Last summer, ROSTA, USA learned that their South Haven area landlord needed the warehouse space they had been leasing, and that was a golden opportunity for them to find a new home capable of being far more functional and able to allow the company to cultivate their operational goals for exponential growth. The result is that the industry leader in rubber suspension and damping systems has relocated from South Haven to Benton Harbor with the help of the team at Cornerstone Alliance.
The company launched their search, secured a site in Benton Charter Township, and began office renovations and departmental moves for warehousing and shipping back in February. Last month they completed their final department moves, finished up building renovations and they are now fully operational and also appointed a new President & Managing Director of the U.S. subsidiary of the Swiss-based manufacturer.
Jeremy Thiele is the new President, a distinguished industry sales exec who has been tabbed to guide the firm’s US operations and growth expectations. His team is comprised of eight associates in the new facility and three remote sales reps who work from the road.
The ROSTA, USA unit was established in 2014 to provide direct service to customers in the U.S. and Mexico, realizing that although ROSTA was a well known name, having been marketed by an exclusive distributor for several decades, the time was right to provide direct service to North American markets.
Since that start-up four years ago the company has doubled their sales and established credibility as a Best in Class, customer service and engineering organization. The parent company in Switzerland has been an industry force since 1944.
The company is known worldwide for its professional vibration isolation solutions. The company started out solving suspension needs for truck trailers, and now the use of the ROSTA rubber spring elements has reached many industries even as they find new solutions every day where customers have implemented one or more elements in their applications, making them more competitive and profitable.
Their new leader, Jeremy is also committed to immersing the company and employees in local activities that promote the economic and community development of Michigan’s Great Southwest. With the boost from Cornerstone, Jeremy has quickly gone to work to execute his growth and expansion strategy by relocating the U.S. headquarters to 797 Ferguson Drive in Benton Harbor, across from the Sonic Drive-In restaurant just off of the I-94 interchange with M-139.
The Business Development team at Cornerstone Alliance, which is Berrien County’s lead economic development agency partnered with Loren Gerber from Core Real Estate of Stevensville to lead the efforts to secure a facility for ROSTA’s relocation.
Cathy Tilley is Business Development Manager at Cornerstone Alliance. She tells us, “ROSTA, USA is a great example of a thriving business expanding in Berrien County.” She adds, “When existing industries expand in Michigan’s Great Southwest, the competitive landscape grows stronger and there are more opportunities for Berrien County residents.” Tilley says that in the last year, Cornerstone has assisted more than a dozen businesses with their expansion plans, the creation of new jobs, and considerable financial investment across Berrien County.”
Under Thiele’s leadership, a trio of key initiatives is underway, including:
- Expansion of the US team with defined expertise in the fields of Finance, Customer Knowledge Experts, and Sales to better enhance Distributor & OEM Relationships
- Amplified marketing and communications efforts, with emphasis on engaging content geared toward strengthening loyalty among existing Distributors and OEMS as well as highlighting customized solution capabilities
- Exploration of market categories to bring ROSTA’s reputation for quality, product longevity, and innovative solutions to the forefront.
ROSTA, USA is also a member of the Cornerstone Chamber of Commerce and their Young Professionals Network. In addition, the company is exploring new relationships and activities with other entities that promote the development of the region.
For his part, Thiele says, “I’m excited to bring our offices to Benton Harbor. As an area native, I look forward to continuing our work with the Cornerstone Chamber of Commerce and Cornerstone Alliance to increase our community involvement and showcase Southwest Michigan as the place to be for industry growth.”
