"Holding our own" in Randolph County: hometown businesses succeed in pies, coins and chassis. (Focus).

From pies to coins to chassis, production is flowing in Randolph County.

"We're a bunch of good, hardworking people with a positive work ethic and the desire to do the right thing," says Steve Croyle, member and past president of Randolph County Community and Economic Development Corp.

That's a statement three companies who've found success in Randolph County readily agree with. The businesses: Wick's Pies Inc., Silver Towne L.P. and Workhorse Custom Chassis LLC. Each is faring well in an economically stressful time, and all credit their location and workforce.

Wick's was founded in 1944 in Winchester, the county seat, by Duane Wickersham, now retired. Today, his son Michael heads the operation that includes a pie plant, combination restaurant/retail store and pie glaze business.

"We're holding our own and growing slowly," Wickersham says. The plant rolls out 10,000 pies and another 30,000 pie shells in a single eight-hour shift, shipping product to 35 states.

"The food industry as a whole is somewhat insulated from poor economic times," Wickersham admits. "Everyone has to eat. Many times people who don't eat out will buy dessert in a grocery store as a reward. We're blended in the restaurant and grocery store business, which helps." Wick's serves five markets--frozen food, retail, bakery, food service and private label. The company employs about 95 at its three sites, all within a one-block area.

Silver Towne, too, has a long and all-local Winchester history. It was founded in 1949 by Leon Hendrickson, who's still at the helm although his children and grandchildren are now limited partners. "Last year we had the busiest year ever, doing more volume than ever before," he says.

The 72-employee business crafts and mints commemorative coins and sells collectible bullion, coins, coin-collecting supplies, jewelry and novelties. "A lot of people are buying," Hendrickson says. "The banks aren't paying much interest, the stock market is not doing that great, so a lot of people are going into coins."

The company publishes four catalogs a year, takes its own orders over 16 telephone lines and does its own fulfillment. "We're also doing a tremendous amount of business over our Web site," he says.

Even bigger news is being made at Workhorse Custom Chassis and its parent company, Grand Vehicle Works Holdings LLC, which have made Randolph County home, says Rick Lopez, executive director of the Randolph County Community and Economic Development Foundation.

The story began in 1993 when Andrew Taitz bought Union City Body Co., a Randolph County business founded in Union City in 1898 that was about to file bankruptcy and cease producing walk-in delivery vans. Today, Union City employs about 425 and is going strong.

In 1998, Taitz acquired the assets of General Motors' motor home and walk-in truck and bus chassis business and created Workhorse Custom Chassis LLC, building an additional plant in Union City to house the operations. It opened in 1999, has produced more than 50,000 recreational vehicle chassis since then, and today employs 300.

Now, a third facility is under construction, this one for Grand Vehicle Works Holdings LLC, the parent company of Union City and Workhorse. It will be a technical training facility and corporate office complex, with plans to house 180 workers at the outset and space to eventually hold up to 300 employees, Lopez says. "This is a very significant thing."