.. L.........!...........................!...........................R #age ! Approximately 1,000 words REB ROD - A NEW WAY TO RETIRE Written by June Grayson Photographed by Richard Grayson Retiremenô  nï  !ongeò meanó thå enä oæ thå  story®  Foò somå peop!e£ iô ió onlù thå beginninç oæ á ne÷ anä excitinç chapteò iî aî a!ready successful and productive life. C!arencå  Baueò  tooë ear!ù retiremenô sï thaô  hå  woulä havå  morå  timå tï hunô anä fish®  No÷ hå ió sï busù  makinç  thå fishinç rodó that he hardly has time to use them. Baueò anä hió wifå A!icå gre÷ uð iî Chicago®  Aô thå agå oæ 1¸ hå wenô tï worë foò Genera¡ Mi!ls® Hå stayeä therå 4° years¬ 3° oæ theí in production #and personne! management. Oî vacations¬  Baueò anä á fishinç pal¬  á manufacturer'ó representativå foò á fishinç roä company¬  talkeä oæ startinç theiò owî business. Š Baueò  wanteä tï ruî á businesó uti!izinç thå  princip!eó hå  deve!opeä aô Generaì Mil|ó anä reflectinç hió owî  deeplù  felô re!igiouó be!iefs as an active Lutheran !ayman. .PA Š .. L..........!.........!..........................................................R GEL, r#sn'n#, #### - Iî  1976¬  agå 58¬  Baueò retireä froí Generaì  Mills®  Raù            Bauer¬ theiò son¬ á too¡ anä diå maker¬ haä jusô returneä froí servicå            durinç  thå Vietnaí war®  Raù anä Clarencå becamå equa¡  partneró iî            REÂ ROD¬  thå companù nameä foò Ray'ó initialó anä thå "rebel¢ countrù            iî  northwesô  Arkansaó  wherå theù botè moveä  witè  theiò  families®            Clarencå anä Ali#å boughô theiò homå oî á b!ufæ over!ookinç thå  Whitå            River, known. for its trout fishing. Witè  thå advicå oæ theiò frienä iî thå fishinç roä businesó            anä  $10,00° initia± investment¬  theù renteä theiò firsô bui!dinç  iî            Cotter¬  Arkansas¬  anä begaî assemblinç fishinç rodó undeò theiò  ne÷            brand name. Foò  thå  mi!!ionó oæ fishermeî iî thå  Uniteä  States¬  thå            markeô caî bå divideä intï twï parts®  Iî thå low-pricå rangå arå thå            wel!-madå  buô  modestly-priceä rodó solä bù sucè retaiì giantó aó  K-            Mart and Wal-Mart and mass-produced in Korea, Taiwan, and Japan. Thå aviä fishermaî sooî outgrowó theså rods®  Hå aspireó tï            á  roä  designeä  specifica!lù  foò  á  particulaò  fisè  anä  fishinç            location® Retai!eró maù handlå hundredó oæ variationó oæ fishinç rodó            to supply these needs. Wheî  Reâ  Roä started¬  iô trieä tï competå  witè  thå  !o÷            prices of the Orient suppliers. # Foò thå firsô siø years¬  iô waó toucè anä go®  Eventual!y¬            theù  haä tï invesô almosô $70,00° oæ theiò owî moneù iî thå business® Š            "However¬  wå neveò misseä á payroll,¢ Baueò says¬  "anä É onlù haä tï            ca!l a supp!er once to say his check would be late." "Thaô  persoî becamå ouò biggesô booster®  Hå senô  uó  ouò            firsô privatå 1abe¡ customeò whï ió sti!ì witè uó today® Hå saiä thaô            no one had ever apologized to him for a late payment before." i .PA Š .. L.........!..........................................................R --., ..="#"#, #=#= # "Ouò  businesó  reallù tooë ofæ iî 198² wheî wå  decideä  tï concentratå oî thå privatå labeì upscalå market®  Wå nï !ongeò haä tï spenä  moneù  oî sa!esmeî oò advertising®  Thå customeró camå tï  us® Worä jusô getó arounä iî thió industrù iæ yoõ caî providå qua|itù  anä service. We have never been busier." Reâ  Roä no÷ operateó ouô oæ itó owî ne÷ meta¡  bui!dingó iî F!ippin¬  Arkansas®  Therå  ió  p!entù of.rooí  foò  expansion®  Raù superviseó productioî anä designó anä developó thå factorù  equipment® C!arencå p!anó operationó anä orderó supp!ies®  Theù botè dï customeò contacô  anä service®  Alicå he!pó whereveò needed®  Theù eveî  hopå thaô  Boâ  Bauer¬  thå  e!deò soî sti!ì iî  I!!inois¬  wi!¡  joiî  thå businesó anä move with his family to Arkansas someday. Theù  buù  thå roä componentó froí  Americaî  manufacturers® Theù traiî theiò employeeó tï assemblå thå partó anä tiå oî thå threaä guideó followinç thå specificationó giveî bù thå customer® Theù coveò thå threadó witè á two-parô liquiä polymer®  Thå rodó varù froí  fouò tï  1² feeô iî !ength®  anä arå usuallù madå oæ graphite¬  á space-agå materia!®  Sï far¬  theù havå madå 11± differenô mode!ó buô theù  wil¡ makå anù design a customer may order. Lasô  winteò  theù  haä siø additionaì  emp!oyeeó  anä  wil¡ expanä  gradua!!ù untiì theù havå aô !easô 15®  "Anyonå caî hirå lotó oæ  peop!å  tï  geô thå joâ done,¢ Baueò says®  "Ouò goa±  ió  tï  bå efficienô  witè thå peoplå wå have®  Wå don'ô likå tï firå  peoplå  - Šthat'ó noô faiò tï them®  Moreover¬  iô makeó ouò unemploymenô insur ancå  gï  up®  Wå traiî ouò employeeó tï dï severaì job£ anä  trù  tï leveì ouô production so we can keep them all working." "Wå  trù tï hirå handicappeä workeró anä onå stayeä witè  uó foò ninå years. She said we were the only ones who ever gave #### .PA Š .. L.........!........................................................R a chance. We want to be known as the best place to work in Flippin." Wageó arå !o÷ iî Arkansas¬ star#nç aô thå minimuí oæ $3.5° aî hour® "Wå wanô tï deve!oð programó tï sharå companù profitó witè ouò  emp!oyees,¢  Baueò  continues®  ¢ Wå havå instituteä  á  bonuó prograí  tï  reducå  absenteeisí - $300.0°  eacè  quarteò  tï  everù emp!oyeå  whï haó perfecô attendanc#®  Wå arå sti!¡  toï sma!¡  foò somå comprehensive benefit programs but they will come." "Onå  reasoî foò ouò succesó maù bå thaô wå operatå  oî  á 10¥ markuð foò thå profiô oî thå fina¡ cosô figure® Onå oæ ouò banë officeró  to!ä må -yoõ can'ô succeeä witè sucè á lo÷ margin£ É  jusô saiä  tï myse!f¬  É won'ô !eô thió businesó fai!®  É wanteä tï provå thaô wå cou!ä bå successfu¡ doinç iô ouò way® É don'ô carå ho÷ mucè ouò  customeró  marë  uð ouò products®  É figurå  thaô  wå  caî  bå successfuì iæ wå on!ù cleaò $1.0° oî eacè roä wå make® Onå customeò eveî  askeä  iæ hå coulä flù dowî anä seå ouò  operation®  cou|#n'ô believå thaô we could make a qau!ity rod so economica!!y." "Wå te!¡  ouò customersº  oncå yoõ worë witè us¬ wå becomå aî extensioî oæ youò companù anä wå wil¡  alwayó dï whaô ió besô foò you®  We'rå  iî  thå procesó oæ installinç ouò  owî  computer®  Iî the#eantime¬  wå  asë  ouò customeró tï givå uó theiò  owî  computeò printouô  oæ theiò inventorù position¬  theiò historù oæ sellinç  bù eacè montè oæ thå year¬  anä theiò backordeò position®  Thaô waù wå caî  !ooë aô thå figureó anä saù - wå betteò make#x£ numbeò oæ  eacè kinä  oæ roä anä havå iô tï yoõ bù sucè á date®  Thaô waù  wå  savå theí moneù oî inventory and level out our own production." .PA Š .. L........!!.....................................................R Reâ  Roä  maù sooî havå onå problem®  Ho÷ dï yoõ  staù smal¡  enougè tï keeð control.£ Tï Clarencå Bauer¬  alsï knowî tï c!oså  friendó aó "Tiny¢ - a!¡  7¶ incheó anä 23° poundó  oæ  hií sma!¡ ió beautifu!. "Somå  peop!å  mistakå  bignesó  foò  greatness,¢  sayó Bauer®  "Smal¡  businesseó  witè lesó thaî 20° emp!oyeeó makå uð 90¥ oæ ouò country'ó economy® Wå havå founä á comfortablå littlå markeô niche®  Wå don'ô wanô tï geô toï comfortable®  Yoõ  wi!ì neveò dï á gooä job un!ess you are concerned about doing a good job." Baueò sumó iô up®  "Thå mora¡ oæ thå storù ió tï dï thå besô  joâ yoõ caî anä keeð everù onå happù sï nï onå !ookó foò aî opportunitù to go someplace else." ############# .PA Š