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Sweet marketing music

Tanner Montague came to town from Seattle having never owned his own music venue before. He’s a musician himself, so he has a pretty good sense of good music, but he also wandered into a crowded music scene filled with concert venues large and small.But the owner of Green Room thinks he found a void in the market. It’s lacking, he says, in places serving between 200 and 500 people, a sweet spot he thinks could be a draw for both some national acts not quite big enough yet for arena gigs and local acts looking for a launching pad.“I felt that size would do well in the city to offer more options,” he says. “My goal was to A, bring another option for national acts but then, B, have a great spot for local bands to start.”Right or wrong, something seems to be working, he says. He’s got a full calendar of concerts booked out several months. How did he, as a newcomer to the market in an industry filled with competition, get the attention of the local concertgoer?

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by Beth Ewen
April 2008

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AirCorps Mechanical grows revenue

INFORMER :: OPERATIONS

AirCorps Mechanical
prez grows revenue with
“opportunistic” mindset

“Opportunity and silly optimism” are two reasons behind the growth at AirCorps Mechanical Contractors in Plymouth, says President Maggy Kottman with a laugh.

Since she bought the company about four years ago, revenue is nearing $8.8 million, up from $6.25 million in 2006. The original business is providing commercial heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems.

They’ve also started a fabrication division under the name Union Curbs, which makes standard and custom curb adapters that maximize rooftop unit airflow efficiency. A promising specialty item is a large rooftop curb that reduces noise in buildings such as theaters and hospitals, Kottman says.

The biggest growth area for the firm, she says, is in outfitting cooling rooms for computers.

“The growth vehicles will be the need for energy efficiency; the regulation surrounding green; and the continued growth of Internet business is a big driver of the computer room cooling,” she says.

The company’s growth runs counter to the slump in the general construction industry. “You kind of trip over these opportunities,” she says. “We are growing bit by bit, so when there are opportunities to expand,” she’ll take a look.

“It’s really weird, because you have these numbers in your head, and I came from a totally different industry. And then you get in there and you really do have to figure things out,” she says.

“You have to be opportunistic. You have to be constantly open to looking at things in a different light.”

Maggy Kottman, AirCorps LLC:  763.231.2721; mkottman@aircorpmechanical.com; www.aircorpmechanical.com