NEW EXECUTIVES - At the Helm

"Unfortunately, we have had to deal with unfounded rumors about MPI's stability since the president and founder retired," he declares. "(But) we have purchased several new presses, adding capabilities that we previously didn't possess."

That will change in 2001, Kocher predicts, as he projects promising sales figures and plans on continual growth internally, as well as looking for acquisition opportunities. He sees MPI's biggest challenge coming from customers' increasing demand for lower prices, which is driven by retailers and then passed on to manufacturers.