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Baton Rouge's building boom and Acme Refrigeration of Baton Rouge Inc. grew hand in hand.
And as the economy of the city, as well as the state, has suffered in recent years, so has the market for new refrigeration, air conditioning and heating and ventilation equipment. Acme's sales, which peaked in 1985 at $16.4 million, have decreased to $10.1 million last year. The total employment has fallen from 125 three years ago to 56.
But brothers Adrian E. Kaiser Jr. and John L. Kaiser are long-time Baton Rouge businessmen who have learned how to survive and protect the family's 43-year-old investment. And, they think their fortunes may be taking a turn for the better.
"Everybody's carrying a different workload," said Adrian, Acme Refrigeration's president. "They've been asked to be flexible. We've reshuffled the deck to meet our needs. That's what it's taken to be a survivor in this thing."
"I'm back out now doing things I gave up 10 years ago," agreed Sales Manager John. "Loyal employees and faithful customers have helped us sustain and get through this thing."
Refrigeration has been a lifelong love of the Kaiser family. Their grandfather was in the ice cream manufacturing business and subsequently drew their father, Adrian Sr., into the refrigeration business. He founded Acme on a $10,000 investment as a refrigeration service company in a tiny North Street building...