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every day. All of this in addition to providing consistent and stable employment." Marshalltown has also developed an incredible intern program with the University of Arkansas and other universities. This has led them to become a preferred place for internships that, in many cases, lead to full time employment. "Because of these things, and our culture, many people seek Marshalltown out as a place where they want to pursue a career," Carbajal noted. "We offer a healthy work-life balance for all employees – employees come in the door with 2-4 weeks of vacation, depending on the position, from the get-go. This is a core part of our culture; we're a family-friendly company and think having a good work-life balance is important. Employees have their time, and we encourage them to use it. At Marshalltown, work-life balance is a real thing." Another attribute of the success of Marshalltown is their commitment to the public they serve. "Marshalltown is a positive influence on the Fayetteville community," Carbajal continued. "We give back through various nonprofits like the Single Parent Scholarship Fund and Restoration Village. We have an ongoing, active partnership with the University of Arkansas, supporting their STEM/Robotics programs both financially and through the internships we mentioned earlier. Jack is an active member of the Board for the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce as well." As many businesses suffered or even went under during the pandemic, Marshalltown thrived. "We saw a lot of demand for our products in 2020 due to the pandemic," Murders explained. "A lot of folks were working from home so do-it-yourself projects exploded and you need tools to do those. So, we saw a big growth because of that increase in home projects." As those opportunities have died down with people going back to work, new channels to prosper have opened up to Marshalltown. According to the University of Arkansas' Sam M. Walton College of Business biannual report, in the second half of 2020, home sales in Benton and Washington counties rose 16.6% to a record high. The 2020 sales number included 1,465 newly constructed homes, another record. In fact, the number of newly constructed homes has increased by 71.3% since 2015. "So now there is a big demand locally and nationally because of all the construction that is going on," Murders said. "Our business is growing because of that. Residential construction is way up and the demand for our products has gone up with it." Always looking ahead and always adapting, Murders believes the future looks bright. And he notes that young people need to open their minds to a new kind of workplace with new opportunities going forward. "I would tell young people today that anything the STEM area is a good choice if you want to be of value in the 21st century manufacturing world," he said. "Even with our technician level positions, the skill set that you need today involves computer coding. Math, science and engineering are great subjects to follow if you like working in industry. The equipment is getting more complex and the technology is more advanced. We need higher skilled folks to maintain and develop that. Even on the operating side, there's just more requirements for everything from a technical standpoint. Basic computer skills are required for any job we have. We have iPads at every work section and we need to be able to navigate and use those to be successful." Continued from page 9 10

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