Why G.G. Sutcliffe invested in American manufacturing (St. Louis Business Journal Video)

The St. Louis Business Journal conducted this video interview with company president G.G. Sutcliffe in conjunction with a feature article that appeared in the publication December 7, 2018 (it was online December 5). St. Louis Character: Husky's G.G. Sutcliffe Lives with Gusto is available at this link: http://bizj.us/1prsf2

The video interview with another article that accompanies it available at this link: https://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/news/2018/12/17/watch-why-g-g-sutcliffe-invested-in-american.html

One of the most interesting excerpts from the article is this: "All of our competitors were going to China back in the early '90s,” he said. “What I realized was that we did not have good manufacturing process control here in St. Louis, and if we didn’t have it here in St. Louis, we sure as hell couldn’t get it done 6,000 or 10,000 miles away.” At that point, Sutcliffe began investing in American manufacturing, and today it has really paid off for the company as it nears $50 million in revenue. Sutcliffe said the company works diligently on being responsive to its customers' needs, and the only way to do that is by staying in the region.

Thanks to the St. Louis Business Journal for their interest in Husky Corporation and in G.G. We think the entire staff did a wonderful job relating the many interesting facets of this story!

St. Louis Business Journal: Husky’s G.G. Sutcliffe Lives with Gusto

How's this for starters?

"Before he was 25, Sutcliffe, who goes by G.G., got kicked out of two colleges, worked at a ski lodge in Switzerland, traveled to Greece, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria and Iraq, talked his way into Officers Candidate School and a rank of second lieutenant by claiming to speak French, German and Arabic (in truth, he knew enough to curse and order a beer), and served in U.S. special operations in Laos and Vietnam, with fierce fighting and heavy troop loss in Khe Sanh."

That's the beginning of a St. Louis Character story on Husky Corporation's president, which appeared in the St. Louis Business Journal. We are offering a link to the entire article here, as usually a subscription is needed for this publication. Here are a few pictures of the photo shoot by the publication. They also recorded a few video comments, which we will share when available.

We  hope you find this article as interesting as we did. One quote about G.G. Sutcliffe we found particularly insightful is this: “He’s smart as a whip, persistent, innovative and fearless, as anyone who has competed with him in business or sport knows.”


 
 

Husky Brings to Market Two Environmentally-Friendly Products to their Family of Products at the same time that their Technical Service Engineer adds to his Family

This article about Oil Baron and Oil Baron Plus was written and shared with a variety of news outlets by American Media Distribution.

Husky, that already has a fine line-up of complimentary products, just

added two more: Oil Baron and Oil Baron Plus. Like a student who loves

chemistry class, Paul Nilsen, Husky’s Technical Service Engineer assigned

to these new products, is excited to demonstrate how they work using

something called microbial action. He, along with Brad Baker, Husky’s

Executive Vice President, are nothing short of giddy when they talk

about the two new Oil Baron products.

Paul could not wait to squeeze some oil onto a granite sample board and

then add a diluted amount of Oil Baron. The mixture started to bubble

and pop. Carbon Dioxide was released into the air and water remained.

When the bubbling stops, no special hazardous waste disposal is

required for what was left over. A simple concept with far-reaching

ramifications. Oil Baron is used to clean unsightly, unsafe or hazardous

messes using floor scrubbers, pressure washers or mops. The product is

also great for use in an Emergency Spill kit -- because it makes a gas spill

non-flammable very quickly.

As we moved on to the Oil Baron Plus product, Paul coolly checked his

phone. He had an important reason to stay connected: his wife was

about ready to give birth to their child. Although he was allowed go

home to be with her, he wanted to finish the demonstration albeit at a

record pace.

Paul explained that Oil Baron Plus removes the toughest hydrocarbon

(oil, gas/diesel, tar) stains on most hard, industrial surfaces. Paul warned

that one must be careful when using this product as it will turn an asphalt/gravel road into just gravel and, if it gets on your car, will dissolve

the paint.

Key market segments for these products include the petroleum

dispensing industry (gas stations, convenience stores, truck stops,

petroleum product distributors, airports, etc.) and the automotive repair

industry (car repair businesses, truck/auto dealers or service centers, oil

change shops, etc.) and any other commercial/residential application

where petroleum messes are an issue.

More detailed information is at the company's web

page https://www.husky.com/husky/oil-baron/oil-baron/ including

explanation videos and technical specifications.

Husky Corporation is a leading manufacturer of equipment for the

petroleum dispensing industry, which has been growing organically and

through acquisitions of companies and products in related industries and

has been in business for also 70 years, based now in Pacific, Missouri.

Congratulations to Paul and his wife who, a short time after our

interview, brought a healthy baby girl into this world. A world that now

contains a way to turn spilled hydrocarbons into harmless carbon dioxide

and water. Someday she will be proud of her Daddy for, in his own way,

helping to make the world a cleaner place

Husky Corporation in the News: St. Louis Business Journal

A company that started in a basement in 1947 has achieved another milestone. Husky Corporation, which manufactures fuel nozzles and other equipment related to the petroleum industry, has reached $50 million in annual sales. The St. Louis Business Journal story about this item is available at this link - which will require a subscription to view in its entirety.

https://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/news/2018/11/29/st-louis-nozzle-company-hits-50-million-in-sales.html

Company president Grenville Sutcliffe told reporter Greg Edwards revenue had increased from about $40 million two years ago. When he joined the company in 1971, revenue totaled $375,000.

Edwards wrote this passage in the article: Husky, founded in 1947 by Sutcliffe’s parents, provides the nozzles and parts to most of the companies that own gas stations in St. Louis, and provides them worldwide to meet the specifications required in each country. “Any place in the world that has cars needs our products,” Sutcliffe said. The company ships about 2 million parts a year, he said.

The revenue information was part of an in-depth interview for an upcoming 'St. Louis Character' feature on Mr. Sutcliffe in the St. Louis Business Journal. Sutcliffe recalled in another recent interview some of his recollections about how the company started by his parents really got rolling.

Husky has 170 employees and manufacturing space of 84,000 square feet in Pacific, Missouri.

The Road to Year-Round E15 in the United States

President Trump's announcement that year-round sales of gasoline blended with up to 15 percent ethanol would be approved by the administration has been a long-standing goal for U.S. corn producers. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) needs to take the required steps to formalize the announcement, which is a process that could take an undetermined amount of time. An article published by Agriculture.com summarizes what that may entail.

Gasoline retailers interested in offering E15 probably have a bit of time to plan for the transition.  About 2,000 U.S. stations currently offer E15, which is less than two percent of all outlets. Present rules limit sales to summer months under the Reid Vapor Rule, which the EPA uses "to reduce evaporative emissions from gasoline that contribute to ground-level ozone and diminish the effects of ozone-related health problems." The president's announcement would make E15 exempt from the Reid Vapor Rule. Experts say there's little vapor pressure difference when compared to E10.

The petroleum dispensing industry has been getting ready for this change for a number of years. Fuel nozzle valves manufactured since April 30, 2015 have been covered by updated UL standards.  UL2586 applies to nozzle valves that dispense gasoline containing up to 10 percent ethanol, while UL2586A applies to nozzles valves with concentrations of up to 85 percent ethanol.

Husky Corporation participated in an article for the PEI Journal that lays out the specifics of the new standards dealing with enhanced ethanol blends. We hope you find it helpful in planning your operations if you would like to market E15.

An article in CSP daily notes that "The EPA approved the use of E15 in model-year 2001 and newer light-duty vehicles. Today, this represents more than 92 percent of registered cars and trucks, according to the (Renewable Fuels Association) RFA." The RFA provided the information to counter concerns by some that E15 could damage vehicles and void warranties.

RS Gas Spring Pressure Adjustment Tool

The Roman Seliger SGA Loading Arm is a safe and easy arrangement for the transfer of liquid and gas products to tanker cars, tanker trucks, and vessels. These units are available with special spring or gas-operated mechanisms to raise and lower the arm with minimal effort to easily facilitate its use.

  
The gas springs arrive from the factory purposely over-filled so that the end user can fine-tune the pressure for each application. That requires a number of steps that need to be carefully followed.

Engineers as Husky Corporation have designed a valve adjustment tool (P/N 013095) to make the procedure easier than it had been previously.

Contact Husky Corporation to learn more about this tool and to get detailed instructions that must be followed to safely make these adjustments. Husky is the authorized U.S. Representative for Roman Seliger SGA Loading Arms and couplings.

BJE 007 Mission: Making a Great Impression

BJE Lube and Oil Products customer Automotive and Carwash Equipment Services (ACES) makes the installation of 007 Tank Alarm systems (for overflow detection of oil, waste oil, diesel fuel, antifreeze, water and other fluids with a high flash point) shine with a combination of practicality and innovation.

BJE’s 007 Tank Alarm is an alarm that is commonly used in waste oil applications to avoid tank overflows. It is sold with the 007 SV (solenoid valve) or 007 SVT (solenoid valve with timer) which shuts off the flow of oil to a tank when the alarm goes off to avoid over flows. The 007 can also be set up to detect low fluid levels, in applications where it’s important to avoid untimely shortages.

ACES Senior Lead Technician Chris Watford is a self-described “aesthetics guy” who set out to find a way to “hide the wires and clean up the look” of the 007 tank monitoring system when installing them at customer locations. Many locations simply install the components on a wall near the tanks which leaves wires, conduit, power supplies and connectors exposed to the eyes and the elements. 

“It doesn’t take long for waste oil to get into places it doesn’t belong,” Watford said.

So, in 2013 Watford started tackling the problem by first eliminating the visible transformer wires of a 007 system in a hallway that was frequently viewed by the technicians at a car dealership.

Next ACES decided to further improve the look when they mounted both the 007 and the solenoid valves on diamond plate, which would then be affixed to a wall near electrical power and the waste oil tanks.

“The way they have this set up, it looks really clean and professional,” said Tony Aumiller East Coast Sales Manager for BJE and parent company Husky Corporation.

Practicality led to the next iteration of what could be called 007 system equipment boards. Watford developed a simple hinge bracket, so technicians could swing the diamond plate away from the wall to work on wires, conduits, connections and hoses. Now all wiring is removed from view but can be accessed when needed.  

“It was all to clean up the look and hide the wires. But then we started making it easier for people to work on the units,” Watford said.

Watford says the reaction from customers, which include auto dealerships and large fleet operators, has been very positive. He has received several certifications to support his work from the Petroleum Equipment Institute (RP600, RP700, RP800 and RP1100) that deal with the installation and operation of above ground tanks, fluid distribution systems at vehicle maintenance facilities, bulk storage tanks, and equipment that handles DEF.

“Everybody is very inquisitive about it. They want to know how it works and they always comment that it looks very clean, since there are no wires showing like the last one we might have installed for them,” Watford said.

The systems can be customized a bit with desired colors or based on the type of application. One example involves several 007 equipment boards that will be installed in a large distribution facility where the units will be affixed to a pump bracket attached to the wall. Yet the clearance still slows access to transformers, wire connections and other equipment for ready access. 

Contact Husky Corporation toll-free at 800-325-3558 or at sales@husky.com. Get more information about the BJE web site https://www.husky.com/bje.