JCH Wire & Cable

    By Art Nadler

    The next time you�re under the Fremont Street Experience canopy in downtown Las Vegas watching a dazzling light show, or craning your head skyward to see an Air Force Stealth bomber screaming by, just remember that none of these wonders could have happened without the technical assistance of JCH Wire & Cable of North Las Vegas.

    The company provided more than 10,000 cable assemblies for the Fremont Street Experience's computer-controlled lighting system, says Jim Hinshaw, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. He also points out wiring inside the Stealth was provided by JCH through a contract with the United States Air Force. Similar contracts have also been inked with sister services.

    Jim Hinshaw, Rich Hinshaw and John Borowski founded JCH in October 1987. The firm, which is actually comprised of three companies, is located inside a 74,000 square-foot facility at 4527 Losee Road in North Las Vegas, NV.

    JCH Wire & Cable is a major distributor of electrical wire and cable. A second company, JCH Technologies, builds custom cable assemblies and sub-assemblies. JCH Fuel Solutions, a new start-up company, builds and sells diesel fuel cleaning systems.

    Together, the Wire & Cable and Technologies companies did $40 million in sales in 1999, Hinshaw says. He expects JCH Fuel Solutions to do more than $1 million in 2000. Within the next five years, the former Army Signal Corps telephone lineman predicts his three companies will generate -- at a minimum -- $100 million a year.

    "About 30 percent of our business is in Las Vegas and the remaining 70 percent is scattered throughout remaining states," Hinshaw says. "We are one of the major distributors of wiring and data communications systems supporting hotel construction in Las Vegas.''

    On April 7, 2000, JCH Technologies was granted "Registered Firm" status under International Standard Organization (ISO) 9002. The International Quality Net certificate is recognition throughout the world and should prove to be an invaluable marketing aid. This prestigious classification will now enable the company to pursue lucrative contracts with such heavyweights as General Motors, Motorola, Hughes Aircraft and many other Fortune 500 corporations.

    "JCH technologies was able to obtain registration in six months," says Gene Lazaroff, a Field Engineer with MAP, the industrial outreach program of the University and Community College System of Nevada that urged JCH to pursue this goal. "Usually it takes 9 to18 months to attain ISO status. This was quite a feather in JCH's cap, and is a tribute to the hard work and dedication of all JCH employees and commitment to quality by the JCH management team headed by Jim Hinshaw and President Dwain Rittenhouse.

    Lazaroff particularly praised Ron Hargrave, General Manager of JCH Technologies and Ron Fenolio, Quality Control Manager for this outstanding accomplishment, but he also added it took a total team effort to make it happen.

    MAP initially suggested that JCH seek ISO 9000 status. It also recommended professional managers who could help the company obtain this status, and JCH followed MAP's advice by hiring those individuals.

    "MAP is going to help us set up JCH University to teach our sales force how to sell better, how to sell on the Internet and communicate more effectively with engineers," Hinshaw says, adding that the company will soon be opening another warehouse in southwest Las Vegas Valley.

    Besides the headquarters and warehouse on Losee Road, JCH also has a 25,000 square foot warehouse in Henderson; a 28,000 square foot warehouse in Reno and a 15,000 square foot warehouse in Salt Lake City.

    Hinshaw says he plans to establish another technologies facility in Salt Lake City and expand to Austin, Jacksonville, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Detroit within the next five years.

    Presently, JCH has 163 employees, but expects to double its staff by 2002. The company reports that for three consecutive years, it has been listed in the Las Vegas Business Press list of Las Vegas' Top 100 Private Companies.

    For more information contact: JCH Wire & Cable, P.O. Box 335520, North Las Vegas, NV. 89033. Phones: 1-800-827-1144 or (702) 639-4000. Fax: (702) 639-4001.

    Web site: www.jchwire.com.

    For more information on MAP's industrial outreach program, contact: MAP at UNLV, 4505 South Maryland Parkway, Box 451076, Las Vegas, NV 89154-1076. Phone: (702) 895-4909; Fax: (702) 895-3000.

    Web site: www.unlv.edu/Research/MAP