Customers: Old or New ... it's fun when you run into them in an unexpected way!

Happy April 27, 2011 to everyone! We hope the weather in your area is pleasant and you are not in harm's way. However, we know that much of the U.S.A. has been a little unseasonal this April.

It has turned out to be a great day today. Four conversations that were outstanding this afternoon ...

• Meet a early customer of my grandfather's,


• Visited with a current customer, who passed on his personal experience with my father that was quite remarkable, as well,


• Had a good visit with a potential new customer, and


• Talked to one of our distributors, who recently made his largest order to date

It started out this afternoon at the bank. Waiting in line, I struck up a conversation with a retiree, who I had never had the pleasure of meeting. We were talking about the weather and how it was impacting the move of the Czeck Museum (part of our local flood recovery). He was a nice gentleman and he asked me for my name. So, I told him my name and it turns out he was an old customer of my grandfather.

Now, my grandfather would have been 110 years old this year. Irv passed away in 1975, so it is not every day I get an opportunity to talk to someone who knew my grandfather as well as this gentleman did.

The gentleman started out by describing the business my grandfather had been a part of prior to starting Tucker Manufacturing Co., Inc. in March of 1945. Flood recovery has been on the minds of our community in Cedar Rapids for a long time, since June 2008. Our original business location was at A Street and 22Nd Avenue SW, right in the Czech Village district of Cedar Rapids. The gentleman's business was right across where the museum is today. Had Tucker Manufacturing Co. been at that location in 2008, we would have been destroyed. Thankfully, we moved up to higher ground decades ago. However, many businesses and residents of Cedar Rapids weren't has fortunate.

The gentleman talked about the products that we first made at Tucker Manufacturing Co. like it was yesterday. He spoke about the As we stood outside in the parking lot having this conversation, I just thought to myself how small the world really is at times.

Later in the day, the other three conversations occurred. The gentlemen from California passed on the time the story, when he meet my father "Tommy" at his business. Another "small world" moment.

April has been a very interesting month. Often, the grind of the world today gets one down. It's nice to have a day, where one can reflect and rejoice in the fruit of one's labor. And, today I saw it through the eyes of one of my grandfather's customers, one of my father's, as well as one of my own. Further, it was nice to hear from a new prospect looking to purchase their first Tucker® Pole model.

We are preparing to make a price increase in 2011. One of my distributors today stated to obvious. It's time that we raise prices. So, we will be passing on a price increase soon. The gas prices are impacting raw materials prices heavily. Our last price increase was in 2008. Tucker Manufacturing Co., Inc. is located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa USA. Our products are manufactured right here in the State of Iowa, since 1945. Since 1957, we have focused on the manufacturing of the first commerical waterfed pole system. Originally called the Tucker High-Level Window Washer, it is better known as a Tucker Pole today.

We want to say thank you to our long-term, new, old, future and existing customers. We appreciate your business. Thank you for sharing a part of our long and enjoyable history.

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