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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Happy svatého Josefa den všem from everyone at Tucker Manufacturing Co., Inc.

Happy svatého Josefa den všem or as we would say in English ...

Happy St. Joseph's Day everyone!

Today, March 19, 2010 is St. Joseph's Day. Tomorrow, our community will celebrate with the 33rd annual St. Joseph's Day Parade. Traditionally, here in Cedar Rapids, the Irish enjoy St. Patrick's Day and the Czech enjoy St. Joesph's Day. Of course, we can all enjoy celebrating being Irish and Czech once a year.

Tucker Manufacturing Co., Inc. will celebrate our 65Th anniversary this year. We have been located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa USA, since the beginning. Our original location was very close to today's National Czech & Slovak Museum location, that was dedicated in 1995 by presidents Bill Clinton of the United States, Václav Havel of the Czech Republic and Michal Kovác of the Slovak Republic. The National Czech & Slovak Museum was flooded during the Flood of 2008 that impacted our community of Cedar Rapids.

In 1945, Tucker Manufacturing Co., Inc. was founded by I.L. (Irv) Tucker, who is Robin Tucker's grandfather. Robin's father, I.L. (Tommy) Tucker began working at Tucker in 1945 as well. Robin's maternal grandmother is a 100% Czech. Robin's father, in his early school days in Cedar Rapids, lived in one of the Czech neighborhoods and attended the original Hayes School in Cedar Rapids. It was common, during Tommy's early years to hear Czech spoken here in our community.

tucker pole

Over the years, the Tucker® Pole Window Washers and Exterior Maintenance Systems have been used at various college and university campuses. We are proud to congratulate the University of Northern Iowa, located in Cedar Falls, in the Panthers first round win in the NCAA Tournament on Thursday night in Oklahoma City. UNI is a customer of the Tucker Pole, along with a variety of colleges and universities.

UNI wins NCAA opener against UNLV, 69-66‎ - Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier

UNI 69, UNLV 66. That score won't soon be forgotten in the Cedar Valley. "Our program is very proud of the (NCAA Tournament) win we had 20 years ago against ...

Robin Tucker will be attending the Rotary Club of Cedar Rapids meeting at Noon as the Club resumes weekly meetings in the New Year

Rotary International is a worldwide organization of service clubs.

Rotary Club: a group of business people in a town organized as a service club and to promote world peace

The object of Rotary is to encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of worthy enterprise and, in particular, to encourage and foster:

1. The development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service;


2. High ethical standards in business and professions, the recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations, and the dignifying of each Rotarian's occupation as an opportunity to serve society;


3. The application of the ideal of service in each Rotarian's personal, business, and community life;


4. The advancement of international understanding, goodwill, and peace through a world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of service.

The Four-Way Test of things we think, say or do:

1. Is it the truth?

2. Is it fair to all concerned?

3. Will it build goodwill and better friendships?

4. Will it be beneficial to all concerns?

The Rotary Club of Cedar Rapids normally meets at Noon on each Monday at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Downtown Cedar Rapids. The nickname of our club is Downtown Rotary. The Cedar Rapids area now has Rotary Clubs meeting each and every weekday in our community. Robin Tucker has had the pleasure of being in Rotary International the past twenty years. He is a third generation member of the Downtown club. Robin's father, Tommy Tucker, is a member of Rotary International, as was the founder of Tucker Manufacturing Co., Inc., I.L. "Irv" Tucker, Robin's grandfather.

Monday, January 4, 2010

CROWNE PLAZA HOTEL
Today's Speaker and Program:

Gail Naughton, President, CEO of

National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library

The Rotary Club of Cedar Rapids is in District 5970 of Rotary International.

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