Made in America
by Tina Manzer
 Mahar Manufacturing in Van Buren, Arkansas, has been successfully manufacturing cots, restmats and school furniture for our industry for nearly 25 years. It’s owned and operated by James Mahar and his wife, Pam, while the very public face of the company has been its director of marketing and sales, Jim Kolettis. As a result, at least to me, Mr. Mahar has been shrouded in mystery. Not anymore. In a recent interview, I discovered that his penchant for industrial manufacturing began when he was very young, and that his efforts, even then, were award-winning. Here’s more of what we talked about.
How did you get into manufacturing rest products and furniture for schools and daycares?
James Mahar: In school, I enjoyed and excelled in shop classes and industrial arts. I was awarded the prestigious Golden Hammer Award five times: three Best in State for Industrial Arts and two for the Stanley Tools National Contest. When I graduated, I went to work for an NSSEA-member company, but it went out of business two years after I started. I became the plant manger for a local manufacturer, and five years later my wife Pam and I started Mahar Manufacturing.
It remains a family business. My son Michael is the plant supervisor. His wife Adrienne works in the office doing order entry and customer service. Our daughter Miranda also works in the office doing customer service and reconciliation of freight bills.
What’s your favorite part about what you do?
Hearing people comment about how pleased they are with the quality of our products.
What’s the most difficult part?
The continuous – and biggest – challenge is dealing with the fluctuating costs of raw materials. Our costs change, sometimes dramatically, on an almost order-by-order basis, but because of the catalog nature of our industry, prices must hold firm for a year.
Lately, the challenge has been the economy, the economy, and the economy.
How important is “Made in America” to your customers?
We would like to think that it’s very important to them that we help to keep jobs in this country, but price is always an issue. All of our products are made here by us, in our Arkansas factory, using all U.S.-made materials. Many of our competitors manufacture their products completely overseas where there are lower labor costs and less regulation. Or, their products’ components or some of their components are made overseas and assembled here in the U.S. Either way, it reduces their cost.
How do you reach your customers?
We exhibit at both the NSSEA School Equipment Show and Ed Expo. From time to time Jim Kolettis assists customers by being “the guy from the factory” at trade shows where they are the exhibitor.
NSSEA continues to give us exposure to many of the dealers in the school supply and equipment industry. We are proud to be members, and comprise one of the association’s biggest cheering sections. Its member base continues to expand because not only is it the leading trade organization for the educational products marketplace, it also continues to offer its members networking opportunities at high-quality trade shows, product knowledge, training and specific market information.
What’s the future look like for your company?
We hope to continue to grow and expand our product offerings by fulfilling the needs of our customers. By forming a partnership with them, it benefits both our companies. We know that by helping them to grow and caring about their success, it will help us to grow and succeed.
What will happen with the industry as a whole is the thousand-dollar question here. The answer really depends on how soon the economy picks up and the amount of funds that become available to schools.
What’s your advice to teacher resource retailers who are thinking of adding furniture and equipment to their mix?
The best way to answer this is by telling you about an incident that happened a number of years ago when we were exhibiting at NSSEA’s Ed Expo. As two ladies were passing our booth, Jim asked them if they sold to daycares and pre-schools. One of the ladies said, “Oh, we don’t sell that type of stuff.” Coincidentally, Nancy Korte of Learning Gizmos was in our booth. She quickly introduced herself and pointed to the exhibitor across the aisle who displayed rubber stamps and stamp pads. She asked the ladies, ‘Do you sell those in your store?’ to which they answered, yes. “How many of those do you need to sell to make a $50 profit?” asked Nancy. “A whole bunch,” was the answer. Nancy put her hand on one of our pieces of furniture and said, “You only have to sell one of these.”
Retailers should also know that it isn’t necessary to stock our products; we will drop-ship directly to their customers at no extra charge.
How would you advise retailers to ride out the recession?
Reach out to a broader customer base by expanding your product line to include cots, rest mats, tables, chairs, and furniture in your offering.
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