Local Company Hits and Misses

Community Comments

American River-Package One
This packaging-materials manufacturer and janitorial  supply distribution company may have far-flung operations in the West, but CEO Tom Kandris says moving to a common software platform this year has enabled it to grow without adding many employees. Sacramento-based with facilities in Sparks, Nev.; Madera; and Salt Lake City, the company has grown to $44 million in annual revenue and about 200 employees. "We had hoped to acquire another company this year, but that has not materialized," Kandris says. It did add 20,000 square feet on Pell Drive for its new co-packing business, which repackages food items, often for gift-packs. It also has been working with Intel and AT&T on testing radio frequency identification tag technology, known as RFID, an inventory-control system moving into big-box retailing. "We did some with our own facility, some with customers outside. We hope to have some paying customers by the end of the year," Kandris says.

Capitol LLC Digital Document Solutions
Managing Partner Lucas Mageno started Capitol LLC Digital Document Solutions nearly 10 years ago at 555 Capitol Mall in a cramped room filled with copying machines. The company grew to 340 employees, a national data center in Phoenix, a check-coding center in Houston and branches in New York, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles and San Francisco, but 2006 saw a need for reinvention despite $22 million in revenue the previous year. Mageno has sold the "traditional services divisions" of Capitol to long-term employees. However, according to Mageno via email, "I have launched a software company and still work closely with all my offices. I did sell the traditional services divisions, but the technology division I still hold 100 percent of and all the software intellectual property associated with that sector. I have technology centers within all the divisions that I have run for the last 10 years and so 'selling' is probably the wrong term. I spent nearly $1 million on developing my own e-discovery software that focuses on foreign language email management for litigation matters. I am doing work currently in Korea and Japan for Fortune 100 firms and have retained the Capitol brand and name."

Composite Engineering Inc.
Flying high might be how owners Mike and Amy Fournier feel about their defense contracting company, which is building remote-controlled miniature jets for target practice by the Air Force and also working with the private sector. CEI specializes in fabricating carbon fiber parts, which are more temperature-resistant than metal, along with being lighter and stronger. The Air Force contract has a potential of $200 million. So far, outlays have reached $125 million. CEI has shipped 50 of the "skeeter" planes, and 114 are on order. With 250 employees, CEI has branched out to offices on Douglas Boulevard in Roseville but also remains in its 70,000-square-foot plant on Raley Boulevard near McClellan Park. "It's an exciting time to work here, and there are a lot of opportunities we're going after," says CEI spokesman Matt Cano.

Continued...