Van Meter expands scope, changes name

Van Meter Industrial of Cedar Rapids has changed its name to Van Meter Inc.

The name change was made to better reflect the 100 percent employee-owned company's evolving business, the company said on Thursday, August 4, citing its recent expansion within the construction, utility and energy sectors.

"We have always served and will continue to serve the idustrial market," Van Meter Strategic Growth Officer Mike Gassmann said. "Our business is so much more than that today."

Investments to better serve the construction market include staffing a commodities team that solely focuses on providing the right inventory at the right price at the right time, Gassmann said.

Van Meter has brought into its facility the ability to provide many services formerly outsourced to suppliers, including installation of wire pulling heads, custom labeling and the ability to pull wire onto single spools, parallel spools, compartment reels and stacked paralleled reels. Van Meter also has the ability to transport the spools at customers' job sites with new piggyback lift trucks.

With growing demand for clean energy solutions, Van Meter expanded its offerings to include energy efficiency, renewable energy and smart grid technologies. It is catering to utility contractors with products ranging from transformers and safety equipment to arresters.