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22 | I NSIGH T • F e b r u a r y 2 0 1 8 w w w . i n s i g h t o n b u s i n e s s . c o m A woman-owned small business W hile the Meyerhofers co-own QAL, Sara Meyerhofer owns 51 percent, and that 1 percent can provide some tangible benefits for the company, which defines itself as a woman-owned small business. e federal government has created prime contracting goals for small businesses, stipulating at least 23 percent of all federal government contracting dollars should be awarded to small businesses. As part of that, it has established a sub-goal of 5 percent of that money going to woman-owned small businesses. at advantage matters as QAL competes for government contract work with companies such as Fincantieri Marinette Marine and Oshkosh Corp. Aer retiring from her career in health care in 2013, Sara Meyerhofer turned her attention full-time to working for QAL, where she leads human resources, regulatory compliance and IT, while Guy Meyerhofer oversees finance, administration, plant management and operations. "I say, remember, I'm 51 percent owner, and I get the final say," Sara Meyerhofer says. Joking aside, the pair say they work well together, and their complementary skills help the company stay strong. QAL employs about 40 and brings in $10 million in annual revenue. Part of that strength comes from QAL's many certifications, including ISO 13485:2016. e certification pertains to producing medical equipment to satisfy worldwide safety standards. e company completed the audit in June of 2017, ahead of the 2019 deadline, as well as completing Food and Drug Administration, Finished Medical Device Contract Manufacturer, and Canadian, European and Japanese certifications. Sara Meyerhofer's health care experience lends itself particularly well to keeping up with certifications and regulations. She credits the company's entire staff for helping achieve the certifications and says meeting the rigorous standard engenders trust in all the products the company manufactures. "Being ISO 13485 opens up more doors," Sara Meyerhofer says. "Somebody said to me once that the 13485 certification is like 9001 on steroids. ere are a lot more hoops you have to jump through if you're producing any kind of medical device." Guy Meyerhofer, on the other hand, brings to the company strong management skills and a future-focused vision, says Tim McKeag, a regional banker who worked with Guy Meyerhofer to finance a buyout. "Guy is very, very methodical and very numbers driven," McKeag says. "He was on top of his numbers." More than just medical J im Tress, director of sales and business development for QAL, says the company is shooting for 20 percent growth in 2018. When he joined the company in 2014, Tress was tasked with diversifying the business to become less dependent on its biggest customer, GE Healthcare. In 2015, Tress brought on Milwaukee-based ambient scenting company Prolitec (think the signature fragrance of an Abercrombie & Fitch store). QAL works with Prolitec's suppliers, and then Prolitec purchases the finished product from QAL. "I think really it was QAL's medical device experience that made us think it might be worth talking to them," says Matt Ansley, vice president of engineering and technology for Prolitec. Ansley says the personal attention Tress and Guy Meyerhofer provide makes the company stand out. He praises QAL's ability to respond to changes and requests quickly and values its honest and thorough communication. QAL can handle manufacturing, assembly, process development and controls, documentation, engineering, and quality and supply chain management, which proves valuable to clients, Guy Meyerhofer says. "It's quite an investment for a company to do everything." Guy Meyerhofer is particularly proud of the work the company does for Pennsylvania-based National Foam, a manufacturer of foam used in firefighting equipment. QAL builds large skid systems for the company, which blend chemicals with water to produce foam to suffocate fires. e systems can be placed in places such as oil rigs or fuel tank farms and can produce foam at a high volume. e equipment can be used in remote apartment complexes or aircra hangars, and they make systems that can flood a hangar with 4 feet of foam within about four minutes. "It's pretty neat to know that something that is being built in Marinette has our fire suppression system onboard as well as the big aircra carriers and destroyers that carry ammunition," Guy Meyerhofer says. Tress says he's proud of QAL's strong performance record JOINT VENTURE c o n t i n u e d ONLINE: Click to watch husband-and-wife team Sara Meyerhofer, CEO of QAL, and Guy Meyerhofer, the company's president, discuss what sets QAL apart.