A unique business in Orleans County is making a name for itself, by embracing what they call "the new era of 'odd jobs.'" YNN's Geoff Redick has our report.

James Heuer, VPC General Manager said, "There are other people making transportation parts; there are other people making parts for water and wastewater; there's other people making contract manufacturing.We just bring it all together into one company."

From the cars on our roads to the sewers below, more and more, we're making things with plastic.

Heuer said, "Corrosion-resistant, moisture resistant...much better than steel or wood in a lot of cases."

Virtual Polymer Compounds has latched onto that phenomenon, and made a business out of it.

Heuer said, "Other companies in the area came to us, to ask us if we could make some parts for them, and we started making their parts for them to make into their products."

That's how it started for VPC in the early 1990's, odd jobs.

Heuer said, "Primarily a company that was formed to do repair and restoration work at some of the local companies in Rochester, Niagara Falls, Buffalo."

Now VPC employs about 25 workers at its Ridge Road factory in rural Orleans County.
They make the things you wouldn't think about, where you see the toll booth operator, they make the booth.

Heuer said, "These are all our molds, and this is the kind of thing that, we've got them all over the place."

And because clients always need new parts and repairs, the business has been virtually recession-proof.

Heuer said, "We've actually grown significantly every year for the last five years. Part of that has been because the economy's been bad; some companies, they haven't had the capital funds to replace some of their equipment We've had some companies, they do a tank repair, and that can get them through another five years rather than go out and buy a new tank for five, six times the cost."

With that kind of growth already, more is planned and VPC is hiring.

Heuer added, "It's always a challenge trying to find good people. We're hiring right now. We also added a second-shift in the afternoon because of the volume that we've been doing. So we're trying to get some people working that shift as well."

For more on applying for a career with VPC, click here.