Coming back after 9/11

摘要

Wichita, kan.-In this city long associated with commercial aviation, the events of 9/11 dealt industry across the board a crippling blow. As the U.S. commercial air fleet was grounded, aircraft manufacturing came to a halt. So too did much of Wichita's industry. One company that was hit hard by those events but has managed to emerge with renewed vigor is B&B Electric Motor Co., Inc., a company that has long been a service supplier to the aviation industry but has success- fully broadened its base into new specialties and geographic areas. "Aviation affected a lot of the area after 9/11," recalls company president and founder Bob Giesen. Contractors and subcontractors were hurt as badly as the aircraft manufacturers were. "It was a trickle-down effect," says Giesen, who had been putting together financing for an expansion of his 10,000-square-foot shop when the attack occurred, putting expansion plans on hold.