GAINESVILLE – When the U.S. military needs an assortment of mechanical tools and supplies, put together in kit-form, for specialized jobs being done around the world by our armed forces, it has repeatedly turned to Kipper Tools in Gainesville to meet the need.
“We have fielded in excess of 930,000 tool systems for our U.S. military, and we’re very proud of that,” Kipper Tool Vice-President of Sales Bill Deringer told the crowd of military, local and state government leaders sitting inside the cavernous 300,000-square-feet assembly and distribution plant on Murphy Boulevard Tuesday morning.
The gathering was in celebration of the delivery of the 375th HEPPOE, or Hydraulic Electric Pneumatic Petroleum Operated Equipment set. (More on that follows.)
Governor Nathan Deal, State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler, State Senator Butch Miller, Senator Johnny Isakson (via video connection) and Gainesville Mayor Danny Dunagan shared time at the podium congratulating the Woman Owned Small Business on their successful relationship with the military.
Founded in 1994 by owner Nancy Kipper and her husband, Jerry, the business employs over fifty associates.
Governor Deal said, “We now have some 317,000 female-owned businesses in the state of Georgia.”
He added, ”Last year we received the distinction as the number one state in the country in terms of the growth of female owned businesses.”
Kipper Tool Account Manager Jeremy Shockley handles most of the HEPPOE details. He explained that Kipper is now in their second contractual agreement with the U.S. Army. The second contract is valued at $85-million according to Shockley.
“What we’re celebrating is the halfway point,” Shockley explained. He explained that when the current contract ends in April of 2019, Kipper will have created 750 HEPPOE sets.
Each HEPPOE contains tools and components specified by the Army that come from a variety of manufacturers. They are assembled and field-readied before being placed into a custom-fitted protective case and crated for delivery.
Shockley added that when acquiring the components Kipper includes in each HEPPOE set, priority is given to American-made products. “With these types of programs…all the tools that go into the tool kits not only have to be assembled here, but have to be wholly U.S. made.”
