Johnston City battery firm's business continues growing

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[While manufacturing jobs are scarce in this struggling economy, Johnston City's Reaco Battery Service Corp. is expanding business.

Reaco manufactures large batteries for the mining industry and warehouse equipment like forklifts.

The plant, owned by Crown Battery Co. in Fremont, Ohio, increased sales 20 percent in the 2010 fiscal year.

General Manager Joe Elias expects a similar boost for 2011.

"If we grow any more, we'll go to a second shift," he said. "It's a good thing to help the community out and hire more people as we go."

Reaco employs 32 workers for one shift, which is six more laborers than last year. Another one or two may soon be hired.

"We aren't as big as Maytag or Circuit City, but it's good to help out," he said. "If we build mining batteries, we're helping them out. Any time we help them reduce cost, we can allow them to hire more people. If I can buy things locally, I'll do it. We try to take care of businesses in the area and buy from them."

Sales increased tenfold during the past decade. Better brand recognition, a rush on needed equipment repairs in various industries and a new building fueled the growth.

"Manufacturers held off spending on capital outlay a couple years," Elias said. "Now they can't hold out any longer. A lot of companies held out on batteries and they now have to buy because equipment is down."

Company marketers also fought for recognition. An employee developed a protective coating for mine equipment batteries that protects battery trays from acid leaks.

In addition, Reaco benefited from a new facility four years ago. The present 50,000 square-foot complex, north of Johnston City on Rt. 37, is triple the space of the company's former home between Marion and Johnston City.

"It's like the old analogy of a plant in a pot that can only grow so much. Once it's in a bigger pot, it will flourish," Elias said. "That's what happened here."

Reaco's building doesn't yet have a sign marking its property. Thus, the orange-roofed building doesn't receive much public attention away from the company's niche market.

"We've got a little company tucked away in southern Illinois and nobody knows about it," Elias said. "We do more word-of-mouth marketing, especially with miners. They know who we are. We sell through distributorships, but if you look at forklifts in the area, you will see Reaco batteries in there."

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