Abstract:
Bob Wilson knew from the ground up how intensive the floor-cleaning business can be, having pushed a heavy buffer around stores during his high school days. At his business in Sparta in Alleghany County he set to work building a new type of buffer. What he came up with revolutionized the industry and created such a demand that he started his own manufacturing company. Sales for the machine, the Pioneer/Eclipse, reached $800,000 the first year. In 1986, five years later, sales are projected at $18 million.