BIG INDUSTRIES THRIVE IN SMALL TOWNS; TEN PERCENT OF ORAN AND CHAFFEE RESIDENTS ARE EMPLOYED BY SINGLE INDUSTRIES IN THOSE TOWNS

ORAN -- About 10 percent of the residents here are employed by Venture Products, a cap manufacturing factory.

The company employs 100 people in this Scott County town of 1,164.

Orders pour in from all over the country, said plant manager Kay Daniels, adding that the company has about 100 regular customers.

Venture Products, which opened its factory in the former International Hat building seven years ago, produces about 5,000 hats a day.

The average hat requires a 25-step production process that doesn't include special touches like embroidery.

An average baseball cap is made from about two yards of material cut into six pieces and a plastic visor board. Embroidery designs also are sewn in Oran at the Needleworks company.

Don Olesen, who owns both companies, had done business in Southeast Missouri prior to opening the cap plant in Oran and knew the labor market was good. "There are a lot of good manufacturing people here," said company accountant Alicia Hill.

Venture Products makes hats for uniform companies, racing teams, country music artists and Anheuser-Busch.

While Venture Products employs many Oran residents, Halter Gas Co. provides services to most of the industries in the area. The company primarily sells gasoline and diesel fuel.

With only 13 employees, the company is relatively small compared to others in the area, but its customers come from a 50-mile radius. Halter Gas serves individual homeowners, small businesses and large farm accounts.

Kirby Hahn and Leon Eftink bought the business in 1986. Hahn had been working there since 1971.

Hahn decided Oran was a good place to live and work. "I went to technical school and was in the service, and I hated cities and decided to raise a family in a small town," he said.

"Most of the business comes from Cape Girardeau, Jackson and Perryville," Hahn said. "So our trucks are on the road a lot."

Supervalu is another industry whose trucks are on the road a lot. The business is one of the largest employers in Scott City.

The company is a warehouse distribution center for grocery stores in the area. It has been in business since 1962 and employs about 200 people.

The Scott City plant serves the five-state area of Illinois, Tennessee, Kentucky, Arkansas and Missouri, as well as military installations. Supervalu is one of the largest grocery wholesalers in the United States, said Janice Oliver of Supervalu.

"We're going through a company-wide change," she said. "We are combining the six regions in the U.S., but it will be another year before we finish." The company, which has 25 divisions, hopes to decrease its costs and offer better service after the consolidation.

Blair Industries is another big business in Scott City. It has operated a factory there for 15 years. The company, which moved from Chicago, employs about 150 people.

Blair opened a factory in Scott City because there was a large labor force in the area. It manufactures vinyl-specialty items and packaging goods like three-ring binders and video cassette cases. Orders are placed from all over the country.

Columbia Sportswear in Chaffee is the city's largest employer, with 280 people. It manufactures fleece jackets and headwear.

The 40 employees at Crader Distributing in Marble Hill cover a four-state territory for Stihl products dealers. Thirty two of the employees work in Marble Hill and eight travel as salespersons. The company also owns a warehouse in Dallas, Texas, that serves dealers in Oklahoma and Texas.

Crader Distributing, a family-owned business, has been operating in Marble Hill for 52 years. Owner Stan Crader said the people are the biggest asset to the company. "Our biggest asset doesn't appear on the financial statement," he said. "The work ethic of the people is the biggest advantage."

The company, which just moved into a new 45,000-square-foot building, has operated offices in other places like Kansas City. But "it's easier to hire good people who have good work ethics who have grown up in small towns," Crader said.

The perceived disadvantages of not being in a city aren't there, he said, explaining that customers get the same service out of Marble Hill that they would in Kansas City or St. Louis.

"Dealers on the Wyoming border get next-day service, and the phone lines are just as good here," Crader said.

VENTURE PRODUCTS IN ORAN

* Venture Products, which opened its factory in the former International Hat buildings seven years ago, produces about 5,000 hats a day.

* The average hat requires a 25-step production process that doesn't include special touches like embroidery.

* An average baseball cap is made from about two yards of material cut into six pieces and a plastic visor board.

* Venture Products makes hats for uniform companies, racing teams, country music artists and Anheuser-Busch.