Sometimes openness to possibilities brings rewards. Brad Heberling was a partner in Heberling & Beck Auto & Truck Accessories along Route 30 in Latrobe. He saw a number of customers looking for hitches for their pickups and SUVs. What he also noticed was that many customers were forced to settle for run-of-the-mill, painted-steel hitches, which would be attached to vehicles costing $30,000, $40,000, $50,000. Sort of like bolting a sow's ear to a silk purse -- especially annoying if the ear within a year began to rust, both on the outside and the inside.
What was needed was a stainless steel hitch: no rust, no loss of sheen, a complement to the big-money vehicle to which it was attached. Heberling came up with a hitch design, had a couple prototypes made and sent them to Westmoreland Mechanical Test & Research to see if they performed as well as they looked. They did. Around that time, Heberling took a job at a stainless steel fabricator, where he met his soon-to-be partner Gary Geruschat. Together, the pair leased 5,000 square feet of space in the former Nukote facility in Derry and formed Steel-Tec Inc. Today, the three-person shop is turning out stainless steel hitches for customers nationwide. The neophyte company soon will occupy 60 percent more space, with 2003 sales projected in the $100,000 range.
Software and systems company Bruce Meyer & Associates has increased its space 850 percent, relocating from founder Bruce Meyer's Willow Crossing Road home to formal offices at 809 Highland Ave., across from Schaller's Bakery in Greensburg. The space includes room for eight offices, a large conference room to hold seminars and do customer training plus space for future expansion.
Looking to bring the feel of the old-style apothecary back to Fairchance, Fayette County, and offering the community a place to grab a quick bite to eat, Joseph and Lisa Mollica have opened Valentine Pharmacy/Twins Treats on North Morgantown Street. The pharmacy portion of the new facility offers the usual drugstore-type items, with a drive-up window for prescriptions available. Adjacent is Twins Treats, named for the owner's twins Gino and Gianna, which will offer such treats as hoagies, wraps and hand-dipped ice cream. Grand opening for the pharmacy/eatery is Friday.
Turquoise Trails, a shop that brings the handmade jewelry of Native Americans living in the Southwest to central Westmoreland County, is open for business at 18 W. 2nd St., Greensburg. Nannette Anderson took a vacation to the desert and came back convinced there was a local market for jewelry made in Arizona and New Mexico. The shop is housed in 750 square feet of space leased from building and Crossroads Boutique owner Carol Gaffney.
This column is devoted to informing readers about changes to the business landscape in Westmoreland, Fayette and Indiana counties. If you have an item for Developments, call Rick Stouffer at 724-837-6151, send an e-mail to developments@tribweb.com, or drop us a note at Developments, c/o Business section, Tribune-Review, 622 Cabin Hill Drive, Greensburg 15601.
