IN THE COUNTY LEGISLATURE OF JACKSON COUNTY, MISSOURI
Title
A RESOLUTION recognizing the fiftieth-year celebration of the Fike Corporation, an international corporation, headquartered in Blue Springs, MO.
Intro
RESOLUTION #10938, August 28, 1995
INTRODUCED BY Dixie M. Flynn, County Legislator
Body
WHEREAS, in 1945, Lester L. Fike, Sr., a skilled machinist and longtime resident of Jackson County, realized the dream of owning his own business by purchasing the Carpenter Machine Shop on South Grand Street in Independence; and,
WHEREAS, the new firm, named L. L. Fike Metal Products Company, began in a small wooden building with three full time employees - including Lester, Sr. and his wife, Rose; and,
WHEREAS, the company first did metal fabrication and tool and die work; however, Mr. Fike, Sr. had been shop foreman for a Kansas City manufacturer of rupture discs for the petroleum industry and his former customers sought out Lester, and encouraged him to enter the disc industry; and,
WHEREAS, in 1955 the company was incorporated as Fike Metal Products Corporation and, in 1958, moved to Blue Springs, where its current facilities include approximately 200,000 sq. ft. of manufacturing and office space; and,
WHEREAS, in 1985, the corporate name was changed to Fike Corporation to more fully encompass the broad range of products being manufactured by the corporation, the worldwide operations of which currently employ more than 400 people; and,
WHEREAS, the rupture disc is still the core of Fike's business, generating 30 percent of the company's revenues - more than any other Fike product - from such customers as Dow Chemical, Union Carbide, Monsanto, and Schlumberger; Fike Corporation has been credited with helping expand applications for the disc, which now is used in space exploration - in rockets, space shuttles, and astronaut's packs - as well as in chemical and oil operations; and,
WHEREAS, the company also manufactures other metal products, including alloy valves and custom-made explosion protection and automatic fire suppression systems that detect and put out fires quickly, using an odorless and colorless gas, thus eliminating the water or chemical damage caused by traditional extinguishers, meaning they can safely protect MCI, Sprint, WilTel, MFS Communications, and Thrifty Call fiber-optics networks, high-dollar computer systems, and library and museum collections, including the Gutenberg Bible at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C; and,
WHEREAS, Fike Corporation prides itself on extensive research and development, with a research and development lab in Florida, as well as its local R&D arm; Fike Corporation holds thirty-two U. S. patents; and,
WHEREAS, besides the local plant, Fike has manufacturing facilities in Texas, Singapore, Belgium, and Canada, a subsidiary in Japan, and two subsidiaries in California; and,
WHEREAS, the current officers of Fike Corporation are Lester L. Fike, Jr., Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer, Gary C. Batz, President and Chief Operating Officer, Maxwell M. Jewell, Senior Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer, Logan J. Wilson, Senior Vice President, Legal Affairs, Charles Kopoulos, Senior Vice President, Operations, Robert L. DeGood, Senior Vice President, Fike Metal Products, Jon S. Casler, Senior Vice President, Fike Protection Systems, Charles Laitner, Senior Vice President, Engineering, and Randall Cabee, Senior Vice President, Noble Alloy Valve; now therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the County Legislature of Jackson County, Missouri that the Legislature recognizes and commends the Fike Corporation on the occasion of its fiftieth- year celebration.
Attorney
Effective Date: This Resolution shall be effective immediately upon its passage by a majority of the Legislature.
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
______________________________ ______________________________ County Counselor
Certificate of Passage
I hereby certify that the attached resolution, Resolution #10938 of August 28, 1995, was duly passed on __________________________, 1995 by the Jackson County Legislature. The votes thereon were as follows:
Yeas ___________________ Nays ___________________
Abstaining _______________ Absent __________________
______________________ _________________________________
Date Mary Jo Brogoto, Clerk of Legislature