Aerospace Industries Association
SMC Member Profile: Cleo Brager
President, Fastener & Hose Technology, Inc.
Breaking into the business world was not easy for Fastener & Hose Technology, Inc. President Cleo Brager.
"A woman starting her own business was unheard of 22 years ago when I started my first business," she said.
She recalls difficulty convincing banks to take her seriously as the first hurdle she had to jump. While some bankers made excuses for not approving a loan request, others would say honestly she and her business partner shouldn't be surprised -- they were both women and Brager a minority.
"Gender and skin color weren't things I considered when I decided to start my business," she said.
However, after spending eight years selling aircraft cargo containers and fasteners, Brager knew it was time to be on her own. More than two decades later her most recent endeavor, nine-year-old Fastener & Hose Technology, Inc., has grown to be an industry leader in aircraft hardware distribution and hose fabrication for the aerospace and specialized industrial markets.
Brager also faced obstacles at home. While many businessmen have wives who help take care of the kids during business travel, she single-handedly coordinated clothes, babysitters and dinners for her two girls, and then got ready for a week of business.
"It was tough," she said. "I would get on the plane exhausted before I even left the ground."
Determination and hard work helped Brager succeed.
"Each time we were turned down or challenged it was as if we were in a battle," she said. "Today, we have reached a point where battling has finally paid off."
Brager is quick to point out the benefits of being a woman business owner.
"As a woman and even more a minority, you stand out in this or any industry," she said. "I think I have used my uniqueness to my benefit."
Others recognized the value of this individualism. In 1999 the Kansas City Business Journal selected Brager as one of the top 25 Women Who Mean Business.
She also thinks being a woman helps her see the wider perspective when making decisions.
"I think I am more concerned with how my decisions affect everyone from the customers to employees and their families," she said.
That concern has paid off. The Kansas Office of Minority and Women Business Development named Fastener & Hose Technology the 1996 Woman-Owned Supplier/Distributor Business of the Year. And the company holds advanced certification with Sikorsky Aircraft.
In 2005, as a Boeing Company nominee, Fastener & Hose Technology was named the Small Business Administration Region VII Small Business Subcontractor of the Year.
Officials with Boeing Military Aerospace Support/Wichita Development and Modification Center praised Barger's company.
"Fastener & Hose Technology, Inc. consistently demonstrates exceptional capability to deal with complex manufacturing/engineering problems in an efficient and economical manner," Boeing's Larry Gibson said. "Their efficiency and reliability in servicing their customers is exceptional, and the supportive attitude of this company has been most evident in crisis situations."
What's next for Fastener & Hose Technologies, Inc.? Brager sees a major leap coming very soon.
"We are looking to expand on all fronts, adding more employees, new contracts, and a facility three times the size of our current one," she said.
AIA is proud to have Cleo Brager and Fastener and Hose Technology, Inc. as an associate member in the Supplier Management Council.
Fastener & Hose Technology, Inc. is a certified small disadvantaged woman-owned business and a fully authorized hose assembly fabricator and stocking Parker/Stratoflex distributor located in the Kansas City area.
For additional information, see www.fhtech.net