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Marla Spivak (right) talks with Mike Kasun
of K-Sun Corp. about the anti-viral properties of propolis, a natural
substance made by bees that is being used in a research project
at the University of Minnesota.
K-Sun Corp. printers are being used to label
hives and materials in the project. |
While Mike Kasun founded
his company specializing in professional
labeling 30 years ago
in Stillwater, he was also part of
an industry innovation a decade
earlier in the same city.
"Many people don't realize that the type-on-adhesive-tape business actually got
started in Stillwater," said Kasun, who moved to Stillwater in 1969 with his
wife, Lea. "In 1969, United Fabricators and Electronics (UFE) originated type
printed on adhesive tape. That early labeling method has evolved into a huge
global industry with many companies now in the mix."
Kasun, a Milwaukee native
who holds degrees in art and economics from St. Olaf College, has been stuck
on sticky stuff ever since. His company, K-Sun Corp., with offices in Stillwater
and Somerset, Wis., has professional label printers, software and supplies as
well as marking and safety signage products.
Fresh out of college and during
Vietnam, Kasun served as a public affairs officer for Adm. John Hyland Jr., commander
of the U.S. Navy Pacific Fleet. After the service, he joined 3M as a marketing
manager in photographic products.
"Then I accepted a job with UFE's Pierce Division
to take to market a new product called the VariFont Lettering Machine," recalls
Kasun. Renamed the Kroy machine after the St. Croix River, the machine was the
first to use a carbon-imprinting method to transfer letters to clear tape and
was designed to replace the Leroy engineering and drafting lettering system.
"The Pierce manufacturing division was located in River Falls, Wis., and the
headquarters in Stillwater," Kasun said. "While the developers thought the product
would take off in the engineering market, the lettering quality wasn't quite
there. So I tried using it to make overhead transparencies. It worked perfectly,
and we introduced the product at the big audio-visual show in Las Vegas. I had
found a huge international market."
Kasun figured that as the company improved
the type quality, more markets such as the graphics industry would open up. Eventually
the brand became so strong that UFE's Pierce Division changed the corporate umbrella
name to Kroy, followed by a public stock offering. Over the years, the company
changed hands and still exists today in Cleveland, Ohio, as part of a larger
public company.
"I could write a book and call it 'Label Wars,'" notes Kasun,
who left Kroy and started K-Sun Corp. in 1978 in the Brick Alley Building on
Main Street. The company moved several times within the Stillwater area as it
expanded. In 1997, K-Sun Corp. moved operations to Somerset but retains offices
in Stillwater.
Beeing green
K-Sun has also partnered with the Wolf Honey Farm
in Baldwin, Wis., to introduce its 'FREE BEE' offer nationally for its 30th
anniversary. With the purchase of two cartridges,
a power adapter, and wrist
strap, the $75 BEE3 printer,
batteries and a jar of Wolf's honey are included free.
Dale and Joyce Wolf have
220 hives in St. Croix County, and Dale is a third-generation beekeeper. The
Wolfs are also using a BEE3 labeler in their honey operation.
"It's a honey of
a product," says Kasun. "When anyone buys a BEE3 printer kit, they'll be helping
the bees and getting a taste of natural Wisconsin honey and a free printer. What
could be sweeter than that?"
The BEE3 is composed of non-PVC parts and meets
the RoHS Directive, an EU law that bans use of certain hazardous substances.
The adapter meets the California Energy Commission's Minimum Efficiency and No-Load
Energy Reduction Standards, meaning it draws minimal power when plugged in and
the printer is turned off.
K-Sun has also partnered with Ecycling in Hudson,
Wis., to reclaim and recycle its old or exchanged printers. Other anniversary
plans include donating printers to selected organizations and partnering with
a car seat clinic to provide safety labels.
K-Sun's printers are used in laboratory,
industrial, hospital, research, safety/law enforcement, construction, wire/cabling,
engineering, manufacturing, maintenance, parts, equipment and other industries
as well as small businesses, offices, homes, and shops and across the world.
"As
a leader and global provider of professional labeling solutions, we are happy
to be celebrating our third decade in the St. Croix Valley by partnering with
local organizations," Kasun said.
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For More Information Contact:
Linda Law
K-Sun Corporation
370 SMC Drive, P.O. Box 309
Somerset, Wisconsin 54025
1-800-622-6312 Ext. 214
Fax: 1-715-247-4003
info@ksun.com |
