COEUR d'ALENE - Doug Larson started working in the injection molding industry as an operator on the graveyard shift just to pay the rent. He found after a few years he enjoyed manufacturing and made it his career.

"I was trying to get up the nerve to start my own business when I called the landlord about leasing some space for the business," he said. "The landlord was very frank and said 'Are you going to rent the building or not?' There was a long, long pause and I made the ultimate response, 'Yes.' Then proceeded to pull my truck to the side of the road, and lost my lunch."

Larson worked full time at one job, his wife, Karen, answered the phone while he was at work, and they ran product in the evenings and weekends for customers.

"We worked at it day by day then, all the while following up on leads and trying to grow sales," he said.

Alternative Molding Concepts, 4764 W. Selway Ave., in Post Falls opened June 2006. The owners have more than 75 years combined experience in manufacturing and the injection molding industry.

They produce plastic components and assemblies for one of the largest fitness equipment manufacturers in the world. They have 12 employees and customers in the medical, health and fitness, agricultural. Soon they will be adding a client in the automotive market.

Doug said very few injection molding companies in the Pacific Northwest have experienced the demands for quality, responsiveness and customer service of an automotive industry client.

Leveraging technology is also their core strength.

They plan to invest in technology wherever it makes sense to support their customers and to improve quality. Because of their experience they can take products from a conceptual sketch on a napkin, or detailed and completely engineered CAD file of a complex plastic assembly.

Alternative Molding Concepts donates every year to the cancer foundation, military families, (they have a son in the marines in Afghanistan right now) as well as an educational foundation.

"We have been very fortunate to experience strong growth through the recession and quite honestly we could not have done it without the help and support of the Idaho Small Business Development Center and others," Larson said.

He meets with coach Bill Jhung on a regular basis and takes a number of leadership and business classes every year.

"I think the most valuable part of the Idaho SBDC for me is to have someone ask the tough questions and hold me accountable throughout the year," he said. "I think many times we get too involved in the small details of the day to day and fail to look at the big picture."

Idaho SBDC at North Idaho College exists to help businesses thrive and grow by providing no-cost business coaching, high-impact business training and free resources to business leaders.

Info: (208) 665-5085 or www.IdahoSBDC.org