BearCat bought by Etnyre - The Wickenburg Sun - Wickenburg, A...
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BearCat bought by Etnyre
By Patti Slattery | Posted: Tuesday, February 2, 2016 4:07 pm
Reporter/Photographer
BearCat Manufacturing, located in the Wickenburg industrial park at 3650 N. Sabin Brown Rd., was recently purchased by Etnyre International and Subsidiaries, and according to Etnyre President Pat O’Brien, the purchase was affable and seamless.
Originally founded by Ken Hill in 1970, BearCat, an equipment and asphalt manufacturing company, was relocated to Wickenburg from Klamath Falls, Ore., in 1978 and was always in friendly competition with Etnyre, a much larger company than BearCat (68 versus 420 employees), but one that manufactured the same products and shared the same values.
Both BearCat and Etnyre were established as family businesses, and according to BearCat General Manager Fred Anderson, they’ve both been operated with the same sense of integrity and loyalty to employees, customers and the community.
“We’ve been competitors for years,” said Anderson, who’s been with the company since 1986. “Etnyre was always the ‘big boy’ in the game. We’ve always been competitors, but truthfully, friendly competitors.”
According to Anderson, Etnyre always had a standing offer to buy BearCat when Hill was ready to sell. In October 2014, Etnyre again offered. Hill was semi-retired and ready to sell by May 8, 2015, if the offer was good enough.
“It was,” said Anderson, “but it was not only money that was important, we wanted to be assured the business would stay here. They’ve been very gracious. The plans are for BearCat to be in Wickenburg forever, with hiring and business expansions a big part of the story – promises made and kept.”
“What is unique about the two companies is that they are both family businesses, built with family values,” said Pat O’Brien, president of Etnyre International. “For the two to come together, it was important that we had the same unique culture. From the beginning our intention was for customers to know no difference. We have loyal, loyal BearCat customers – the last thing we wanted was for them to sense a difference and become unhappy.”
According to both Anderson and O’Brien, the acquisition could not have gone smoother, with each employee remaining with the company and no changes to cause concern.
“This has been seamless,” said Anderson, “very simple – good for the community and good for growth.”
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