Category: Feature

Harvesting New Opportunities in the Craft Beer Industry Hops farmers and the craft beer industry are in a relationship, and it appears to be a long-term commitment. Within our global economy, proximity partnerships have always been an agribusiness mainstay. Remaining hyperlocal doesn’t apply just to restaurateurs seeking freshly-sourced ingredients for an authentic farm-to-table experience. The… Continue reading Growing Beer

Ty Sparrow, Dirt Works Drainage & Excavation LLC Ty Sparrow learned at a young age that when opportunity knocks to quickly open the door before the moment might pass him by. Ty, the owner of Dirt Works Drainage & Excavation LLC, was born with an entrepreneurial spirit. As a young man, he launched his first… Continue reading Opportunity Knocks

Sales Representative Chad Nicholson could be defined by many outstanding numbers. Nineteen years with Fratco. Three regions served. One unfailing passion for helping customers. But working at Fratco, Chad doesn’t feel like just a number— he feels like part of the family. As the self-proclaimed jokester on Fratco’s sales team, Chad was a natural fit… Continue reading Meet Chad Nicholson

Farmers feed the world. From sunrise to sunset, they care for the land, tend to animals, and work hard to maintain what they steward. Pressures can mount when you consider what providing food for the planet means. From readying crops for harvest and keeping livestock healthy to looming drought and wringing hands over commodity prices… Continue reading Managing Stress in the World of Farming

When you consider the storied history of Bart Maxwell’s family, the slogan for his hometown of Crawfordsville, Indiana says it all: “Small City…Big Possibilities.” Forty-nine miles west of the state capital and home to Wabash College, Crawfordsville was founded in 1832 along the banks of Sugar Creek, a southern tributary of the Wabash River and… Continue reading Conquering Wide-Open Spaces: Maxwell Farm Drainage

Safety Administrator & Plant Assistant If you ask Jackie Sanchez what she loves most about working at Fratco, there is no hesitation in her response: “Things are different around here every day. One day? Chaotic. The next? Quiet and calm. I like that,” Sanchez laughs. Sanchez, who has been with the company at their Francesville… Continue reading Meet Jackie Sanchez

Production Soars! Fratco is pleased to announce our manufacturing capacity has reached new heights with the addition of a second Unicor UC 1800 corrugator to our production line. Unicor’s UC 1800 produces corrugated pipe with an inside diameter between 18” and 60”. Adding a second UC 1800 corrugator has helped ramp up fabrication of Fratco’s… Continue reading Fratco Adds Second Unicor UC 1800 Corrugator

Just south of Sandusky Bay’s shores along Lake Erie lies the city of Clyde. A cozy area in Northern Ohio that served as the inspiration for a collection of short stories penned in 1919 by Sherwood Anderson and whose tree-lined streets were renowned by the National Arbor Day Foundation. Clyde is also the place where,… Continue reading It’s a Family Affair: Jim and Wendy Jett

First-Shift Supervisor After starting her career 28 years ago and now serving as the Francesville first-shift supervisor, few know Fratco as well as Cheryl Owens. Speaking of her time with the company, one word comes up over and over again: family.  When Owens battled stage four liver cancer, her Fratco family showed up. “They were right… Continue reading Meet Cheryl Owens

How the Past and Present Can Reshape Moving Forward. Farmers feed the world. From sunrise to sunset, they care for the land, tend to animals, and work hard to maintain what they steward. Pressures can mount when you consider what providing food for the planet means. From readying crops for harvest and keeping livestock healthy… Continue reading Redefining Resiliency