By Vicki Johnson
Ohio Correspondent

NAPOLEON, Ohio — Living on the cutting edge of agricultural technology while providing traditional farm services, the diversity of Custom Agri Systems is its strength. Based in Ohio, the company has been family-owned by Rick and Esther Storch since it opened in 1982.

It offers a variety of agriculture-related products and services. One is grain-handling products such as farm and commercial grain dryers, bins, air systems and augers under the company name of Custom Dryer Services LLC, which installs grain systems across the country.

Custom Ag works in all states and Rick Storch is often out leading the work. “I run a crew in the summer on the dryers,” he said. “When it gets cold, I come back to the office.”

He and Esther work at the Napoleon office from 7 a.m. most mornings until nine or 10 every night. “We just enjoy the business. We built this business on service,” he said. “We’re here for service for the customers. We made a commitment that we’re going to be there.”

In addition to individual farmers, Custom Ag provides services for large farm-related companies such as the Anderson’s, ethanol plants and grain elevators.

“No matter what the times are, still that bushel of corn has to go through and it wears something out,” Storch said.

The main office and the Upper Sandusky, Ohio, location have machine shops for welding and fabrication. For the past two years, the company has been in the fabrication business to make equipment to order for its customers. The new Upper Sandusky location, formerly known as Keaton Welding and Machine, is expanding the fabrication portion.

“We build our own equipment and conveyors, chain drags and bucket elevators,” Storch said.

At Napoleon, the company also sells, repairs and offers parts for electric motors – either at the shop or at the customers’ sites. In addition, Custom Ag provides millwright services, livestock and poultry equipment and material handling equipment, as well as crane rentals.

The company has grown to six locations. In addition to its Napoleon location off U.S. Highway 24, the company has a new branch in Upper Sandusky and recently changed locations from Bellevue, Ohio, to Attica, Ohio. Others are Custom Ag in Coldwater, Mich.; Yagel Grain Systems in Columbia City, Ind.; and the newest, Custom Agri Builders, in Washington, Ind.

Custom Ag employs about 100 people year-round and about 150 during the warm-weather season. And those numbers continue to grow.

One of the latest product offerings is new technology in renewable energy. Since June of last year, Custom Ag has been selling and installing Sky Stream wind turbines for individual farms and households.

“It’s been absolutely phenomenal – all the information we’ve learned,” said Barry Ranzau, Custom Ag’s marketing director.
He erected the first turbine in his yard near North Ridgeville and has added 16 more in northwestern Ohio since then. The company has been working on erecting a wind turbine at its Napoleon location for two years. The pioneer project required much paperwork and zoning permits. The foundation has been poured and the pole and turbine are expected to be erected soon.

Expansion has been frequent at Custom Ag in the last few years. Rather than depending on outside companies, Storch said Custom Ag is finding opportunities for offering a variety of services.
“It’s not that we don’t have any direction,” he said. “We’re just trying to do more of it ourselves. We’re also very conservative and we watch what we do when we go forward and expand.”

And he doesn’t plan to stop growing. “We’re still looking to expand again,” he said. “I know there are people out there who don’t even know we’re here yet.”

He said a couple of other business deals are in the works.
“I think if you’re going to do anything, you want to do it when the economy is bad,” he said. “Our customer is the farmer. They are thinking it’s a little bit slow, but we’re trying to gear up and do more in-house stuff.

“In agriculture, the (economic) swings aren’t as wide as it is in the auto industry,” Storch added. “We’re just going back to the way it was four years ago. For the last four years, we’ve had ethanol.”
He said farmers have become used to economic instability. “We wonder what we’re going to do this summer,” he said. “That’s the way it’s always been.”

In the beginning, Storch said he started the business by repairing grain dryers and other farm equipment at farm sites.
“I slept in a lot of customers’ driveways and worked on their dryers at three o’clock in the morning,” he said.

He carried a welder, torch and dryer parts in the back of his Ford station wagon. Later, his work became so much in demand that his brother, Gary, joined him.

Both men were self-trained. As the business grew, they started hiring people to help them.

He didn’t think about creating a large business. “It just happened very gradually,” he said. “I always said I wanted to take steps, and it was time to take another step.”

He said integrity is the key.

“If you’re out there being honest with your customers and give them a good product, you’ll fly,” he said. “We try to give our customers good products and be honest with them and we’re loyal to the business.

“Not all the customers see it that way. But I bet you 99.9 percent do.”

For more information about the business, visit www.casindustries.com