VENTURE PRODUCTS TO EXPAND, CONSOLIDATE

ORAN -- Venture Products, a manufacturer of baseball caps, tennis visors and other headgear, is expanding.

The company has signed contracts to expand and consolidate its operations into the second half of the old International Hat Factory building, which has been vacated by Carr Textile Corp.

When Carr Textile moved this year from its Oran site to facilities in Chaffee, many Oran residents grumbled openly about the loss of industry, jobs and revenue.

But with the signing of contracts Oct. 21 for the expansion of Venture Products into the space vacated by Carr, the initial grumbling has turned to anticipation of an even brighter future.

Venture Products has occupied half of the old hat factory building since 1992, as well as another smaller facility across town.

The contracts with the city, signed by owner Don Oleson, will allow the company to consolidate operations into one building and to increase the size of the workforce. It was, Oleson stated, a much needed move.

"Without this expansion," said Oleson, "we were going to have to look elsewhere."

The need for physical expansion, according to Oleson, is directly related to the continuing increase in the company's markets and customer base. Based in Oran since its inception nine years ago, Venture Products supplies specialty hats and uniform caps to customers throughout the United States. Recently, the company announced its entrance into the golf and resort business market.

Oleson fully expects the expansion in facilities and markets will lead to the creation of more jobs.

Venture Products employs 130 people at the Oran factory. An additional 30 workers are employed during the spring and summer, the peak months of the cap business.

During the first year of expansion, Oleson expects an additional 30 to 35 people being hired. By the third year, 70 to 80 new jobs will have been created.

"We're happy to have them as one of our industries," said Oran Mayor Tom Urhahn. "They are a dependable company and work well in the community."

Urhahn credits the eight-member Oran Industrial Development Authority with doing the difficult work needed to get the contracts signed.

"They (the IDA) worked hard on this," said Urhahn, "to get industry into town and keep them in town. All the credit goes to them."

According to Tom Dirnberger, Scott County Recorder of Deeds and president of the Oran IDA, much of the work consisted in updating the facilities to today's standards. That meant, among other things, air conditioning the structure, installing a new insulation system, fixing up the offices and putting a new roof on the building.

The IDA was able to secure a grant through the state to assist in the updates. The group's plans, according to Dirnberger, included installing air conditioning in the part of the building newly acquired by Venture Products.

Other renovations are planned for the building. Oleson stated that after the papers were signed, work would begin almost immediately to reconfigure the building to suit the needs of the company. In addition, new equipment will be added to the building.

"We hope to have it completed by the end of the year," said Oleson.