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PAMELA GRINER LEAVYA newcomer to Largo incorporates a longtime area company's work to create a better product for boats.
LARGO - Build a better looking, faster, stronger boat and customers will come. That's the sales pitch delivered by ITW SprayCore, a company that has moved its headquarters from Illinois to Largo.
ITW SprayCore, a division of Illinois Tool Works in Glenview, Ill., manufactures laminate barrier coats for recreational and industrial marine use. The specially designed laminate layers are added to fiberglass hulls and decks for looks, lighter boats, and fuel economy.
Resin, a solid gumlike substance extracted from trees, is a key ingredient. The SprayCore manufacturing process produces a barrier gel and resin coat that protects marine vessel interiors and exteriors.
The move to Largo was spurred by a homegrown local company, Magnum Venus Products. ITW SprayCore purchased Magnum Venus' resin products business to manufacture its laminate products. Now, both companies operate in tandem on a crowded cul-de-sac off U.S. 19 and 117th Ave. N.
Magnum Venus serves as landlord and also manufactures spray equipment used by ITW SprayCore.
The move means ITW SprayCore increased its product line and combined its technology with Magnum Venus resin products under the ITW brand, said Bill Lauersdorf, ITW SprayCore general manager.
"We make the boats lighter, faster, stronger, and we save costs," Lauersdorf said.
Customers now include Sea Ray, Brunswick, Genmar, Wellcraft, Cobalt Yachts, Grady-White and Monterey Boats. But Lauersdorf envisions ITW SprayCore products moving beyond boats into tubs, showers, spas, recreational vehicles and automobile undercoats.
Tim Hoolihan, Magnum Venus safety officer, compares the ITW SprayCore product to body putty used to protect and repair automobiles. He forecasts continued success for ITW SprayCore and Magnum Venus.
"We have been here for about 30 years and as for what the future holds, I still see growth as long as the economy remains strong," Hoolihan said.
ITW SprayCore employs 30. Lauersdorf declined to release revenue figures or how much ITW SprayCore paid for Magnum Venus' resin products.
Illinois Tool Works reported $10-billion in revenue for fiscal year 2003.
Safety procedures at ITW SprayCore call for production workers to wear safety goggles and mouth masks. The building vibrates to the sound and motion of a diaphragm pump as it mixes resin, gel and plastic substances.
A slight smell of styrene, used in the production of the plastic polystyrene, lingers inside and outside the building. The odor is similar to what's sometime smelled in a sculptured nail salon. Lauersdorf pledges the styrene smell will get fainter and go away.
"It's not pretty and clean yet," Lauersdorf said of his company's new headquarters. "We're in the process of turning it around. We are investing a lot of money to get the facility to where we want it to be."
Monica Nevitt, former marketing director at The Moorings, a boat and yacht wholesaler in Clearwater, does marketing for ITW SprayCore. She sees her company's move as good exposure and salutes the local marine community for welcoming ITW SprayCore.
"The marine industry is a very funky, friendly industry," Nevitt said. "They all know each other. It's a very, very tight industry."