A Premier Powder Coating & Custom Fabrication employee prepares a fiber optic laser cutter for work. See how it works in the video above. | Rhett Nelson, EastIdahoNews.com
Want to know what’s going on in Eastern Idaho’s business scene? We’re here to help. Here’s a summary of this week’s business news across the Valley.
business buzz
Rexburg
Rexburg’s Metal Shop has been in business for over 20 years and we value customer service
REXBURG – Leo Castagno paused, fought back tears, and pointed to his employees as he reflected on what sets his business apart from its competitors.
“We’re different because we have Preston, Aubrey, Jeff, and the collective creativity. That’s what separates us from anywhere else,” Castagno says.
Mr. Hibbard, 67, and his wife, Becky, are the owners of Premier Powder Coating & Custom Fabrication, located at 115 North 2nd West in Rexburg. In 2025, the business, which designs, manufactures and powder coats almost any metal product, will celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2025.
The company has customers all over the United States, one of whom is five-time World Barbecue Champion Myron Mixon. Mixon runs a barbecue cooking school in Georgia, and Castagno and his team make charcoal lighters with his logo and image embroidered on the front.
Another recently created product is the Raptor Cover, which is designed to keep birds out of toilet vaults.
Each item is made using the company’s new fiber optic laser cutter. See how it works in the video above.
“We solve problems,” Leo tells EastIdahoNews.com. “We strive to make our products better and improve them. A lot of people are using the same machines as us, but because we have the creativity and the people to do it, It’s different from others.”
Considering how the business started, staying in business for 20 years is an impressive feat for him.
He also previously taught a welding course at Brigham Young University in Idaho. In 2005, he learned the school was discontinuing the program. Around the same time, he designed an elevator system for a friend who worked at an electrical company in Heber City, Utah.
“I built it in my shop at home and went to install it. He said, ‘This is the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen in my life.’ I got home and two days later he sent me a check to make two more,” Leo recalls.
He went to work as ordered, but was informed by the university that he would be fired. That’s when he noticed the building on 2nd West was for sale. Leo said it had been there for so long, weeds had grown around it and people had forgotten about it. He bought the building and started a custom manufacturing business.
“I had a partner, and I wanted the longest, most tragic name I could think of,” Leo jokes about the name of his company. “We brought all our tools and equipment here and started. I took all the money out of my account, deposited it with Premier Powder Coating, and started paying my salary from my own savings.”
He did the same with the three or four employees he had at the time. An SBA loan paid for the company’s first laser cutter.
Twenty years later, Leo refilled his savings account and paid off his loan. Castaños currently has 35 employees, who he says are like family.
“We have employees who have been here for many years,” says Becky. “When you spend eight hours a day with these guys, you become family. They really make it work.”
The company recently upgraded its laser cutter. This is the fourth time in the past 20 years. Laser engineer Preston Barton says the new fiber optic laser cutter requires less maintenance and is much faster than previous models.
The Castagnos are considering retiring if the right offer to buy the business comes along, but they still enjoy running it together and serving their customers. They’re going to keep doing it as long as they can.
“A supportive wife, great employees, and great customers are the secrets to our success,” says Leo.
Business trivia
Golden West Credit Union expands to Idaho Falls
IDAHO FALLS – GoldenWest Credit Union is pleased to announce the grand opening of its newest full-service branch at 525 West Sunnyside Road in Idaho Falls.
This is the company’s fifth branch in Idaho and the first in Idaho Falls.
The Oct. 16 ribbon-cutting celebration was attended by local leaders, including Idaho Falls City Councilwoman Michelle Zeal Dingman, and several business leaders from the Greater Idaho Falls Chamber of Commerce. Golden West president Dan Musgrave and coach Steve Carroll were also in attendance to show their support.
Clay Rose will lead the new branch as manager, overseeing day-to-day operations and member services.
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Church moves to former haunted house
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The clinic being built in Ammon will have a ‘Little House on the Prairie’ feel.
Idaho driver saves at the pump
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