Hollandbased Koops Inc. keeps on growing

11/24/2014
Holland­based Koops Inc. keeps on growing ­ News ­ Holland Sentinel ­ Holland, MI
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Project Manager Phil Maier from Koops, Inc. talks with client William Copeland from Grupo Antolin in Kentucky on
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the floor of Koops, Inc, which will be celebrating 25 years in business this month. Andrew Whitaker/Sentinel Staff
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By Annette.Manwell
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(616) 546­4270 Posted Nov. 23, 2014 @ 9:30 am Holland, Mich.
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Its first growth spurt took the company from the basement to a pole barn. In 2000, it moved to
its first location in Holland, expanded it and now has a second Holland location and a third in
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Greenville, N.C. The company is celebrating 25 years in business.
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Paul Brinks, now CEO, was the first employee Koops hired — while the business was still working
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out the pole barn in 1997. Koops was a mechanical engineer. He designed custom machines
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needed to make intricate parts.
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After Brinks started, a handful of other employees came on board and it was in 1998 they
agreed it was time to start building the machines they design.
Trester, 3 incumbents elected to
“We did that out of the pole barn for a while,” Brinks said. “Load them on trucks and ship them
out.”
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11/24/2014
Holland­based Koops Inc. keeps on growing ­ News ­ Holland Sentinel ­ Holland, MI
The company fared well through changes and the recession. As needed during the recession,
employees would take a voluntary week of furlough, said Dean Shafer launch engineer for the
company.
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“Everyone took ownership,” he said. “We were able to weather it.”
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The recession caused the company a flat year, probably the only year it didn’t see growth.
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Ultimately, the recession was good for Koops, it managed to gain several quality employees that
Nov. 20, 2014
were laid off from a wide variety of other companies, Shafer said.
Koops Inc., has managed to consistently grow its customer base and the geographic area in
which those customers are, including all over the U.S., Canada and Mexico, Brinks and Shafer
agreed.
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Last year, “was a really big growth year,” he said.
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In fact, its newest facility in Greenville opened because of the customer base there, Brinks said.
It had several tier 1 automotive suppliers there. Opening the shop made sense. They also liked
the city of Greenville. Though larger than Holland, there were undeniable similarities, Brinks
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said, including a popular downtown — both were recognized by Parade magazine — and it’s a
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Employee owned
In 2012, Koops sold the company he started to his employees, Brinks said. It is now a
recognized Employee Stock Ownership Plan.
“It’s been a good way for Wes (Koops) to carry on the core values,” Brinks said, adding that
being employee­owned makes for a great work environment. “We’re all in this thing together.”
When hiring, Koops leaders look at the quality of the employee versus skill, Shafer said, adding
skill can be taught.
“When we’re interviewing, we’re looking for owners,” he said
Those employee/owners handle everything from customer interfacing, 3D computer mechanical
design and electronic and pneumatic engineering of the machines the company has been hired to
build. Thursday, one employee was working on the design of a machine that would build a safety
feature for the roof of an automobile.
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11/24/2014
Holland­based Koops Inc. keeps on growing ­ News ­ Holland Sentinel ­ Holland, MI
50°
Holland
Search
eEdition | subscribe now | findnsave | newsletter
Worst weather so far moves in with cold, winds
HOME NEWS SPORTS ENTERTAINMENT LIFE OPINION OBITUARIES TOWNS
CLASSIFIEDS JOBS CARS HOMES
and snow
FEATURED »
PHOTOS VIDEOS GAMES
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Zeeland school bus slides into ditch
with students on board
NEWS NOW GVSU soccer makes NCAA semifinal BUSINESS
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... Holland­based Koops Inc. keeps
on growing
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Page 2 of 2 ­ In the back of the factory, parts
for the newly designed machines are made from
raw materials. In the front, the machines are
built.
At its simplest, “We make machines that put car parts together,” Brinks said.
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Still growing
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Koops continues to grow, its leaders agreed, saying more quality employees are needed and
there are training options, whether it’s help paying for college courses, working on a journeyman
card or starting as an apprentice.
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Brinks brought in his friend from church, Shafer, when Shafer was in need of a new start. Shafer
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later brought in Kory Boeve, who leads machine detail, when Boeve was in need of change.
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Neither had the background that fits their titles now.
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“If you can’t grow in a company, the company can’t grow,” Shafer said.
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For Brinks, hiring employee/owners is good stewardship.
“Yes, we need to grow the bottom line,” he said. “But also let people grow and use their talents.”
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The company was founded on biblical principles, Brinks said, “treat others as you want to be
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treated,” whether employee, customer or vendor.
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— Follow this reporter on Facebook or Twitter, @SentinelNetty.
» Comment or view comments Worst
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and snow
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