Address: 3680 North 126th Street, Brookfield, WI 53005
Website: www.grossautomation.com
Product or service offered: Gross Automation is an industrial automation controls distributor with the additional technical and engineering capability to service and support our products in the manufacturing marketplace.
Projected 2011 revenue: Undisclosed
CEO, President/Owner(s): Robert J. Gross, President/CEO
Target clientele: Manufacturing facilities, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), systems integrators, electrical contractors
Business organization memberships: MMAC/COSBE Roundtable 13; Independent Business Association of Wisconsin; and CEO Focus Roundtable Program
What has fueled your company’s growth?
We have listened to our customers and stay true to our vision statement: “Advancing the Art in Delivering Automation.” In holding to our vision, we have added additional resources to our technical capabilities, beyond what would normally be considered a part of the distribution channel. We have also added our newest group, Visilinc, which is a proprietary video visitation and arraignment system for the corrections industry.
What is the biggest obstacle to your company’s growth?
Funding the growth. We have the recipe for success but we lack the cash to build needed infrastructure, hire the people, produce the marketing campaigns and launch the next phase of the business. This isn’t about a lack of banking capabilities, but more about customers paying their bills in a reasonable amount of time and suppliers understanding the pressures that their channel is under.
Do you plan any changes in your company in the upcoming months?
Our ship is generally heading in the right direction and at a good speed for steady organic growth.
What is the outlook for the business conditions of your industry over the next several months?
Wow, wish we had that crystal ball! A lot depends on the direction of our government, both locally and nationally. The more they take, the less we can invest. Here in Wisconsin, it looks like we will experience one election or recall after another after another until one side or the other gives up. That is terrible for business and makes any prediction of the future so much harder.
