GARNER — A North Iowa manufacturing company that began more than three decades ago in a two-car garage is headed to Washington, D.C., with a chance to win hundreds of thousands of dollars in a national small-business competition.
Plas-Tech Tooling, Inc. of Garner has been selected as one of just five finalists in the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Freedom 250 Patriot Pitch Competition.
The five finalists will make their pitches live before a panel of judges and an audience in Washington on September 18, competing for a share of a $1 million prize pool funded by Clover Network, Inc.
First place will receive $400,000, followed by $250,000 for second place, $150,000 for third, $125,000 for fourth and $75,000 for fifth.
The latest recognition comes just weeks after NIT reported that Plas-Tech had been named one of 10 national semifinalists in the SBA’s $1 million Patriot Pitch Competition.
The company has now cleared the next hurdle and reached the final five.
The competition is part of the nation’s Freedom 250 celebration marking the 250th anniversary of the United States and is intended to highlight small businesses that used SBA financing to innovate, expand operations, create jobs and strengthen American competitiveness.
For Plas-Tech, the national recognition follows a distinctly North Iowa success story.
Dean and Marcia Sonquist founded the company in 1993 in a two-car garage in Garner.
Over time, Plas-Tech grew into an advanced manufacturing operation specializing in precision manufacturing solutions, eventually expanding into roughly 40,000 square feet of manufacturing space in rural North Iowa.
The company’s rise has been recognized before.
NIT previously highlighted Dean and Marcia Sonquist when the NIACC John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center named them Entrepreneurs of the Month in December 2018, recognizing the couple’s work building Plas-Tech from a small startup into an established North Iowa manufacturer.
That long-term growth story is now getting national attention.
Plas-Tech has continued to expand through investment in technology, workforce development, regional partnerships and relationships with customers far beyond North Iowa.
The company also remains multi-generational, with the Sonquist family continuing to play a central role in its operation.
“Plas-Tech Tooling represents the very best of Iowa entrepreneurship,” said Candi Karsjens, executive director of the NIACC John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center.
“They have embraced every opportunity to improve, innovate, and grow. Their practices reflect their belief that investing in people and partnerships is essential to building a strong business and a strong community.”
The SBA evaluated Patriot Pitch contestants on their ability to strengthen American competitiveness, demonstrate strong business performance and innovation, create economic impact and quality jobs, and show sound business fundamentals and readiness for future growth.
Plas-Tech’s place among the final five means the company is guaranteed one of the competition’s five cash awards, assuming the prize structure is awarded as announced.
At stake is a top prize of $400,000.
For a company that began in a garage in Garner, the trip to Washington represents another major milestone in a story that has now spanned more than three decades.
Plas-Tech will make its final pitch September 18 before the judges and live audience, with $1 million in total prize money on the line.
(TOP PHOTO via NIACC of Plas-Tech Tooling includes Ryan Sonquist, Dean Sonquist, Marcia Sonquist, Andrew Sonquist.)