Family Business Alliance
2024 Homegrown & Headquartered Family Businesses
FEATURING:
- G.D. Ritzy’s
- Jack Hahn Excavating
- Rexing Companies
- Splash of Color Screen Printing
- Tri-State Trophies
E-REP’s Homegrown & Headquartered initiative is the critical intersection between local legacy family-owned businesses, regional headquartered firms, and E-REP’s business retention and expansion programming. These strategic efforts are intentionally focused on driving business growth and economic prosperity by highlighting the impact and importance of our regional homegrown & headquartered businesses and connecting them to relevant and timely resources.
Congratulations to Rexing Companies on 5 generations and more than 100 years of business. Thank you for your contribution to the Evansville Region!
Rexing Companies has been a cherished fixture in the Evansville Community for over a century, proudly rooted in family ownership and operation. From our humble beginnings in farming, we’ve branched out into various ventures throughout the years, with a strong focus on serving our community through farming, agricultural business entities, and supply chain and logistics solutions.
In 2013, we opened the doors to Evansville Cold Storage, marking a significant milestone in our journey. In 2015, Rexing Companies took another leap by launching PFL Logistics, stepping into the supply chain and logistics world. In 2017, we expanded even further by acquiring JR’s Expedited Freight, deepening our commitment to efficient supply chain and logistics services.
Our efforts haven’t gone unnoticed, with PFL Logistics earning a spot on the Inc 5000 list for four consecutive years (2020 – 2023). This recognition is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our team, who continue to uphold our values while adapting to the evolving needs of our customers and community.
Additionally, Rexing Companies can proudly say that we as a whole, play a large hand in helping one of the largest pasta sauce manufacturers in the U.S. distribute their products to consumers.
Looking ahead, we’re committed to continued growth and innovation in the Tri-State area for generations to come.
Congratulations to Tri-State Trophies on 60 years of business. Thank you for your contribution to the Evansville Region!
Tri-State Trophies is celebrating our 60th year as a family-owned small business in 2024!
Originally named Deluxe Trophy in 1964, Ed and June Frederking purchased the business in 1984 and moved it where it now stands on Evansville’s west side as Tri-State Trophies. Fast forward 40 years – their daughter, Lisa Tanner, her husband Harvey, and their daughter-in-law, Paige Tanner, now helm the 2nd & 3rd generation family-owned business. We have grown to 15 employees, offering not only trophies and plaques, but also corporate awards, giftware, cast aluminum and bronze signage, promotional products, embroidered and printed clothing, and state-of-the-art digital printing. Our dashplaques.net website has grown into one of the top car show awards companies in the country.
We attribute our long-term success to the following:
- Motivated, hard-working, and caring employees – we have key employees who have been with us for over 30 years, and several over 10.
- Always providing top-quality products on every order
- Offering cutting-edge technology and customer-driven products at affordable prices
- MOST importantly, we are committed to great customer service
We are proud to call Evansville our home and look forward to growing with our community into the bright future the Tri-State has in store for us all.
Congratulations to G.D. Ritzy’s on 40 years of business. Thank you for your contribution to the Evansville Region!
“Community partner” perfectly describes G.D. Ritzy’s, a family-owned business celebrating 40 years in Evansville. From the start, Ritzy’s has played an important role in Easterseals Rehabilitation Center’s mission, wholeheartedly supporting programs, services, and awareness efforts. The late Andy Guagenti, a well-known local restaurateur, opened Ritzy’s in 1983. Andy’s daughter and son-in-law, Karen and Dan Grunow, became co-owners. The nostalgic 1950s diner atmosphere, signature burgers, shoestring fries, and ice cream quickly became a hit.
Ritzy’s quickly became a partner with Easterseals and other disability services organizations. By 1985, Ritzy’s was generously sponsoring Easterseals fundraisers that also increased awareness: The youth-focused Basketball Shoot-Out (1985-2016); family-oriented Safe Halloween Coupon Books (1985-2016); and the ongoing annual Easterseals Telethon. Ritzy’s sponsors the Telethon “tote board” and provides quarts of ice cream as donor incentives. In 47 years the Telethon has raised over $27,800,000 while reaching countless TV viewers.
Ritzy’s most visible involvement with Easterseals is Ritzy’s Fantasy of Lights, a 30-year holiday tradition that transforms an Evansville park into a fantasyland featuring 80-plus elaborate light displays. The idea for the six-week-long event came from Andy Guagenti, who saw a similar display while vacationing and envisioned a major fundraiser for Easterseals. Since 1994, Ritzy’s has been the generous title sponsor and supported all aspects of the show, promoting the event, selling tickets, and donating more than 10,000 hot dogs, hamburgers, and bowls of chili for hundreds of volunteers who install and remove the displays.
Since 1994, Ritzy’s Fantasy of Lights has increased awareness of Easterseals, welcomed over 407,000 vehicles, and raised over $4.5 million for Easterseals services. After Andy passed in 2017, Dan and Karen’s son Chad Grunow, a long-time Ritzy’s manager, joined them in ownership. The third generation of the family is enthusiastically continuing the commitment to Easterseals. Chad is following in his dad’s footsteps by volunteering as an Easterseals Board Member. Dan, Chad, and Chad’s brother Jacob Grunow appear together on each Telethon to present a check representing Ritzy’s annual support.
Jacob’s Easterseals connection is one reason Ritzy’s is so dedicated to the organization and disability advocacy. Jacob has Down syndrome and as a child, he attended Easterseals therapeutic preschool and received physical, occupational, and speech therapy. Those services empowered Jacob to succeed in public school and beyond. “Easterseals will always hold a special place with us,” Chad explained. “It starts with Jacob and how Easterseals helped him in his very early years, and it continues to this day, seeing the people and hearing the stories of everyone Easterseals has touched.”
Workplace inclusion has always been the norm at Ritzy’s. Chad estimates that up to 30 individuals with disabilities have been employed with the restaurants through the years; the current staff includes 4 individuals with disabling conditions. “I’m very adamant that it’s not about what people with disabilities can’t do, it’s about what they can do,” Chad said. “Once you take away the can’t and focus on the can, the possibilities and opportunities are endless.”
Congratulations to Splash of Color Screen Printing on 12 years of business. Thank you for your contribution to the Evansville Region!
Julia is very passionate about helping her clients! She’s dedicated to continuing the success of her family’s business that started about 12 years ago.
Congratulations to Jack Hahn Excavating, Inc. on 45 years of business. Thank you for your contribution to the Evansville Region!
Established in 1979, Jack G. Hahn began work as a sole proprietor doing site work for subdivisions, lakes, basements, and sewer installation. Today JHE does all of that plus more for commercial site work as a subcontractor for many of the major developments in Evansville and the surrounding tri-state areas. Jack was a proud Korean veteran who passed in April of 2023 at 90 years old handing the baton to his son John K. Hahn, president. Rooted in family ownership and operation the third generation of the family-owned business has Jack’s two grandsons, Camden and Caiden, working to make Evansville a great place to live, work and play.
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