Injection molder Grote Industries Inc. has purchased Star Headlight & Lantern Co. Inc. and made it a wholly owned holding company: Star Safety Technologies.
Star has one plant, a 110,000-square-foot facility in Avon, N.Y., about 25 miles south of Rochester. The company employs 120, and Grote plans to retain about 90 percent of those workers, Grote Industries marketing manager Kristin Bridges said April 19 by phone.
"We don't plan to reduce the workforce because we want their expertise," she added. "The acquisition gives us a great opportunity to grow. It's been part of our strategic plan for a long time."
Star has been a long-standing Grote Industries supplier of hazard and warning products. Both companies make some similar products and accessories, but for different markets. Grote supplies OEM and aftermarket vehicle lighting, as well as electrical and reflective systems.
"They [Star] are more immersed in the emergency line than we are — fire, ambulance, police — that's something new to us," Bridges said. "We're primarily in the trucking and trailer market. … We also have a presence in construction with some of the big names out there."
Star was founded in 1889. Its fifth-generation former owner and CEO, Christopher Jacobs, has agreed to stay on until September to help with the transition, Bridges said.
Grote Industries also is family owned, through four generations. William Grote founded the company in 1901. His grandson, Chief Operating Officer John Grote, has worked for the company 24 years, and John's brother, Dominic Grote, is president and CEO. Their cousin, Mike Grote, is general manager of Star Safety Technologies. The trio shares 100 percent ownership.
In addition to Star's Avon facility, Grote has seven plants: Madison, Ind. (which is also its headquarters); Apodaca, Mexico; Bogen, Germany; Shanghai and Zhuzhou, China; Grote of Canada in Markham, Ontario; and Grote Electronics in Waterloo, Ontario.