Please excuse this post. It may lack the detail of our typical posts, but there's a good reason for it: Harris Companies in Atwood is bigger than you think.

Sandy Fiala, a member of the Illini Prairie CEO Board, gave us a tour of her family's business, Harris Companies, earlier this week. Sandy works with her brothers, Stan and Scott, her husband, and her father in the business her father started from his garage in 1960.

Harris Companies has 2 divisions - electrical and elevator, and its campus has at least a half-dozen buildings, including a museum of her father's collected tractors, vehicles, tools, electric meters, etc.

During our tour, we met several Harris employees, all willing to take a few minutes to explain their jobs to us, and to give us a little advice.

But, it was raining, we were walking, and taking notes just wasn't as easy as it usually is. That doesn't mean we didn't learn a lot. We did. And we still took a lot of photos.

We learned how elevators work, how they are built, and how they are assembled on site. (Thanks, Bill.)

We learned that Harris Companies is international, servicing and installing elevators as far away as Qatar and Malaysia. (Bill has been everywhere, it seems.)

We learned that Sandy's job entails a lot of reports, for OSHA, MSHA (mining), payroll, etc.

We learned that Mr. Harris (Roger), who is now in his eighties, still comes to work most days.

We learned that when you ship internationally, there can be a lot of paperwork. (Thanks, Rick.)

We learned that we shouldn't be afraid to reorganize if it can make the company better. (Thanks, Graeme.)

We learned that inventory tracking and organization is essential for efficient workflow. (Which is why we Harris Companies isn't afraid to reorganize.)

And we learned that Sandy makes a fabulous coffee cake. (She really does.)

Harris Companies is not just a successful local international business, they are also one of our investors and leading supporters. We thoroughly enjoy getting to know the people and businesses who make our program possible, and seeing how they have made their mark on our communities.