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Local companies thrive [The Akron Beacon Journal, Ohio](Akron Beacon Journal (OH) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Oct. 30--If you want a toy manufactured in the United States, there's a good chance it will have ties to Northeast Ohio. Local entrepreneur Thomas Murdough is responsible for two of the biggest names in children's toys -- Little Tikes and Step2 -- being in Akron's backyard. Murdough established Little Tikes Co. in Hudson in 1970. Less than a decade later, it had made its mark with an American cultural icon, the Cozy Coupe ride-in car. By 1983, sales rose to $42.9 million, attracting the attention of Rubbermaid Inc., which acquired the company. Murdough continued to work for Rubbermaid, but disagreements over marketing led to his resignation in 1989. In 1991, Murdough launched the symbolically named Step2 and started making home and garden products in Streetsboro. Popular items included mailboxes and rolling seats for gardeners. When a non-compete agreement with Little Tikes ended in the mid-1990s, Murdough was free to make toys again. In the years since, Step2 has become the largest U.S. toy manufacturer, with all of its products made at its Streetsboro headquarters and factory, an Ashland County plant and a third facility in Georgia. Murdough retired three years ago, and Step2 was acquired by a New York financial group called Liberty Partners. In this Beacon Journal Business feature about locally made or locally owned consumer brands, here's this week's shopping list: Truck caps and covers -- A.R.E. employs 550 at its Massillon plant and headquarters, where it makes fiberglass truck caps and covers, as well as aluminum commercial work truck caps for anyone who owns a pickup truck. Local retailers that sell A.R.E. truck caps and covers are R&S Truck Caps of Akron Inc. (2598 S. Main St., Coventry Township) and A Better Truck Cap & Hitch in Medina (1543 Medina Road). Eye wear -- AlphaMicron motorcycle helmet visors and ski goggles, designed and made in Kent, use liquid crystal display technology to allow users to change tints with the tap of a button. The headgear is available through the company (http://www.alphamicron.com) as well as some specialty retailers. The company, which employs 40, also makes auto-dimming rearview mirrors for cars and is close to introducing high-end sunglasses and a paintball mask with similar features. Headphones -- Audio-Technica noise-canceling headphones have beaten Bose products in some recent national reviews. The U.S. headquarters for the Japanese-owned company is in Stow, where about 100, including engineers and sales staff, are employed. Audio-Technica products are sold at Apple stores, as well through online retailers Amazon.com, Buy.com, Electronics-Expo.com and J&R (http://www.jr.com.) Home and garden -- The Step2 Co. in Streetsboro makes mailboxes, as well as gardening products like kneelers and gardening seats. The products are available at major stores and online retailers. They can also be purchased through Step2's Web site, http://www.step2.com or at the company's store, 10010 Aurora-Hudson Road in Streetsboro. The company employs 800 at three factories: in Streetsboro, Ashland County and Georgia. Household cleaners -- Malco Inc. makes several products in this category, including the Mr. Coffee coffee maker cleaner, Twinkle polish (for silver, brass and copper, or stainless steel), nuSOFT fabric softener and Zud heavy-duty cleanser. In addition to its Barberton headquarters and plant, Malco has operations in Akron and Alliance and employs about 300. The products can be found in grocery stores, hardware stores and drugstores, as well as at http://www.malcopro.com. Food -- Pierre's Ice Cream brands, including ice cream, sorbet, Yovation Frozen Yogurt and Hola Fruta Pure Fruit Sherbet, are sold in most area grocery stores. The company sells its own brand in the Midwest and outside the country, and makes private-label brands sold throughout the United States. The company employs 104, nearly all of them at the factory, distribution center and headquarters in Cleveland. Paint supplies -- The 570 employees of the Wooster Brush Co. in Wooster make 2,300 products under 20 brand names, many available at hardware stores and paint retailers. Top consumer brands include the Shortcut flexible-handle brush and the No. 1 selling Super/Fab roller covers. The company also makes many supplies under private labels for popular retailers. Look for the Wooster Brush Co. name on the packaging. Toys -- Little Tikes, which employs 400 at its Hudson headquarters and factory, makes and sells toys and children's furniture. The products are sold at major retailers (stores and online) and on the Little Tikes Web site, http://www.littletikes.com. Local customers can pick up their order at the Hudson location and save shipping charges. Because some Little Tikes products are made overseas, the company is labeling U.S.-manufactured toys with a sticker. -- Step2 Co. makes toys for preschool and toddlers, including playhouses, riding toys and play furniture. Brands include Step2, Infantino and Thinkativity and target birth to school-age years. The products are sold at major stores, online retailers and Step2's Web site (http://www.step2.com) and company store (10010 Aurora-Hudson Road in Streetsboro.) Vacuum cleaners -- Hoover and Dirt Devil are owned and made by TTI Floor Care North America, which is headquartered in the Cleveland suburb of Glenwillow. The company recently released its new WindTunnel T-series of vacuums, with six models ranging from $99 to $159. They are available at major retailers across the country. The company employs 344 in Glenwillow and 174 in North Canton. Paula Schleis can be reached at 330-996-3741 or [email protected]. To see more of the Akron Beacon Journal, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.ohio.com. Copyright (c) 2009, The Akron Beacon Journal, Ohio Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |