Halo Mechanical
Old world craftsmanship,
new world thinking
Diligence and innovation were built into the company culture from the
beginning
Halo Mechanical founder Hans Loos (look at the first two letters of each
of his names to see how the firm was named) arrived in this country from
Germany with his parents in 1960. His heritage included a thorough grounding
in the work ethic and a family legacy of blacksmithing. His dad was an iron
art worker in Germany, and he himself became a sheet metal worker in 1973.
After leaving Calls Sales and Service, he began his own company in 1995
as a "hands on" owner in about 2,000-sf of rental space. "We
are a full mechanical contractor, handing everything from fabrication to
installation to service," he explains.
Building a future
Halo's spatial needs doubled in the first two months, and almost doubled
again in twice that time. The company made do for the next few years but
in 2000 built an 11,000-sf facility next to a lake in Columbia Station.
Hans redesigned what had been a sonar testing facility as a workshop that
would include new windows that look out over the lake, formerly a 72-ft-deep
quarry, and into the woods, raising the spirits of the workmen with a view
of the real world. "They see the geese landing, they are more productive,"
he says. The entryway to the complex, with a boathouse and all, is an ornate
gate and fence, all created onsite.
"It is literally a family business," says Loos. "My father
and I set every piece of steel in this building. I say we are based on old
world craftsmanship and new world innovation."
Family business
Hans has been joined by son Alex, who took an early interest in the business.
Other siblings are close emotionally but wanted to pursue careers in cosmetology
and applied intelligence. Alex has a business degree and is working on an
MBA.
Beyond that, Halo has some 16 workers, half of them local kids he has
brought in and trained, but all of them just like family. "I try to
hire locally," Loos says, "and teach them. They go through all
kinds of trainingthe more they learn, the more they become people who
can do anything. The more knowledge you have, the more valuable you are.
I have high expectations of my employees."
In the future, Halo Mechanical plans to expand its design/build work
and offer its services directly to architects and municipalities. It also
hopes to partner with a pipefitting and plumbing concern to expand business
for both. In addition, to really raise its visibility, it plans to expand
further into Lorain County work; 80% of its work is currently in Cuyahoga,
but the office itself is just over the county line. "We see it as a
growing area," says Loos.
But wherever the business unfolds, and whatever new opportunities emerge,
it will be based on the workmanship and dedication that have made Halo Mechanical
a success from the beginning. bxm
It's all in the name
The company is based on core values of integrity and innovation
While the Halo in Halo Mechanical refers to Hans Loos's first and last
names, it also refers to the spiritual values that drive the company. Halo
Mechanical was founded on "honesty and integrity, on giving value for
the dollar," says Loos. "We have a great reputation, and we will
follow through. It's not just about the money."
You can't lower your bids too much when work is hard to get because you
will have to cut quality and end up scrimping, he points out. And honesty
is a big part of it as well. "I like to sleep at night," says
Loos. "I live my job, but I enjoy what I do."
"We like to do the unusual stuff," says Loos. "We like
it when clients have a problem and they call us. It's a challenge, and it's
what makes the industry interesting," he adds. "You are not stuck
in an office, and you are always working to be faster and better."
The firm's hands-on orientation, he says, helps it work with engineers
to come up with great solutions. For instance, he says, " we saved
$112,000 by doing a redesign for St. Mary's School in Elyria. They asked
us to come up with our own design and hiring our own engineer when we then
did the parish hall."
Design/build challenges
Such design/build work intrigues Loos. "It gives you more latitude,"
he says. "We are on site and see the conditions that exist. We know
what it will take to make the system work." Subs, he says, don't often
get to be in the limelight, but theirs are the hands that make systems work.
"If you can draw it and explain it," he says, "we can build
it. Our lives revolve around what we can make."
Innovation can be seen in the firm's major investment in a programmable
touch screen coil line to fabricate ductwork, as well as other shapes, with
a 2.5 year payback on the investment anticipated. Halo also owns three of
its own scissor lifts, believing it is better to own than to rent. And better
to pay for outright, as well-the firm, as part of its Old World mentality,
does not believe in borrowing, except on one truck. "This way, if there
is a downturn, I don't worry," says Loos. "This is how I made
it through the slim times."
That goes for new technology, too. Halo handles maintenance at the Independence
Technology Center, the new "green" facility for high-tech and
medical firms. A problem of too much humidity in one of the labs was brought
to Halo's attention, with a speedy resolution. Halo also did work on the
Oatey warehouse, built by Ray Fogg Building Methods, another green building.
"The industry is moving to more energy efficiency," says Loos.
"High performance building has been more expensive, but payback is
being reduced all the time. We hope to be a big part of it." BXM
