>>GERRY: AFTER CLYDE MCMILLAN WAS HURT IN A FIRE USING AN INEFFECTIVE NOZZLE, A SIMPLE SKETCH ON A NAPKIN RESULTED IN
THE IDEA FOR TASK FORCE TIPS. NEARLY 50 YEARS LATER, VALPARAISO-BASED TFT NOW DESIGNS, MANUFACTURES AND
DELIVERS INNOVATIVE HIGH-PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS AND AGENT DELIVERY SOLUTIONS TO EMERGENCY RESPONDERS AROUND THE
GLOBE. TFT COMBINES EXTENSIVE ENGINEERING, PRECISE MANUFACTURING AND SUPPORT TO
HELP ITS CUSTOMERS SAVE LIVES. THE COMPANY STARTED IN THE MCMILLAN FAMILY BASEMENT IN 1971 WITH TOTAL SALES OF LESS THAN
$14,000. TEN YEARS AGO, TFT MOVED INTO ITS NEW WORLD HEADQUARTERS AND THIS YEAR IS EXPECTED TO
GENERATE MORE THAN $60 MILLION IN SALES. >>>PORTAGE-BASED BNUTTY WAS FOUNDED IN 2014 TO RAISE MONEY
FOR A LOCAL YOUTH SOCCER CLUB TODAY, THE ENTREPRENEURIAL VENTURE HAS 15 FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES AND IS EXPANDING!
THE COMPANY PLANS TO CREATE UP TO 100 NEW JOBS BY 2021 AND INVEST NEARLY $2 MILLION IN A NEW FACILITY.
THE ALL-NATURAL, ARTISANAL PEANUT BUTTER COMPANY IS SOLD ACROSS NORTHWEST INDIANA AND ILLINOIS, AS WELL AS AT WALMART
AND ON QVC. JOINING ME ARE OWNERS JOY THOMPKINS AND CAROL PODOLAK. WELCOME!
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH. >> THIS IS AGAIN BOTH SOCCER MOMS HERE AND THE WHOLE IDEA WAS TO CREATE SOME PRODUCT
FUNDRAISING PRODUCT FOR THE SOCCER CLUB IN 2014. >> ABSOLUTELY. >> TALK ABOUT THOSE EARLY DAYS
AND IT STARTED IN YOUR KITCHEN LITERALLY. WHAT WAS THAT LIKE? >> CRAZY.
[CHUCKLING] SO IF YOU'VE EVER DONE FUNDRAISING BEFORE YOU KNOW IT INVOLVES A TIME AND COMMITMENT
AND YOU ARE TRYING TO GET YOUR KIDS TO DO IT IS THE PURPOSE. WE WERE DOING A LOT OF TRAVELING FOR THE SOCCER CLUB ACROSS THE
NATION AND COMING UP ON OUR FIRST TIME GOING TO DALLAS, TEXAS FOR THE TOURNAMENT AND WE HAD DONE A FUNDRAISER AND I WAS
LEADING A FOR MY SON'S TEAM AND WE DID IT THROUGH A LOCAL COMPANY AND HE WAS SELLING GUARD DUTY -- GARBAGE BAGS AND
PRETZELS. HE SOLD A LOT OF MONEY BUT PRETZELS COME IN BOXES THIS BIG IN THE GARBAGE BAGS COME IN
BOXES THAT WAY 5 POUNDS APIECE AND I REALIZE THIS IS MY JOB. I'VE TO BE THE ONE TO DRIVE IT AROUND.
SO IT JUST KIND OF HAPPENED THAT I'M A NURSE BY MY FORMER EDUCATION AND I REALIZED WHAT WE WERE DOING STOPPIG ON THE ROAD
WAS EATING A LOT OF JUNK FOOD AND SNACKS THAT WEREN'T HEALTHY OR CONDUCIVE TO THE GAME. IF YOU WANT A GOOD OUTCOME IN
THE GAME YOU HAVE TO FUEL YOUR BODY RIGHT. SO PEANUT BUTTER SEEMED LIKE A NATURAL THING AND WE STARTED
DOING IT AND MAKING IT AT HOME AND THEN THOUGHT LET'S DO THIS LIKE A GIRL SCOUTS AND DO IT ONCE A YEAR AND WE WILL WORK
REALLY HARD AND IT WILL BE ONCE A YEAR SAY THAT AGAIN. >> THAT'S HOW SHE GOT YOU IN AS A, PARTNER IT WAS ONLY GOING TO
BE ONCE A YEAR BUT TALK ABOUT THE GROWTH IN THE TRACTION AND HOW IT GAINED POPULARITY. >> WHEN WE FIRST GOT STARTED
THAT WAS OUR BUSINESS PLAN ONCE A YEAR WE WILL MAKE PEANUT BUTTER AND SELL IT AND IT'S GOING TO BE FUN.
THAT WAS OUR BIG BUZZ WORD WE WILL HAVE SO MUCH FUN DOING THIS. PEOPLE FELL IN LOVE WITH IT AND
WITH INTERESTING FLAVORS AND DIFFERENT TWIST ON GOURMET PEANUT BUTTER WITH PRETZELS AND WHITE CHOCOLATE WITH HONEY
ROASTED PEANUTS OR TOTALLY TOFFEE TOFFEE BITS AND MILK CHOCOLATE PEOPLE FELL IN LOVE SO WE SAID WE WOULD DO IT ONCE A
SEASON WHICH IF YOU ARE A SOCCER FAN, YOU KNOW, IT'S YEAR-ROUND SO IT TURNED INTO ONCE A MONTH AND THEN SUDDENLY WE FOUND
OURSELVES EVERY WEEK AND WERE SOCCER PLAYERS AT FARMERS MARKET SELLING ALL THE PEANUT BUTTER WE BROUGHT.
THEY WERE TRAVELING FURTHER SO WE WERE FUNDING TRIPS T FLORIDA AND NEVADA AND FLORIDA AND FROM THERE SOME LOCAL STORE SHELVES
OFFERED US SOME SPACE AS WE GREW INTO THE STORE SHELVES AND STARTED WORKING WITH THE MARKETS IN INDIANA AD NORTHWEST INDIANA
GROCERS WE ENDED UP GETTING PICKED UP BY QVC AND FROM THERE THINGS REALLY GOT NOT A YEAR. >> SO QVC SELECT STORES AND
WALMART ALL OVER THE COUNTRY. YOU ANNOUNCED EXPANSION PLANS NOT LONG AGO. TALK ABOUT THAT THE FACILITY
HEADQUARTERS IN PORTAGE. >> WE'VE BEEN IN BUSINESS ABOUT FIVE YEARS IN THE FIRST COUPLE OF YEARS I DISCOUNTED IT WAS A
LOT OF EXPERIENCE AND WHEN WE MOVED INTO WHAT WE THOUGHT WAS TOO BIG TO IMAGINE 2000 SQUARE FEET WE QUICKLY MOVED OUT OF
THAT. WE WERE RINSING -- RENTING FOR DIFFERENT UNITS AND RUNNING ACROSS THE PARKING LOT AND IT
WAS NOT A GOOD FLOW SO WE LOOKED FOR SOMEPLACE ELSE IN PORTAGE WELCOMED US WITH OPEN ARMS AND WE'VE BEEN VERY, VERY HAPPY.
BEEN THERE ALMOST A YEAR AND NOW WE HAVE PLENTY OF SPACE AND CONSTANTLY EXPANDING AND PUSHING OUR BORDERS AND LEARNING MORE
THINGS. >> AS WE WRAP UP LET'S TALK ABOUT WHAT'S NEXT. NATIONAL DISTRIBUTION AND YOU
CONTINUE TO GROW. WHAT'S NEXT? >> WE'VE BEEN REALLY EXCITED. OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH QVC HAS
EXPANDED AND IT USED TO BE EVERY FEW MONTHS NOW WE ARE IN ABOUT 3,000 GROCERY STORE SHELVES ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND GROWING
OUR CORPORATE GIFT BASKETS AND STARTING TO DO GIFT BASKETS AND SNACK SIZE AND TRAVEL SIZE SO WE ANTICIPATE -- WE ARE HIRING
RIGHT NOW LOOKING TO CONTINUE TO EXPAND. >> DID YOU EVER THINK IT WOULD GROW INTO SOMETHING LIKE THIS?
>> NO. IF I CAN MENTION ONE THING SPENDING THIS MUCH TIME WITH THE KIDS WE REALIZED ACADEMICALLY
THERE WERE CHALLENGES. SO WE INCORPORATED THE SCHOLARS PROGRAM INTO IT SO A LOT OF WHAT WE DO IS SOCCER BASED AND SOCCER
FAMILY BASED ON A LOT OF THE EDUCATION. SO WE GIVE MONEY BACK TO THE KIDS AND TAKE THEM ON COLLEGE
VISITS AND HELP THEM WITH FAFSA, BUT EDUCATION IS HUGE BECAUSE WE DON'T WANT THEM TO GROW UP WITHOUT KNOWING WHAT THEIR TRUE
POTENTIALS ARE IN LIFE. >> ARTISANAL PEANUT BUTTER, BNUTTY, MULTIPLE FLAVORS AND I CAN TELL YOU IT'S OUTSTANDING
AND GROWING IN A BIG WAY.