Love-Less Ash Co., (DBA Dustless Technologies)

In 1988, Diesel Mechanic Mike Loveless invented and began to use the first "ash vacuum," a device created to remove ashes from fireplaces and wood stoves. Five years later, he and his wife Colleen began to market the vacuum, starting what was destined to become a manufacturing powerhouse in Price, Utah. Mike stayed close to his customers and over the years produced the dustless wet-dry vacuum, the dustless drywall vacuum and drywall sander and other patented products. (See the company's web sites at www.lovelessash.com, and www.dustlesstechnologies.com)

"Mike thought up the idea of the ash vacuum, and stuck with it through the early years. He made it work, " Colleen said. Since Mike's death two years ago, she and her son Spencer have been running the company and creating new products that help home owners and contractors to contain and control the dust that they create.

When asked why customers would choose to buy from them, Colleen replied: "The products work well to remove drywall and concrete dust, and dust created in other industries such as automotive and marine environments. Our secret sauce is to know our customers' requirements and deliver innovative and quality products that meet their specifications at an affordable price."

That's not quite as easy as it sounds. Colleen described the long hours and hard work it takes to grow and manage the company. For example, in addition to their manufacturing work, they attend more than 20 trade shows a year, and manage a network of distributors, retailers and independent sales representatives domestically and in New Zealand, Sweden, Ireland, Mexico, Canada and the UK. But they've never lost sight of their vision to build a company that reduces the costs of keeping the workplace clean and contributes to a healthier environment.

Along the way Colleen and her team have also kept their employees' welfare in mind. "We feel it's important to create a workplace atmosphere where employees feel appreciated and know that they're doing important work," Colleen explained. "We've also provided insurance benefits, and medical and 401K plans for the workers."

Colleen is proud to produce and sell innovative dust control solutions that are made in the U.S. and meet stringent regulatory standards. For example, they have developed and offer a variety of HEPA vacuums that have been HEPA certified which means, for one thing, that their filtering system reduces 99.97% of all particulates to a .5 micron. "It's hard work," says Colleen, "but extremely satisfying to be an entrepreneur."

MEP salutes Mity-Lite and Love-Less Ash Company for their steadfast focus on entrepreneurial innovation and competitiveness.

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