Jamie VanEffen
Ann Arbor, MI (USA)
Role(s):
Founder/Owner/Principal
Acme Glassworks
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Startup
Location:
Ann Arbor
Industry:
Manufacturing
Year Founded:
2007
Number Employees:
1-10 people
Description:
We are a borosilicate glass color rod and frit manufacturer. We have a line of ten colors and are constantly developing more. We provide a unique and affordable product to the glass blowing (URL removed) producing small batches with a small crew,along with making our own equipment we can focus on quality and keep cost down.
We have been in business for just over a year and have mostly worked on R&D, and what i call guerilla marketing. Lacking the proper funds to really market our products we have not been able to push our product to far domestically. We have had serious interest from the Asian market, China in particular where there is a large demand for raw glass materials. We have traveled to Zhengzhou in the Henan province and met with a trading company there and discussed the possibility of exportation. We have just recently sent a representative of our company to that same city to meet with another company and complete a contract, and since that last visit we have had several contacts from various trading and glass companies. In particular we have been approached by one very large glass company to export our raw materials and import their finished products (tubing, rods) which is very appealing to us because we would like to enter the distribution market in order to generate income while we continue to develop our products.
Our pickle is that we need funding immediately to get ourselves caught up and pay for certification of our products for export, hire a proper crew, expand our facility (We are currently working in a very small space which in no way adequate for the possible orders we have been offered), and expand on our equipment and raw materials stock. As well as order stock for distribution in the Midwest and possibly nationwide. And truely get this potential large manufacturing business off the ground and running full speed.