HGR loves to partner with other organizations, as well as provide sponsorship, to promote manufacturing in Ohio. This year, we have had the opportunity to work with three groups of folks doing amazing things to stimulate the growth of the area and enhance the life of its residents.

First, the company worked with Bob Torrelli, Euclid High School Science Department chair and physics teacher, and his six-student robotics team to prep for its Apr. 25 Alliance for Working Together (AWT) RoboBot Competition as part of the science, technology, engineering, arts and technology (STEAM) initiative. AWT is a coalition of more than 75 local companies that encourage youth to consider jobs in manufacturing. This year, 35 high schools participated. The team worked for more than six months to create an indestructible, remote-controlled battle robot made from a 15-pound aluminum frame with three motors, heat-treated steel blades and Lexan armor. Its robot faced off in battle with the robots of the other high school teams. Euclid made it to the fourth round of competition, tying for ninth place out of 35 and won the award for best sportsmanship. Several working sessions with breakfast were held at HGR’s office at 20001 Euclid Avenue. The company offered design tips and provided materials and equipment. Members of the team and Torelli will be at HGR’s Oct. 1 dedication ceremony and sale to show off their robot and answer questions, as well as to be recognized by HGR for its efforts. The 2016 team is beginning to organize. Stay tuned for a future blog post on its progress.

Next up, HGR is sponsoring the Sept. 30 [M]Power Manufacturing Assembly put on by The Manufacturing Advocacy and Growth Network, aka MAGNET, at the John S. Knight Center in Akron, Ohio. The event’s purpose is to address the “challenges of today’s changing manufacturing landscape. “The event will explore how attendees can maintain their competitive advantage, tackling essential issues of workforce development, ideation strategy, digital marketing optimization, and operations management,” states MAGNET’s website. This year’s keynote speaker is Sean Stack, CEO of Aleris. HGR has purchased a table for 10 and will have a display table to distribute information. In addition, we partnered with MAGNET to create a manufacturing resource center inside of HGR’s customer lounge. The center will house pamphlets, handouts, books and periodicals that provide information about manufacturing opportunities, as well as information about MAGNET’s services and programming. HGR also will create an online center with links to additional resources.

Last but not least, HGR is sponsoring Ingenuity Cleveland’s eleventh-annual Ingenuity Festival on Oct. 2-4; this year, it’s being held at Voinovich Park. This festival of creativity and innovation celebrates art, music, technology and the maker’s movement. We will have a table at the event and host information on Ingenuity Cleveland in our new resource center. HGR also provided monetary and in-kind contributions for the Iron Architect event, a competition where four teams compete to create a unique seating environment within the festival grounds using an array of materials, $200 at Home Depot and a “secret ingredient” that will be selected from the plethora of items available at HGR’s showroom.

(Photo courtesy of Belt Magazine (http://beltmag.com/train-dreams/)

In anticipation of HGR’s Oct. 1 dedication of its recently purchased building as “Nickel Plate Station,” we wanted to take you on a walk down memory lane to the history of the site from the 1800s to the present day.

• In the 1800s, the Logan Family farmed 68 acres of land along Euclid Avenue in the Village of Euclid then sold the land to a realty company in 1912.
• 1912-1926: The realty company and the Village fought over the land’s usage as commercial versus residential, respectively. In 1926, the Supreme Court found in favor of the Village as the landmark case that enabled fledgling zoning laws.
• 1942-1945: In spite of the residential ruling, The Defense Plant Corporation, part of the U.S. government, built then leased a wartime plant to Cleveland Pneumatic Aerol to manufacture landing gear and rocket shells for the WWII effort.
• 1945: The war ended, and the land became vacant.
• 1946: The structure housed Cleveland Ordinance District offices, surplus goods and federal government offices.
• 1947: Ferguson Tractor bought the property with the intent to create a tractor factory, but that plan never came to fruition; so, the land was sold to The Fisher Body Division of General Motors.
• 1948: Fisher Body began manufacturing bodies for delivery trucks and Chevy and Oldsmobile station wagons then transporting them for assembly via a rail loading bay inside the building that was a stopping point for The Nickel Plate Road, a rail line that connected New York, Chicago and St. Louis since 1881.

• 1958: 100,000 units were produced by 2,900 employees, including bodies for the El Camino.
• 1960: Bodies for convertibles were added to the line.
• 1965: The Euclid plant became the sole producer for two muscle cars, the Oldsmobile Toronado and Buick Riviera.
• 1970: The cost of manufacturing auto bodies and transporting them to final assembly plants became too expensive. GM stopped production and retooled the plant into a sewing center to make interior trim and upholstery.
• 1970-1980: Labor disputes and strikes took place.
• 1972: The plant began to make 100,000 units of GM’s first airbag system for high-end 1974-1976 cars, but stopped when only 10,000 were sold in three years.
• 1982: GM planned to close the plant but UAW workers nationwide negotiated concessions to save the plant, where it continued to make seat covers, door panels, sun shades and other interior parts.
• 1986: The plant received a contract to make boat seats and cushions for Sea Ray Boats.
• 1993: GM closed the plant.
• 1996: GM sold the property to a development company.
• 1998: HGR Industrial Surplus moved into a portion of the building to realize the owner’s vision of an ongoing industrial garage sale.
• 2014: HGR purchased the entire 900,000-square-foot building and property and began improvements.
• Oct. 1, 2015: HGR officially dedicates the property and facility, including tenant space, as “Nickel Plate Station.”

What’s in the future for HGR, Nickel Plate Station and the City of Euclid? Stay tuned!