You Make the Call-Situation 2

question 81

Essay

You Make the Call-Situation 2
Is it possible to build a $1.2-million business in a town with only 650 residents? Duane Ruh did. Ruh, 49, cofounded and is now sole owner of Little Log Company, which manufactures log birdhouses and feeders in Sargent, Nebraska. Ruh believes it is all about treating your employees right. His 32 employees enjoy flexible schedules and ample personal time. Ruh's love for his employees and loyalty to the town of Sargent (where he employs 5 percent of the population) has paid off. Clients include 65 U.S. colleges, John Deere, and National Geographic Magazine. Failure isn't an option for Ruh and his employees. Ruh says, "I think if you really love something, you can't fail at it."
(Source: Michelle Prather, "Talk of the Town,'' Entrepreneur, February 2003.
http://www.entrepreneur.com/magazine.entrepreneur/2003/February/58828.html, accessed June 12, 2007.)

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Definitions:

Contract Manufacturing

The hiring of a foreign company to produce a specified volume of the initiating company’s product to specification; the final product carries the domestic firm’s name.

Licensing

Licensing is the process whereby a company allows another entity to use its intellectual property, brand, or product for a specified period in exchange for fees or royalties.