BELLVILLE – It’s a little-known fact that the small village of Bellville plays host to a company that does big business nationwide.
Tucked along the Richland B & O bike trail, Lodi Metals, Inc. quietly manufactures and distributes products for cargo hauling and moving companies. According to sales manager Michael Creighton, Lodi Metals sells their product from coast to coast.
However, Creighton is quick to deflect any credit for his success.
“One thing that has really helped me out personally is my faith, and God blessing our business and trusting him,” Creighton said. “He’s directed my path and helped us establish customers. We sell to a lot of big customers who have been with me since practically day one, and I’ve been very blessed to have that.”
Some of those big customers include Walmart, Tractor Supply, Best Buy, Big Lots and Value City Furniture. All are buyers of Lodi Metals’ cargo control products, including cargo bars, e-track load bars, chains, tow straps, lifting slings, and tie down straps.
Creighton got into the cargo control business when he started Lodi Metals in 1993, the company name coming from its place of creation in the village of Lodi. Though his background was in the steel industry, Creighton had the foresight to realize brokering steel was not an evergreen career.
“At some point in time I knew brokering steel would be obsolete, so I had to come up with a way to make some products,” he said. “I got into the cargo control end of the business; the pie was big enough for me to have a slice. I wanted something to sell that we made.”
Creighton took Lodi Metals from simply a distributor of cargo control materials to a manufacturer of said materials. It took some time to build relationships with both American and Chinese vendors for product components and to establish a solid cash flow, but after five years Creighton brought Lodi Metals to the point of making its own products.
“It gets easier as time goes on when you’re sitting down and discussing your finances, but when you first start you’re wondering if you’re doing the right thing,” Creighton said. “It’s challenging, and scary at times.”
Now, Lodi Metals is a leading manufacturer of cargo control materials with the ability to custom-make products like load bars and e-track bars, as well as customize straps to any length, with any hardware, and in many colors. Creighton moved the business to Bellville in 2006 after relocating his family to attend Mansfield Baptist Temple and his daughters to Temple Christian School.
“Cargo control means on the flatbed of semi trailers and in vans we control the cargo, so that means straps, load bars, things like that, and we sell a lot of products for the delivery industry – straps, blankets, dollies, to control their cargo on a truck or trailer,” Creighton explained.
Heavy duty ratchet tie-down straps have become the staple product of Lodi Metals. According to Creighton, Lodi Metals produces close to one million ratchet straps per year, and is considered one of the largest manufacturers of ratchet straps in the state of Ohio.
All of this happens under the roof of Creighton’s Bellville location at 1202 Mill Road. All products are made at this location, with about 20 employees, and products are distributed nationwide.
“With technology and the internet, I don’t think anyone is surprised of where they find businesses doing this type of work, however big or small you are everything is at your fingertips,” Creighton said.
“And it’s rewarding to contribute to the local economy; we’ve put some signs up in front of the building and since we have the bike path people who have bought from us or recognize what we do have the opportunity to go online and buy from us.”
After more than 20 years in business, Creighton has enjoyed seeing his family get involved with the business as well as the opportunity to provide employment to local people. He hopes to maintain doing business with larger companies and on a large scale to continue the future of Lodi Metals.
“Hopefully we’re here for a long time,” he said. “You’re living the American dream, you’re living what most people would love to do, and God has given me the opportunity to make something and I’m going to take advantage and be very grateful.”
