Leonard A. Roulier, III
Vice president
Air Impurities Removal Systems Inc.
166 N. 121st St, Wauwatosa, WI, 53226
Industry: Indoor pollution control; air quality control; filtration systems both manufacturing and distribution
Number of employees: 10
Family: Wife, Amy; children, Grace, 5 and Ryan, 2
What was the smartest thing your company did in the past year?
“We restructured our sales and marketing plan to focus on specific niche markets in response to an increased demand for new product development in these specialty areas. We took advantage of our strong partnerships and long-standing client relationships to gain valuable feedback in order to develop products that would solve their unique air quality challenges.”
What’s new at your company?
“We have taken a brand (Extract-All) that is known in the industrial and laboratory sectors and expanded it to include niche markets such as art conservation, the beauty industry, dental offices, the jewelry industry, and the printing industry. It has been fascinating to learn about these diverse industries and see how our products can improve these specialized work environments. We are also working on securing partnerships with larger companies with an international presence, thus allowing us to expand our markets overseas.”
Do you plan to hire any additional staff or make any significant capital investments in your company in the next year?
“Our goal would be to expand our sales and engineering team as well as grow our manufacturing department. This will be dictated by volume and production increases. We will also continue with our advertising and marketing campaign.”
What will be your company’s main challenges in the next year?
“We will continue to work hard to establish brand awareness for our product line in niche markets. Furthermore, we will continue to focus our product development efforts to respond to the demands of these markets as well as the evolving needs of our existing customers.”
What’s the hottest trend in your industry?
“Air quality has become a hot topic in today’s world. Many stringent new air quality regulations are being put into effect both at the state and national levels. Although we’ve been offering these systems for many years, it’s recently come to the forefront of many businesses due to these stringent new regulations.”
Do you have a business mantra?
“Always offer a high quality and versatile product. Treat your customers with the same respect that you would expect.”
From a business standpoint, who do you look up to?
“My dad. His conservative and steadfast approach has managed to keep our company viable for close to four decades – through both good and bad economic times.”
What was the best advice you ever received?
“Be persistent without compromise and your efforts will be rewarded.”
What’s the funniest thing that ever happened to you in your career?
“Years ago, I was at my first trade show and one of the exhibitors had several monkeys in their booth. Of course, I was intrigued and went over to take a look. They asked me to sit down and quickly placed the monkey on my head and snapped a picture. It was both surprising and very strange!”
What do you like to do in your free time?
“I love the outdoors – walking my dogs, goofing around with my kids, spending time with my family… I also enjoy sports – I’m an avid fantasy football player! I love all different types of music and try to attend local concerts as often as I can.”
