Keeping it in the Family

Think of Rick Heinl, president of Tipp City, Ohio-based Repacorp, as a kinder, gentler daddy dearest type.
He is dad at home; he is no-nonsense Rick or Mr. Heinl to the multitude of family members who work at his company.

No spoiled brats in this family.

He wanted his children to understand the importance of an honest day's work for an honest day's pay. So, he had them working while they went to college—sometimes—getting down and dirty with the presses.

"When I was a freshman and sophomore in high school, I started in maintenance," said his youngest son Nick Heinl. "I scraped labels off the floor and scrubbed presses. It made me realize I needed an education so I didn't have to do that for the rest of my life."

Rick remembers those days.

"He came home after washing out the ink pans. He had ink from his face to his toes," Rick recalled. "He didn't want to do it anymore. He was dirty and making $7 per hour. He complained that a buddy was making $12 per hour at a grocery store. I told him to get a job there. It wasn't about the money, it was about teaching him to get up [and] go to a job. So many are not taught to work."

Nick managed to crawl his way out of the ink press, moving on to other jobs—running presses, working equipment, working in the shipping department—while he continued to attend school. Today, the 25-year-old holds a sales position at Repacorp.

Rick admitted he initially never wanted his son or his two other children making their careers at his company.

"I never wanted them to work for me," he explained. "I have seen many companies get ruined when kids get involved."