Carroll Area Development Corporation presented Mark Edmonds, President; Bryce Beedy, Vice President and Dave Miller, Plant Manager of Carroll Coolers with The Spirit of Excellence award on October 16, 2018.  The Spirit of Excellence award recognizes Carroll County businesses that invest resources in projects that result in a larger property tax base and additional quality jobs in Carroll County.  Carroll Coolers recently invested $3.4 million dollars in equipment and a 19,370 square foot expansion to their facility which will create 10 additional jobs in the next 1-2 years. 
 
 Carroll Coolers began operation in 1987 in the former Heider Manufacturing building on West 3^rd Street in Carroll. In 1995, the company moved to its current location on Highway 30 West. Early on, CCI refurbished used coolers and refrigerated cases, but then turned their focus to manufacturing walk-in coolers and freezers.
 
In 1998, Carroll Coolers was purchased by Steven Dolezal of New Lisbon, Wisconsin, and became a subsidiary of Leer, Incorporated. In 2008, Leer, Inc. and Carroll Coolers were purchased by Dexter-Apache Holdings of Fairfield, Iowa.  Dexter-Apache (DAHI) is a 100% employee-owned company with diverse business interests in the manufacturing, distribution, financial services, and mission critical technology and communications industries. Employee ownership has provided all DAHI employees with the opportunity to share in both the profits and the value of the DAHI family of companies.
 
DAHI’s investment in the growth of Carroll Coolers and expansion of the Carroll facility has increased plant square footage by 57%. Additional recent investments in new equipment coupled with the expansion of manufacturing space has dramatically increased the production capacity of Carroll Coolers. With these new investments in their business, CCI expects new sales growth which will add jobs for future employee-owners.
 
 
 
Carroll Coolers currently has 62 employee-owners, 46 of whom work in production and shipping. They build custom walk-in coolers and freezers that serve cold storage needs for a variety of industries including convenience stores, supermarkets, schools, institutions, and warehouses – nearly any cold storage needs their customers might have.
 
In terms of employee-owner safety, Carroll Coolers has been selected by Iowa OSHA Consultation Services to participate in their Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP). The program recognizes employers who have demonstrated exemplary achievements in workplace safety and health. First selected for the recognition in 2011, Carroll Coolers has been a SHARP company since 2011 and is one of only eight companies in the state of Iowa to receive this recognition. 
 
The employee-owners of Carroll Coolers take great pride in serving their customers’ needs in an accurate and timely fashion. Employee-owners understand that exceeding customer expectations contributes to the success of the customer and determines the success of the company they own. And when their company succeeds, they all share in the value of that success.