Several Waco, Texas, Businesses Find Success outside the Limelight's Glare.

Publication: Waco Tribune-Herald (Waco, TX)

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COPYRIGHT 2004 Waco Tribune-Herald

Byline: Mike Copeland

Feb. 8--When he was just 6 years old, Shannon Guderian fell in love with his uncle's Ford Mustang. At 15, Guderian got his own Mustang, a '65 model, maroon in color. He really wasn't old enough to drive, but he occasionally took it for a spin.

Guderian, now 31, has parlayed his love for Mustangs into a parts business called Latemodel Restoration Supply, located in Hewitt. He started with a $7,000 investment in 1999, and has created an enterprise that enjoys more than $7 million in annual sales.

His is a niche business, and many local residents may not have heard about it. But it and several other local enterprises succeed outside the spotlight's glare.

For example, Bill Gullion's Tuff Mate Inc., 339 Cotton Belt Parkway, employs 10 and generates $2.5 million in revenue each year by selling gloves made in China to retailers in the United States. "I do not sell to chains or discount stores, only to independents," Gullion said.

The Waco High School and Baylor University...

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