabilities. Selling Lochard Inc.’s quality and versatility makes my job easy.”
The Lochard HVAC and Plumbing service and installation departments continued to experience growth this past year as well. 2017 was a year spent focusing on designing and implementing higher-level standards of service geared towards creating the best possible experience for the customer.
Doug Myers, service manager said, “By creating streamlined processes internally, we have been able to create a better overall experience for our customers. We aim to not just meet both industry and consumer standards but far exceed them. In doing so, we can build long-term meaningful relationships with our customers built on mutual respect and trust.”
The installation side of the HVAC business has recorded back to back years of record sales.
Brian Marlow, HVAC install sales manager for the past 11 years, said, “The last couple of years we have seen incredible growth in our business. Due to this growth, we had the opportunity to bring in new talent. We have partnered with the local JVS and have been fortunate to welcome some of their students to our team.”
Deb Peters, hardware manager, said, “We have continued to operate the store using the golden rule of treating others how we want to be treated. We give each customer a personalized experience within our store which helps us develop rapport.”
Lochard Inc.’s Do It Best hardware store has continued to expand their product line incorporating feedback from customers. We understand that we have to compete with the big box retailers in town so what we try to sell most is our knowledge and service. The larger retailers may have a more extensive selection, but they cannot have the support and experience that a 70-year-old family owned hardware store can provide. We may be Shelby County’s best-kept secret, but we intend on getting the word out in 2018.
