Gov. Ted Strickland introduced its president, John Grabner, and Cardinal as an example of green jobs to an audience of more than 800 last month at a meeting of the American Wind Energy Association held in Cleveland.
-snip
Since Cardinal's foray into the wind business two years ago, it has added 15 jobs, not counting the two people hired this week, Grabner said Thursday at the plant, as a swirl of workers tried to prepare for Obama's visit.
-snip
The work force grew to 50 by 2006 -- and then came a small, emergency order for a few bolts manufactured to exacting specifications.
"We got it out in a week," Grabner recalled. It turned out that the customer was a turbine maker in Iowa. Cardinal geared up for the emerging market.
Grabner sees much faster job growth if the government steps in.
"If our growth goes as expected this year, we'll add another 40 jobs," he said. "And we expect a similar annual percentage growth through 2013."
The company, with $10 million in annual sales, runs three shifts, said Wendy Brugmann, chief operating officer, but the second and third shifts have much smaller work crews and could be expanded.
http://blog.cleveland.com/business/2009/01/cardinal_fastener_supply_co_to.html#more