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March 19, 2013

OVC 'steel' growing

Stearns manufacturer preparing for expansion

By JANIE SLAVEN News Editor

STEARNS —  Anyone passing through Stearns on KY 1651 over the last several weeks is sure to have noticed some new activity in the former LeSportsac Distribution Center.

    Built in 1974, the facility served as the second headquarters of Outdoor Venture Corporation (which opened within the Stearns Company complex two years prior) until 2000 when the tent manufacturer moved again. LeSportsac then took over until November 2009.

    Now OVC officials are preparing the building for a new division of the company — one which will produce modular kits for steel structures.

    OVC co-founder and president J.C. Egnew made the announcement yesterday, accompanied by McCreary County Judge-Executive Doug Stephens and Economic Development Director Susan Stephens.

    Egnew recounted how the plan first took shape nearly two years ago as OVC was first approached for a joint venture with a company manufacturing 2x12-foot, 26-gauge steel panels which have a four-inch insulated core. That project ultimately fell through but, with assistance from Kentucky Highlands Investment Corporation, OVC was able to purchase the company’s assets when it went under.

    Those assets included patents as well as equipment and inventory, which have been moved into the old plant as it is being updated for renewed activity. Egnew said if all goes as planned, the new division should be operable this June and employ some 50 people within two or three years.

    “It won’t pop up overnight,” Egnew said, explaining that the niche product is starting up “with hardly any momentum” but lots of potential.

    The panels to be produced can be fashioned into modular kits which can be assembled on site, usually within a day regardless of how remote the location. The energy-efficient structures do not require a concrete pad, so they can be temporary and mobile. The panels also allow for utility installation, HVAC, customized window and door installation, are mildew- and flame-resistant, and are designed to withstand natural disasters (up to a Class 5 hurricane).

    OVC is no stranger to adaptation, having morphed from a recreational tent market to one of the premier suppliers for the United States Department of Defense.

    “This product offers a myriad of opportunities,” Egnew said. “The time is right for this much-needed diversification. We have confidence in our workforce.”

    Of course, OVC will continue to manufacture the tents on which they have built their name. When the new plant is ready, the company is also looking to produce an additional soft shelter — an inflatable safety chamber for mining operations.

    Egnew thanked KHIC and the Southeast Kentucky Economic Development Corporation (SKED) for their assistance as well as county government for its support. Economic Director Stephens noted that her office is preparing to become more involved as the project moves forward. Judge Stephens noted that, while the county itself cannot always create jobs, it is important for the county to create an environment conducive for job creation.

    “It’s exciting to see this innovation happen here,” the judge said.

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Madie Parriman

McCreary County Sheriff Gus Skinner (center) and Deputy Tom Smith escort Madie Parriman to a cruiser following her arrest on a federal indictment yesterday.

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