Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
CEOs you should know here from local leaders in the community.
Made possible by Witcom and hess CPAs and Financial Advisors,
our featured CEO. This week, we are going to go
down to Perrysville and we are going to talk with
Kevin Long this morning. He is the plant manager at
Step two in Perrysville. Kevin, good morning, thanks for coming
(00:22):
in today.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Good morning, Aaron, thank you.
Speaker 1 (00:23):
Yeah, terrific. All right. So love this program because we
get to find out about local companies, businesses and the
people that help run them. So I'm sure many people
and maybe for the first time they're hearing Step two,
maybe people in Perrysville. You don't know all about you guys. Well,
but let's begin and tell us a little bit about
what you guys do.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
Great, Yeah, Step two. We're a toy manufacturer. That's our
core business. Well known for children's toys, outdoor playground type
of stuff, whether it be kitchens, could be outdoor playhouses,
right on, toys, stroller type of products. And we're also
in the home and garden, which is mainly mailboxes and
(01:04):
trash cans. So our core business as toys, but you know,
the last couple of years, we've really changed our market strategy,
and we're moving into some different areas more lifestyle. Outdoors
Planners is a big area the last couple of years
we've moved into and now we're moving into the pool business.
So we're doing a lot of outdoor lifestyle type of businesses.
(01:25):
We make pool chairs and tables and basketball hoops and
volleyball hoops. So we're expanding diversifying our business into other areas.
But the Step two logo is well known mainly for
our core business and children's toys.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
All right, So now, Kevin, let's talk about this a
little bit. Maybe somebody's out shopping. Could we give them
an example something maybe that was produced built by Step two.
Speaker 2 (01:47):
Two of our more common items for toys is wagons.
We do a lot of plastic wagons and push around strollers.
They call them whisper rides or buggy type car where
the kids sit in and there's a handle on their
they were pushed around. And our largest seller in the
fall is play kitchens, So we probably have fifteen or
twenty different types of play kitchens that people have inside
(02:09):
their house for home play.
Speaker 1 (02:11):
All we are learning about a local company in Perrysville,
Step two, Kevin Long the plant manager is with us.
All right, So when we talk about the company, you
were telling me Perrysville is one of a few locations
in the state of Ohio. Give us a little bit
of overall about your company. Sure.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
Step two was founded thirty five years ago Tom Murdo,
a family owned business. He founded it in Streetsboro, Ohio.
That is our headquarters. That's where our main manufacturing plant,
probably two hundred and fifty employees on the manufacturing side.
Our corporate headquarters is also located there, probably about one
hundred employees there. We have a large distribution center in Warren,
(02:50):
Ohio that we send most of our products to to
consolidate for shipping. And then the satellite manufacturing plant in
Perrysville where I'm at is about two hundred local employees.
All of our manufacturing's done in Ohio as we speak,
and distribution. We have had plants in the past and
outside of Ohio, but today we're Ohio based company that
(03:12):
services internationally as well.
Speaker 1 (03:14):
All right, So let's go there next. You mentioned things,
are you know, produced built all of that here in Ohio,
but you send them not only across the US. You
said around the world.
Speaker 2 (03:23):
We do. Yes, we're international probably fifteen percent of our
business is international. Majority is still domestic, but we do
get into the international business and sending our products across
all locations.
Speaker 1 (03:35):
Awesome. Now, how you mentioned the amount of people you
employed in Perrysville. How long has that plant been around
in peris.
Speaker 2 (03:42):
Perrysville has been in business thirty years. Step two started
thirty five years ago with the first plant in Streetsborough.
Perrysville was the second plant and continues to run at
thirty years.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
All right, again, you're hearing the voice this morning of
Kevin Long. He is our featured CEO this week. He's
the plant manager at Step two in Perrysville. All right,
So how about you? How long have you been working
with the company now?
Speaker 2 (04:06):
I'm going on eighteen years with Step two. Tom Murdo,
who started thirty five years ago, sold the company in
two thousand and six to private equity, and I came
in after the private equity group has bought us, and
today we're still owned by private equity.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
And how many years now for you as the plant manager?
Speaker 2 (04:24):
Seventeen?
Speaker 1 (04:25):
All right, I'm sure that's a lot to oversee, right,
you know, a few hundred people all of that. I mean,
that sounds like a pretty big operation to run. Huh
it is.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
We have three shifts, five days a week.
Speaker 1 (04:35):
Now, in terms of talking about your company, companies will
always tell me we're always looking for the right person.
So you know, if somebody's thinking about a great job,
great company, Step two of could they stop and apply?
Go online?
Speaker 2 (04:47):
Hot?
Speaker 1 (04:48):
How does that all of that work? Are you guys
looking for good people right now?
Speaker 2 (04:50):
We're always looking for good people, sure, And the best
way to look for that is online at our website.
Look at step two dot com and it'll also show
all of our products and and you can go into
careers look at the different opportunities and job openings that
exist in Perrysville. We are a satellite, so we have
a small staff mainly manufacturing in that location with most
(05:12):
of our support corporate jobs are in our Streetsboro location.
Speaker 1 (05:16):
Now for somebody, you know, they know the Perrysville area,
but we're exactly your plant located at there.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
We're located right on State Route thirty nine and ninety five,
right at the intersection right in the edge of Perrysville, Ohio.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
Okay, terrific. Again, we're learning all about step two in Perrysville.
The plant manager is in studio this morning. It's Kevin Long,
this week's feature CEO. You should know as we learn
about their company. All right, so we've learned all about
the company. How long you've worked there? But let's find
out a little bit more about Kevin Long. So let's
step back. Tell us. I don't know where you were born,
(05:50):
where you went to high school, college, all of that,
So tell us a little bit about your story.
Speaker 2 (05:54):
Sure, I actually grew up in Ashland County, went to
Hillsdale High School. After high school, I attended Kent State University,
graduated from there, and then moved to Toledo. I lived
in Toledo for two years, worked with the Sharn Williams Company.
Had the opportunity then to come back to penn Air.
Fe Myers came back and spent about fourteen years with
(06:17):
fee Myers, and then an opportunity existed at step two,
and I moved my way over to Step two. Been
there the last eighteen years.
Speaker 1 (06:26):
All right, So a falcon and a golden flash then, right,
golden flash corrects? All right, terrific. Now, growing up, did
you did you know you know what you wanted to do?
You mentioned you went off to college Kent State did
you think one day you'd be, you know, running a plant,
you know all the products you guys make. Just talk
about growing up and kind of kind of where it's
all led you to today.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
Sure, yeah, I don't know. You know all you always
have dreams when you grow up, and I'm not sure
it was to be a plant manager, but that path
has kind of took me there. And it's been a
great experience working through out of college with Sharon Williams
and then at the fe Myers and then I had
opportunity to move into more manufacturing management at Step two
(07:04):
and it's been a great career for me and have
enjoyed the run.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
Yeah, you can tell by the smile on your face you
enjoy what you do. We're going to keep him for
a few more minutes. Great conversation learning about Kevin Long
this morning, plant manager Step two in Perrysville. So married kids,
tell us a little more about Kevin and the family.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
Sure. Yes, married my wife Jody for twenty nine years.
I have two daughters, Shelby and Sydney. Both are grown
up and have moved away. My oldest daughter, Shelby lives
in Cleveland. She's in an accounting firm, and my youngest daughter,
Sidney is in Columbus and she's a second grade teacher.
Speaker 1 (07:38):
All right, So when you're not working, what kind of
hobbies do you have when you're away from the plant.
Speaker 2 (07:44):
Our hobbies now we're still My wife and I are
still finding new ones. The kids have left. They kept
us busy with sports and different things there. But we
both enjoy attending sporting events, I mean college and high school.
I enjoy fishing and hunting on. So my time has
been trying to find new activities as the kids now
(08:04):
have left home and we're moving in empty nest syndrome.
Speaker 1 (08:08):
Well, you mentioned in terms of going to Hillsdale, and
I just know from broadcasting Hillsdale football, baseball, softball. Boy,
I'll tell you what, they've had quite a run over
the years in terms of local sports they have.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
They've got some nice programs going, done a nice job
building the different teams that's there, with the new school.
Speaker 1 (08:26):
And nice facilities as well over there in Hillsdale. Absolutely terrific.
We're going to keep it for just a moment longer.
Want to get back to work. Talk about step two
a little bit more. In Perrysville, Kevin Long the plant
manager is with us our featured CEO this week. So
I mentioned this earlier in terms of boy, you guys
produce a lot. Maybe people you know aren't aware, maybe
(08:46):
you know they just moved to North Central, how they're
learning about Step two. I wanted you to talk a
little bit just in terms of about the staff and
what you're proud of, because we talk about you guys
send things all over the world, which is an awesome thing.
You think, you know, facility in Parrsville all made know
how you send it across the globe. But what are
you proud about? You know? Staff wise and everything was
(09:07):
step two.
Speaker 2 (09:07):
Sure, we got a small staff in Perrysville being a
satellite manufacturing. One of the things that really brought me
to that company was it is a family. It was
a family owned business and it has moved from family
owned to private equity, but there's still a very sense
of family there. It's we've got some very long term employees.
We've got some newer talent that we've brought in, but
(09:30):
it is a small, very close group, and we got
a staff that cares a lot about what they're working
on to make improvements, and we got a great workforce
with a lot of tenure that's there, so you really
enjoy that recognition of personal and touch of people that
you might not find in a larger company. So it's
really in Perrysville. You don't have a large location. It's
(09:53):
a nice situation where you know all the employees and
you can interact well with them.
Speaker 1 (09:57):
One more question before I let them go. This just
popped in my mind for Kevin Long step two in Perrsville.
He's the plant manager and you can ballpark this. But
you know, you guys make so many different products, and
I'm sure when people think about, you know, summertime or
you mentioned the fall, I'm sure that that timeline of
getting those made, put together, getting them sent out, and
all those kind of things, you guys are probably working
(10:17):
quite a bit ahead then, right, I would assume we do.
Speaker 2 (10:20):
We're seasonal. We got really two big seasons, especially when
you look at toys. We have the spring season, so
we build a lot of inventory late fall and early
winter to hit the April May June timeframe as the
weather breaks, and then we'll be shifting now quickly to
our fourth quarter Christmas sales and getting a lot of
our kitchens and what we would call our seasonal Christmas
(10:42):
sales up and build. That's one of the reasons where
we're moving into some other areas outside of just toys
with the pool and the planner business to help us
grow and diverse some of the seasonality that goes with it.
Speaker 1 (10:55):
Yeah, it sounds like it's a busy, busy place company wide. Perrysville.
You mentioned streets, Burrow and all the great things that
they produce before I let you go, Kevin, it's been
a great conversation learning about Step two in Perisville. We
mentioned you're always looking for the right person in terms
of hiring. If somebody wanted to apply, could you give
the website again? If somebody wants more information they want
to look into a career with Step two. Maybe they
(11:16):
just they're hearing us talk this morning and they're like,
I want to find out all the products you know
that they make where I can buy. Maybe they own
something that's made by Step two in Perisville. They'd love
to look into that. Could you give us the website
a bit more to learn about the company.
Speaker 2 (11:29):
Sure, it's Step two dot com and that's a step
with the number two dot com. And again on there
you can click and see all of the different products
we produce, as well as the career opportunities and again
looking for good people to apply online and as we
have opportunities exist bringing them in and joining our team.
Speaker 1 (11:48):
Yeah. Terrific to learn about the story of Step two
in Pirisville with their plant manager Kevin Long, who's from
Ashland count We mentioned Hillsdale Graduate. Great to learn about
the company this morning. Kevin. We thank you so much
for coming in. We've enjoyed the visit and we wish
you guys continued success.
Speaker 2 (12:04):
Great thanks.
Speaker 1 (12:05):
Erin the CEO you should know shares the background invasion
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Hess CPAs and financial advisors helping you plan, grow and
thrive in your business and in life. We are excited
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