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July 2015
| Business World
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impressive jump from the 15 people they ini-
tially employed in 2008.
Nichols credits the company’s continuous
success to several factors. First and foremost,
however, he says the company is where it is
today because of its hardworking and ethical
workforce.
“We have people who are absolutely dedi-
cated,” he says. “They only want to do what’s
best for the company. They’ll work seven
days a week if we need them too – and some
people have worked 90 days straight without
a day off. They are committed to the compa-
ny and we wouldn’t be here without them.”
In recent years, Paragon has also hired some
very talented employees that have helped
the company turn a corner in innovation.
In the past, they have had to purchase cer-
tain machines and part transfer applications,
but they now have people capable of build-
ing those machines in-house. As an example,
they have staff members who were able to
build a 5000 PSI pressure washer from the
ground up – a unit which Nichols estimates
will likely sell for almost $500,000.
“Our people are just amazing,” he says. “I’m
impressed by them every day.”
The skill of Paragon’s staff has been vitally
important to keeping the company at the
forefront of technology, Nichols reiterates
– which is another key factor that sets them
apart.
“Paragon strives to deliver the components
that most machines can’t do,” he says. “We
don’t look for the easiest, most simple parts
– we look for the hardest, most challenging
parts. Currently, for example, we’re doing a