Great Lake
GREAT LAKES PIPE & TUBE, INC. “If we do decide to produce the 10- and 12-inch pipe internally, it could solve our overstaffing problem,” Mark Rubin, owner of Great Lakes Pipe & Tube, Inc. (GLPT), remarked to Vinny Patricko, the plant manager. “I’m reluctant to lay anyone off or even cut back hours. It’s not good business and it’s not the right thing to do if it can be at all avoided.”
THE FIRM Mark Rubin had no intentions of starting his own firm in 1972. Since graduating from college in 1964, he had worked for ML Pipe, a company based in Youngstown, Ohio. In January 1972, the company decided to relocate to New Jersey, and Rubin went also. Rubin and his wife were quite unhappy in Virginia, mainly because they felt so distant from their relatives, nearly all of whom were located around Youngstown. In May of 1972, he decided to move back to Youngstown and start his own pipe company.
Rubin felt he understood the manufacturing side of the piping business “inside and out.” He recognized, however, that in order to be successful, he needed marketing and financial expertise. By his own admission, Rubin made “many mistakes” during the first 18 months, but nonetheless, the business surged ahead. By the third year, it was clear not only that the company would be successful, but that it had the potential to prosper.
And prosper it has. GLPT operates on 14 acres and employs 31 people. In fiscal year 1991, sales totaled nearly $25 million despite a nationwide recession and the highly competitive nature of the piping business.
Rubin attributes his success to two factors: service and dedication to quality. While many firms are concerned with the quantity of pipe they produce, right from the start Rubin was dedicated to manufacturing the best quality of pipe possible. He often tells his employees, “If we achieve quality, the quantity will take care of itself.” The company also provides exceptional service. GLPT keeps an unusually large
THE FIRM Mark Rubin had no intentions of starting his own firm in 1972. Since graduating from college in 1964, he had worked for ML Pipe, a company based in Youngstown, Ohio. In January 1972, the company decided to relocate to New Jersey, and Rubin went also. Rubin and his wife were quite unhappy in Virginia, mainly because they felt so distant from their relatives, nearly all of whom were located around Youngstown. In May of 1972, he decided to move back to Youngstown and start his own pipe company.
Rubin felt he understood the manufacturing side of the piping business “inside and out.” He recognized, however, that in order to be successful, he needed marketing and financial expertise. By his own admission, Rubin made “many mistakes” during the first 18 months, but nonetheless, the business surged ahead. By the third year, it was clear not only that the company would be successful, but that it had the potential to prosper.
And prosper it has. GLPT operates on 14 acres and employs 31 people. In fiscal year 1991, sales totaled nearly $25 million despite a nationwide recession and the highly competitive nature of the piping business.
Rubin attributes his success to two factors: service and dedication to quality. While many firms are concerned with the quantity of pipe they produce, right from the start Rubin was dedicated to manufacturing the best quality of pipe possible. He often tells his employees, “If we achieve quality, the quantity will take care of itself.” The company also provides exceptional service. GLPT keeps an unusually large