Editor’s note: This is the fourth in a series on businesses that will be inducted into the Blair County Chamber of Commerce Business Hall of Fame on Oct. 19 at the Blair County Convention Center.

TIPTON – A local company that started out making absorbent socks in 1985 to soak up leaking and dripping oil from machinery is now a $220 million business.

New Pig Corp., founded by Ben Stapelfeld and Don Beaver in the Servicemaster building on 18th Street in Altoona, will be one of five businesses inducted into the Blair County Chamber of Commerce Business Hall of Fame on Oct. 19 at the Blair County Convention Center.

Beaver, who is still a substantial shareholder, is very excited about the New Pig induction into the Hall of Fame.

“We started out in 1985 with one product, a few hundred customers and a handful of fellow-workers. In our wildest dreams, we never imagined the growth that New Pig has experienced,” Beaver said. “Although I’m no longer active day-to-day, I’m very proud of the job that my partner, Ben Stapelfeld, and his team have done to grow New Pig into the company it is today.”

“We get lots of awards, but this is special because it is local. It gives Ben a great feeling and great pride. He has worked hard to keep the company local. He has had a lot of opportunities to sell. We want to keep the jobs here,” said CEO Nino Vella, who joined New Pig in 1988, the year the business moved into the Ardie J. Dillen Industrial Park in Antis Township.

Vella admits he took a chance by joining the young company.

“I was a CPA. I was in line to become a partner. Ben made a great case to work here. I saw this as a great opportunity to learn, and it has paid off,” Vella said. “This was a risky step, but I can’t imagine life if I wouldn’t have done it.”

Vella had one goal when he joined the company which was manufacturing Pig absorbent socks – the prototype was a nylon sock about 30 inches long and 3 inches in diameter, filled with ground corncobs.

“I had one goal – to support the goals of the company, to do what the company wanted to do. I think from the start, we always thought of ourselves as offering more than just a product. It was about a better experience for our customers with great products, promotions and branding, and the little things that make a difference,” Vella said.

Since Vella joined the company, New Pig has become a multi-channel, multi-brand manufacturer and merchandiser offering the world’s largest selection of absorbent products as well as spill control and other industrial maintenance products to help workplaces maintain a clean, safe environment. The company also carries well-known, proven products for material handling, maintenance, workplace safety and much more.

More than 3,100 PIG products are used in more than 200,000 facilities in more than 70 countries.

“We do business with about 80 percent of the Fortune 500 companies,” Vella said.

Vella said the company has grown by having a relentless pursuit of growing and getting better, adding more products and markets.

“We stay true to the fundamentals of the brand and culture,” Vella said.

Growth bas been steady.

“It has been long, steady growth. Our best years have been the last three to four years. We’ve been able to keep it fun, interesting and challenging. We’ve grown in a good way, with a lot of spirit and teamwork,” Vella said.

Doing a lot of things the right way has led to the company’s success.

“It takes great people focusing on the right things, and good things will happen. That is the recipe for success,” Vella said.

Neither Vella nor Stapelfeld want to take credit for the growth and success of the company, which today employs about 500 worldwide and about 370 at its Tipton campus.

“This award isn’t about me. It is about the company and the people here. None of this would have happened without a great workforce and culture. We’ve managed to create an environment where the focus is on the work and the mission of the company,” Vella said.

“Anyone can found a business. Not anyone can grow a business, (but) Nino Vella can,” Stapelfeld said.

Today, the Tipton campus includes four buildings, and there are several other locations in the local area including the former Warnaco facility in Duncansville. With the addition of a new subsidiary, New Pig Energy, three more facilities have been added in Tyrone, Altoona and Pittsburgh. New Pig currently maintains 10 facilities in the United States consisting of manufacturing, warehousing and sales operations.

Vella admits New Pig has exceeded his expectations.

“When Ben was persuading me to come, he said maybe some day it would be a $20 million company. I thought that would be big. It is now a $220 million company. It has exceeded my expectations for sure; it has been a special ride,” Vella said.

The future looks bright.

“It is more exciting and interesting than ever. We are building a foundation for an exciting future. We are moving into new markets, like grocery stores and health care facilities, and will have some new market platforms for e-commerce,” Vella said.

Mirror Staff Writer Walt Frank is at 946-7467.