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John Van Etten |
When people contact John Van Etten about his company’s paint products, they aren’t looking for the everyday stuff you use to coat your walls at home. It is far more likely that they are calling from the government to obtain military-approved coatings for equipment, or from a German car manufacturing plant to purchase high-temperature exhaust coatings for automobiles. These products are just two of several that Van Etten Holdings Inc. manufactures for its clients.
The business is comprised of Wabash Products Company out of Terre Haute,Indiana; and DeHart Paint and Coatings out of Louisville,Kentucky. Both locations have chemists working to develop better technology for their customers every day. Together they produce several high-quality industrial paints and coatings, such as sound-absorbing coatings, and they specialize in high-temperature paints.
“What separates us from our competitors is our desire to develop a paint or coating that performs exactly the way the customer desires,” Van Etten said. “We do not try to sell what we have ‘on the shelf.’ We develop what you need.”
Wabash Products Company was started in 1926 in Terre Haute, Ind., and supplied a growing wood furniture business with lacquers and finishes. Over time, the business evolved and began producing several types of industrial coatings, which is what is still produced today. In 1979, Van Etten was hired by Sentry Paint and Chemical Company to run Wabash Products which Sentry had just purchased. Later, in 1999, Sentry expanded by purchasing DeHart Paint, giving it two manufacturing sites in the Midwest. Finally, in 2000, Van Etten purchased both Wabash Products and DeHart Paint from Sentry, which ultimately created Van Etten Holdings Inc.
Between the two locations, Van Etten employs 15 people. His wife, Lynn, works for him part-time and his son, John IV, has operated the DeHart Paint Plant since 2001.
“He is slowly pushing me out the door here at headquarters and will take over for me soon,” Van Etten said.
Along with the business, Van Etten hopes his son will carry on the company’s long-time membership to NFIB. Since the 1980s, he has recognized the importance of being an active member of the organization.
“I was attracted to NFIB by the whole concept of getting [small-business owners’] word out to those who make the laws, and because it has the numbers to actually make a difference,” Van Etten said.
By responding to mailings sent out by NFIB, attending local NFIB meetings and providing monetary support to the PAC, Van Etten has ensured he is doing his part to advance pro-small-business legislation.
“NFIB has helped me in many ways, but most notably it has helped push through health-care legislation that is saving my company a great deal,” Van Etten said.
Van Etten sees the greatest challenge to his business as being the recent tide of imports from third-world countries. He says these are destroying the U.S. manufacturing base and running up the national debt.
Despite the hardships of being a small-business owner, it is evident that John Van Etten loves what he does.
“The best part about being a small-business owner is selecting which 70 hours I get to work each week,” said Van Etten.
