JOHNSTOWN — Strengths of the Taylor Made firm in Gloversville and its parent company were accentuated during a presentation to the Fulton County Board of Supervisors’ Economic Development and Environment Committee on Wednesday.
Taylor Made Products President David Karpinski briefed county legislators at the County Office Building about his company, which he said is doing very well.
Fulton County Center for Regional Growth President and CEO Ronald Peters — in his monthly report to the committee — said Taylor Made has about 24,000 square feet of space in its Harrison Street facility for expansion. He reported the CRG has met with local management and the relationship with the firm is strong.
He said the CRG is a “resource and partner” for the firm.
“We want Taylor Made to stay here and prosper,” Peters said.
Headquartered in Gloversville, Taylor Made Group, LLC is one of the recreational marine industry’s leading suppliers with over 1,100 employees worldwide at facilities in the U.S., Canada, Italy, Ireland and the United Kingdom. Locally, Taylor Made Products employs 175 workers while producing and distributing marine aftermarket accessories including windshields, fenders, buoys, boat covers, bimini tops, dock products, flags and more.
According to Karpinski, Lippert, a $7.4 billion leading manufacturer supplying the recreational vehicle industry, became interested in Taylor Made while looking to enter an adjacent market. This led to a year-long process between the two companies with Lippert acquiring Taylor, closing the sale in January 2018. Karpinski said Lippert has 8,000 employees worldwide. The company has 65 plants in 17 states and on international soil.
“It’s a global brand,” Karpinski said of Taylor Made. “You can see why it was interesting to Lippert.”
By the end of 2018, he said Lippert had made $200 million. He said the “really aggressive” parent entity is into acquiring various businesses. He said Lippert is a “hyper growth” company.
“They invested our $16 million in investment in new products,” Karpinski said. “There is a lot of growth in adjacent markets.”
He added that Lippert makes most of the products on recreational vehicles.
“They have a high dollar content on every RV that is sold,” Karpinski said.
But besides the business success of Taylor Made, he said one of its strengths is it is “very visible” to service in the community.
He played a video of the company that was shot in part locally, and it noted that Lippert liked the “whole package” about Taylor Made.
“We’re going to impact people’s lives for years,” the video says.
Michael Anich covers Johnstown and Fulton County news. He can be reached at [email protected]
