When he’s not cheering on his 3 kids at their sporting events, coaching his son’s baseball team or trying to squeeze in a quick round of golf, Tom Simon is busy as the new President and owner of NZ Manufacturing.
With business ownership in his blood and a family history of entrepreneurship, Tom was excited to find a business that was not only near his home in northeast OH, but also in an industry that he knew well. Now that the deal has closed and he’s a few months in, we sat down with Tom to learn more about his perspective on the health and wellness product industry, where he sees opportunities for NZ Cordz, and his excitement about the future.
What drew you to NZ Cordz and eventual ownership of the company?
I’ve always wanted to own a business. My father owns his own professional surveying and civil engineering business, and my grandfather also owned a business. While I’ve always wanted to own, I also knew that my time has passed for starting from the ground up. About 3 years ago I started seriously looking at businesses available to buy in different industries, but didn’t find anything that I could really get behind in terms of products. I came across a listing that said “Fitness Supply Manufacturer” and it piqued my interest. In a previous role, I was in charge of fitness and chiropractic supplies for another northeast Ohio business, so I knew the industry and some of the players and then came to find out that it was only 10 minutes from my house.
What excites you most about ownership of NZ Manufacturing?
It’s a product line that I can get behind. Fitness is an important part of my life, I’m a former Golf Pro, an avid member of our local Orange Theory Fitness, and I’ve felt the benefits of an active lifestyle. One of the things that excited me the most was that our products are still made in the United States. Many of our competitors took their manufacturing offshore several years ago, and I know what that entails. It was impressive to me that Maureen [the previous owner] was able to successfully battle competitors with costing differentials for 35+ years. Because of that, people value the StrechCordz®, MediCordz® and TurfCordz® brands, what we stand for, and the quality of the product we have.
How do you see the NZ family of brands fitting into the sports and training industries as they exist today?
I think there’s a shift from traditional training and weight lifting, to resistance-based, targeted training. You look at some of the best swimmers in the industry, and historically they were swimming laps, over and over again, for muscle memory and cardiovascular stamina. Now a lot of the programs are trending towards resistance training, shorter bursts in the pool but under more resistance. And our products fall right in that niche with their versatility, different resistance levels that you can layer on or off, etc. Resistance training is becoming more mainstream, with elite athletes utilizing these training programs and understanding the benefits. Physical therapists will say that they’ve known it for years, but we’re seeing more sports trainers adopt these practices.
What do you see as the TurfCordz®, MediCordz® and StrechCordz® advantages over the competition?
I think being in business for 35 years means something and is important to keep in the front of our minds. The history there, the success there, doesn’t happen if you don’t have a good product or service that you’re creating. I also think our safety line also sets us apart. The nylon cord that’s inside of the tubing is there to prevent injury to patients or athletes if the tube itself should fail, and that’s a benefit that a lot of our competitors don’t offer. On a personal level, I also inherited a talented and tenured team that knows the products, the manufacturing and all of the ins and outs associated with this business.
What do you see for the future of NZ Manufacturing?
I’m excited about the future. I think that there are opportunities to grow the product line, maybe launch some new products or dig a little bit deeper into the industries that we’re in with the aquatics, rehabilitation and even the TurfCordz® products. With my background in rehabilitation and chiropractic products, I’d like to see us expand in those areas as well.
