Posing for a photo outside their office in downtown Cassopolis, the team at Janel Industries cracked jokes and laughed as they huddled around their owner and a small glass trophy declaring them the best small business in the region.
In May, the business was awarded a best small business award for government contracting by the State of Michigan. Nominated by Kalamazoo’s Procurement Technical Assistance Center, Janel Industries was one of eight regional awardees in the state.
The office received a letter from Gov. Rick Snyder informing them of their win.
“Getting this award pretty impressive considering where we started and where we ended up,” said co-owner Janel Kuntz.
Janel Industries, a defense contractor that specializes in packaging, was founded 15 years ago by Larry and Janel Kuntz. The company was only meant to stay in business for a few years to supplement the couple’s income before Larry retired, but the business became successful enough that it is still running today
Janel’s business model may seem complicated to those who have never had experience with government contractors, but in fact, the process is relatively simple.
Vice President of Operations Chad Perrin described the company as basically a middleman between the government and manufacturers.
When the federal government needs a part, they put out a bid. Janel then sends that information to their manufacturers who then bid Janel to make that item. Janel then quotes the government for the production of the needed part.
This both saves manufacturers money, and saves them the headache of dealing with the government, Perrin said.
“The government has very specific rules,” said Donald Plude, vice president of business development. “That’s what we bring to the market. We know those. We follow those rules. And we thrive within those rules.”
Those who work for Janel Industries are no strangers to being recognized for their hard work.
In their first few years of business, Janel received a bronze star from the Defense Supply Center for readiness and support. They have also been recognized by Rep. Fred Upton.
“Fred Upton actually spoke about us,” Perrin said. “That was for a readiness award, basically saying that we support our troops very well with on time delivery and quality parts.”
Janel Industries is also ranked as a top 500 defense contract management agency.
The 10 person team feels that there is a true sense of community and support at Janel, which has helped them to be successful enough to receive recognition.
“This isn’t a normal business,” Perrin said. “We really do everything we can for our employees.”
The sense of family and success starts with the leadership the Kuntzs provide, Plude said.
“What makes this business good is that the two owners are very good,” Plude said. “They didn’t build this from the ground up. They brought a lot of above average knowledge with them. It’s a combination of very good manufacturers and experienced leadership.”
In addition to creating a sense of community within their own company, Janel Industries has been very involved in the Cassopolis community.
The village is a great place for Janel Industries to be located, as the Midwest is the heart of the industrial base, Plude said.
Over the years, the business has donated many times locally, from supporting the arts community and little league teams.
Many of the employees at Janel also coach local sports teams. Perrin himself is the junior varsity football coach at Ross Beatty High School.
Plude feels that Janel is an asset to the community because they bring jobs to the area. He used the fact that all 10 of their current employees live in Cass County as evidence of this.
In the future, Janel Industries plans to keep growing and hopes to win more awards.
“Our goal is to take care of our customer which is the U.S. military,” Janel Kuntz said. “We want to keep supplying our troops with the things they need to help keep us safe.”