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Good jobs, small town – Bent Needle has national contracts

"Good, high-paying jobs" has become such a mantra of civic leaders and current and would-be politicians that it seems at times the phrase has lost its meaning. Particularly in Montana, the drumbeat of "good, high-paying jobs" is thumped as a cure for all ills, a panacea for all economic and social woes, the solution to all our problems and the answer to all our prayers.

By JOHN HARRINGTON – IR Business Editor

But it’s in small, isolated towns across the state that the lack of good jobs really hits home.

Take, for instance, White Sulphur Springs, the seat of Meagher County on the other side of the Big Belt Mountains from Helena, population 968. It is, by local accounts, a wonderful place to live — spectacular scenery and outdoor recreation, hunting, fishing, skiing and the venerable Smith River just minutes away, and a close-knit community where friends and family are virtually the same thing.

But beyond a collection of motels, a few retail stores, a small medical center and a few other businesses, there’s very little in the way of work to be had.

"There was no real industry here, no jobs, just like any small town," said Bryan Mikesell, who grew up in White Sulphur and stuck around to raise his family. "This is a great place to live, but like most small towns, it could use more good jobs."

Mikesell did a number of odd jobs around town before joining with his wife to start Bent Needle Enterprises, a company that does contract sewing out of a shop in a subdivision on the south side of town.

Bent Needle’s major client today is Sunrise Medical, a Colorado-based company that sells all manner of medical equipment. Bent Needle manufactures parts for the Kid Kart, a pediatric wheelchair for children with disabilities that’s designed to look like a stroller.

Bent Needle handles all the fabric and sewn components for the Kid Kart, which includes some 200-plus parts. The shop is filled with rolls of Velcro, bolts of various nylon fabrics and lots of large equipment for cutting patterns, making holes and trimming fabric.

Bent Needle has three full-time workers, plus a part-time quality control inspector who’s in one day a week. The name of the company has become something of a misnomer, as under the current deal with Sunrise, Bent Needle handles everything but the sewing in-house.

***********

BNS Enterprises Inc AKA Bent Needle Sewing

Location: 24 Shearer Rd, White Sulpher Springs

Employment: 3.0

Textile cut and sew contracting facility.

For information contact:

Mikesell, Dawn

President

P.O. Box 185

White Sulpher Springs, MT 59645-0185

Phone: 406-547-2238

Fax: 406-547-2562

***********

That includes ordering, measuring and cutting fabric, preparing raw materials for sewing, and inspecting, packaging and shipping the finished components.

The actual sewing is handled by around 18 independent contractors, most of whom work out of their homes on an as-available basis. They’re paid by the piece, and Dawn Mikesell said the rate works out to around $10 an hour.

"There are always plenty of minimum wage jobs in a small town, but not many good-paying jobs," she said.

Every other day, an order comes in from Sunrise’s plant in Ohio, telling the Mikesells how many of each component are needed. Improvements in ground shipping over the years have made filling orders a snap.

Bent Needle’s first major client was Dana Designs, a backpack manufacturer that was based in Bozeman. After sewing backpack components for several years, the Mikesells were halfway through building their expanded production facility when word came down that Dana Designs had been sold and production was moving out of the country.

With help from the Montana Manufacturing Center in Bozeman, they were eventually able to land the Sunrise contract.

The Mikesells see inexpensive overseas production as a constant threat to their operation. To stay competitive, they insist on top quality workmanship and strict adherence to deadlines.

"Our sewers have always done good work, and we’ve always been able to meet our deadlines, which makes us look good," Bryan Mikesell said. "Quality is No. 1, deadlines are No. 2."

And while even manufacturers in rural Montana feel threatened by the possibility that their work could be moved overseas, they hold a similar advantage over manufacturers in other parts of the U.S., where labor costs are higher.

The Mikesells would love to see other industries take a chance on a place like White Sulphur.

"If this works, there are other things that should work, because the quality of life here is pretty nice," Bryan Mikesell said. "I don’t see why other types of manufacturing couldn’t be done here."

http://www.helenair.com/articles/2003/10/19/business/e01101903_01.txt

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