The Importance of Manufacturing: Spotlight on the Loren Cook Company

An economy with a vibrant manufacturing base leads to more research and development, innovation, productivity, exports, and middle-class jobs. It has been seen that manufacturing jobs in a community help to raise living standards, sometimes more than in any other sector.

Montgomery County is home to a host of manufacturing companies that are producing goods using the latest technologies and the raw materials that are plentiful in Kansas. These manufacturers are leaders in technology and good workplace practices, create high-quality products, and consistently innovate to keep in step with and progress in their industries. We are proud that these companies have made their home in Montgomery County, especially the Loren Cook Company in Coffeyville, Kansas. 

The Kansas workforce: An outstanding work ethic and positive attitude

Loren Cook Company, a third-generation, privately-held US manufacturer is working on expanding its factory in Coffeyville, Kansas. A senior company executive states, “Our current facility in Coffeyville manufactures ceiling and cabinet fans for applications such as bathrooms, storage rooms, and office exhaust. We will be more than doubling our footprint in Coffeyville. The new facility will manufacture rooftop and inline products specifically designed for commercial and institutional exhaust applications. The outstanding Kansas work ethic and positive attitudes of the workforce made Coffeyville our first choice for expansion. As we look to the future, this Coffeyville facility will play a vital role in the growth of the Loren Cook Company. We look forward to adding even more products and more jobs to the area!”

The company was founded in 1941 by its namesake, Loren Cook, in a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio. Under Loren's leadership, the company grew by emphasizing the quality construction of commercial products for the ventilation market, and are innovators in the design and manufacture of fans, blowers, gravity vents, laboratory exhaust systems, and energy recovery ventilators. The company’s products ventilate institutional, laboratory, commercial, and industrial facilities worldwide.

In 1964 the company expanded, with Loren's son, Jerry opening a 17,400-square-foot facility in Springfield, Missouri. Jerry took over as President in 1972 and aggressively grew the company, which now occupies nearly 1,000,000 square feet and is one of the largest manufacturers in Southwest Missouri.

Loren Cook Company: Building Quality Products in a stable Work Environment

Over the course of these past 81 years, the company has dedicated itself to building a quality product while providing a stable work environment and excellent benefits for its employees. In 2008, when the economy took a nosedive, the commercial construction market plummeted by 42% and with it, the demand for ventilation products. While the rest of the industry laid off 'unnecessary' employees, the Cook family and management team worked hard to weather the storm while continuing to provide employment and benefits to each of its employees. Not one employee was laid off and in fact, there has never been a layoff in the history of the company. Additionally, the company paid and continues to pay 100% of the health insurance premiums for its employees. This commitment to quality and its employees allowed Cook to maintain its loyal base of employees and today enjoys an average employee tenure of over 15 years. 

The Cook family believes that American manufacturing jobs are essential to a healthy US economy and all of its manufacturing space is and has always been, located on US soil. Such a position requires innovation and investment in world-class technology, facilities, and equipment. The Cook family has continuously invested, allowing the company to maintain its competitive advantage through state-of-the-art R&D and manufacturing facilities to produce the best commercial ventilation products available in the market today. 

Since its inception, the Montgomery County Action Council, or MCAC has cooperated with a diverse group of individuals and organizations on the federal, state, and local levels for the betterment of Montgomery County's businesses and citizens. If you would like to know more, please contact us here.