AGM Container Controls, Inc.

Small Business Continues to Produce Big Results - Arizona’s AGM offers award-winning services and products that continue to impress

AGM Container Controls continues to demonstrate a commitment to quality, dependability, and customer service, even in challenging economic times and in the face of significant defense budget cuts. The result so far has been consistent, award-winning success for the small, family-run business, which has flourished for more than 40 years and depends on defense contracting for approximately 60% of its business.

In business since 1970, AGM Container Controls designs and manufactures environmental control hardware for containers that hold missiles and other sensitive equipment. The company is a leader in the design and manufacture of products that control and monitor moisture (desiccators and humidity indicators), pressure and vacuum changes (breather valves) and shock and vibration (tie downs for ships and shock overload indicators).

AGM’s core products, such as desiccators and breathers, are used for a variety of applications in defense, aerospace, electronic, electro-optical, industrial and commercial markets, to protect and extend the life of critical equipment.

AGM’s desiccators, or dehumidifiers, are self-contained moisture control systems that use desiccant (think of the silica gel packets that come with new shoes) that attracts water vapor molecules, which then adhere to its surface. Desiccators are used in a wide variety of aerospace and electronic applications to protect the content of enclosures.

AGM also manufactures breathers, which are breathing devices that allow air pressure equalization but protect equipment from water intrusion when immersed under water or when operating in wet conditions. AGM offers a wide variety of immersion breathers and breather desiccators designed to help pressure sensitive equipment, such as computer keyboards, battery houses, gear boxes and more, continue to operate in unfavorable or hostile environmental conditions or under water.

AGM’s facilities have the approval of the Army, Navy, Air Force, AEC and NASA. Even through the economic downturn and defense budget uncertainty, AGM’s product line and team have continued to earn recognition for consistent service and quality.

With continued innovation, growth, and a strong commitment to quality and dependable delivery, AGM has been recognized numerous times over the years, both locally and nationally, for manufacturing and design excellence, product quality and on-time deliveries, business growth and retention, and more. Below is just a sample of the recognition AGM has received during their four decades in business.

• 2009-2011: AGM made the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies in the U.S. for three consecutive years.
• 2010: AGM received Government Supply Center recognition from the Defense Supply Center Richmond for 100% on-time deliveries and 100% quality for the year.
• 2010: AGM received the Best Value Gold Medal Award from DLA Land and Maritime, and was recognized for 100% on-time deliveries and 100% quality for the year 2010.
• 2009: AGM was recognized by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce as “America’s Small Business” of the Year.

In addition to military packaging and handling equipment, AGM also manufactures Ascension Portable Wheelchair Lifts to provide wheelchair access to stages and platforms. In the past, AGM has manufactured more than 150 lifts for New York City’s Board of Education, the largest school district in the country. More recently, AGM has introduced a new aesthetically appealing and value-priced low-rise wheelchair lift, called Protégé, to their product line.

Tucson’s AGM Supports Local Education, Employment

A strong supporter of continuing education in Arizona, AGM Container Controls collaborates with the University of Arizona to provide students with real-world learning opportunities.

Specifically, AGM partners with the UA College of Engineering and Eller College of Management Business MBA program to provide projects that challenge these students to apply what they’ve learned in school to create workable solutions to existing or potential manufacturing difficulties. Interestingly, the alliance also enables AGM to pre-screen potential local talent for future job opportunities with the company.

Students benefit because the project typically challenges their design, development, and problem-solving skills. In the past, AGM projects have ranged from engineering design ideas to business process feasibility projects.

The mutually beneficial assignments enable engineering students to get real-world experience and mentoring from AGM engineers, while also allowing AGM to take a look at up-and-coming local engineering talent. This enables AGM, which is both a family-run Tucson business for more than 40 years, as well as an Employee Stock Ownership Plan company, to help keep engineering talent in Tucson whenever they’re in the hiring mode.

AGM’s employee education program, initiated nearly 40 years ago and still continuing today, now enables current AGM employees to work part-time or full-time while they attend college. They are then reimbursed for the cost of their education up to $5,200 per year depending on their grades.

AGM Management is such a strong supporter of employees continuing their education that Management encourages all employees to enhance their future employability, at AGM or somewhere else, by availing themselves of AGM’s Educational Assistance Program (EAP).

“When employees go back to school, AGM wins because these ambitious employees improve or learn new important job skills, such as how to write, analyze and organize, etc. Pursuing outside education often enables these employees to climb the corporate ladder faster than those who don’t,” said Howard Stewart, AGM’s President and CEO.

In fact, AGM Management supports employees using AGM’s EAP to take courses that are non-work-related, as long as these classes are part of an Associates, Bachelors or Graduate program. Stewart added, “Worst case scenario, we graduate a teacher, nurse, paralegal (career skills that AGM doesn’t need), and our local Tucson community becomes a little bit stronger.”

As of the Spring semester 2012, 15% of AGM’s 110 employees are using AGM’s EAP to further their education, if not to pursue a degree.

Year In Review

As 2011 winds down and a new year begins, we look back at some of our achievements and areas of improvement.

AGM was proud to be named one of Inc. magazine’s 5,000 fastest growing companies in the United States. This honor, which is the third consecutive for AGM, is proof of the great work that small businesses and manufacturing companies, in particular, can achieve in this country. We hope to carry on this tradition and perform well enough to continue making the list for many years to come.

A few months ago, AGM was also recognized with a Best Value Gold Medalist award from the Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime. This honor recognized AGM’s 100% on-time and 100% quality ratings for all of 2010. We are proud to continue supporting our country’s warfighters with quality products that they can depend on in the most critical time.

In addition, Ascension, which is a division of AGM and manufactures the world’s premier portable wheelchair lifts, was honored at the 2011 Worship Facilities Expo with a “New Facility Product” award in November. This is a true testament of the supreme quality of Ascension wheelchair lifts, which not only help facilities meet ADA requirements by providing people with disabilities access to stages, but also help these same people live with dignity.

Our Ascension product line made great strides in the accessibility market by introducing the new Protégé portable wheelchair lift, which comes at a lower price point than our Virtuoso product line, while maintaining the same performance and reliability that comes only from the Ascension brand. In 2012, Ascension will continue to be an innovative leader in the accessibility market.

In general, 2012 brings new opportunities to serve you, our customer, in better ways. Whether it’s bringing you new high-quality items, providing better customer service, delivering your order on time and without errors, or quoting you at competitive prices, our customer is our top priority. We simply would cease to exist without our customers!

So, we at AGM and Ascension wish you and yours a happy holiday and a profitable, healthy and positive 2012!