Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 59F. Winds light and variable..

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 59F. Winds light and variable.

Husband-and-wife entrepreneurs Krista and Michael Rager are all smiles as the company they started – Para-Coat Technologies Inc., 817 Franklin St. in Johnstown’s Kernville neighborhood – may expand to a West Coast branch. June 13, 2016. Todd Berkey/The Tribune-Democrat, johnstown, Pa.

Husband-and-wife entrepreneurs Krista and Michael Rager show off the new parylene coating maching at Para-Coat Technologies Inc., 817 Franklin St. in Johnstown’s Kernville neighborhood, on  Friday, June 13, 2016. Todd Berkey/The Tribune-Democrat, johnstown, Pa.

Husband-and-wife entrepreneurs Krista and Michael Rager are all smiles as the company they started – Para-Coat Technologies Inc., 817 Franklin St. in Johnstown’s Kernville neighborhood – may expand to a West Coast branch. June 13, 2016. Todd Berkey/The Tribune-Democrat, johnstown, Pa.

Husband-and-wife entrepreneurs Krista and Michael Rager show off the new parylene coating maching at Para-Coat Technologies Inc., 817 Franklin St. in Johnstown’s Kernville neighborhood, on  Friday, June 13, 2016. Todd Berkey/The Tribune-Democrat, johnstown, Pa.

Couple and business partners Krista and Michael Rager are growing their company and its niche services – again.

The two operate Para-Coat Technologies Inc., a Johnstown company that offers parylene and other coatings to local and national clients in a handful of sectors: medical, aerospace, military, automotive and electronics.

They work in a highly specialized field that requires pricey equipment. Krista Rager said there are only about eight companies in the United States doing the work Para-Coat performs.

Krista, 34, is the company CEO; her husband, 37, is vice president.

“We are doing work with manufacturers instead of the consumer, and that’s helped us grow,” she said. “That’s part of what has changed. We started it six years ago – a small business – and had a lot of hopes and dreams and worked hard. We are happy to still be here.”

The two started the business in 2010, working out of a 1,000-square-foot garage in Hornerstown and supplying services to companies such as DRS Laurel Technologies and API Technologies.

In 2012, they moved to a location along Franklin Street in Johnstown’s Kernville neighborhood, where until this year they operated out of 6,000 square feet.

Diversification has been critical to stability and growth, Michael Rager said, along with offering quick turnaround and quality. The company’s work has earned ISO 9001:2008 certification – an international, third-party measure of quality processes.

“When we started this business, we were coating primarily circuit cards for the defense industry with local manufacturers,” he said.

“Word spread. It opened the doors for other applications for coatings we had. Now, we’re working on circuit cards and medical devices like catheters and stents.”

This year, Para-Coat expanded to 12,000 square feet and added new, custom-made machinery that can process bulk silicone and rubber parts. The Ragers also plan to hire a new team member to handle human resources and marketing, and additional machine operators to handle more work.

“The new machine will allow us to coat bulk silicone and rubber parts – from little bulbs on medicine droppers to respirator masks that fighter pilots wear – to help them last longer,” Michael Rager said. “It’s the same type of coating, but for a different application.”

They also are considering adding a location on the West Coast, Krista said.

“We felt like we had to diversify our capabilities,” she said. “We now do more parts and more manufacturing.

“We have clients across the U.S. A lot of the new customers are coming from the West Coast. We are in talks about setting up a facility in California or Utah in 2017.”

The business owners recently hired a salesperson to continue growing the outside-the-region client base, and a general manager who they hope will help to continue growth – among clients and the workforce, which now stands at a dozen full-time employees, Krista Rager said.

“We’ve worn so many hats for the past six years,” she said. “We are looking to build an upper management team that can take the company where we want it to go. With (the new general manager) and a new HR/marketing professional, I think we can continue to grow and hopefully keep doubling our workforce and our customers.”

That hope of hiring more local residents is part of what drives the couple, Krista Rager said. That’s been part of the vision since the beginning, when Michael learned how to perform the coatings and operate machines.

“We knew early on that customer service was huge,” Krista Rager said. “People wanted to be treated fairly and get good, quality work. It’s starting to pay off. We were two young entrepreneurs that saw a dream and we went after it. We did it, and six years later, we are growing and adding capabilities. We want to employ the people of Johnstown.”

The company recently awarded three scholarships to students at Conemaugh Valley Senior High School, Krista Rager’s alma mater.

Michael Rager is a Bishop McCort High School alumnus.

The ability to provide opportunities locally is especially important to the couple now that they are parents of two daughters, ages 3 and 9 months. They recently moved their family to a home in Upper Yoder Township.

“These young, local individuals need some kind of inspiration to follow their dreams,” Krista Rager said.

“We like going back to the high schools, seeing their ideas. Some of them I would actually hire to run companies.”

Kecia Bal is a reporter for The Tribune-Democrat. Follow her on Twitter at @KeciaBKay

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