|
MINDING YOUR
|
| EXTRA NICE ICE By Mike Ashley |
Mark Resnick's prime
business assets are all frozen. His company --
City Ice -- is the last remaining independent ice
company in central Virginia. But the recent spate
of mergers and acquisitions in the ice industry
hasn't left Resnick out in the cold. In fact,
City Ice just moved its headquarters from
Petersburg to a new 13,000-square-foot facility
on seven acres in Chester. |
 artwork by Michael Goodman |
Resnick's
company paid a cool $2 million for the new
facility, which is decidedly high-tech: "Our
water filtration system removes impurities down
to five microns in size," says Resnick.
"Since we feel ice is food, we do everything
to ensure our product's quality. We even print a
nutritional label on the back of each
package." In 1995, City Ice began producing Ice Rounds, a trademark product that cools beverages 33 percent faster than traditional crushed ice. The Ice Rounds are exactly that: ice just under an inch in diameter, with a hole in the center. |
| "Our concept is, not all
ice is created equal," says Resnick.
"Most people don't realize that some small
stores package ice scoop-by-scoop by hand. Our
ice is untouched by human hands. We also have our
product tested regularly by independent labs to
make sure the product conforms to our strict
standards." City Ice cranks out 70 tons a day, seven days a week during the crunch period from Memorial Day to Labor Day and can easily expand to a maximum of 140 tons a day. Resnick estimates that the business will bring in a million dollars this year. "It's a demanding job, but I enjoy the challenges," says Resnick of the low-margin, high-volume industry. City Ice has "a couple of hundred" customers around central Virginia selling ice, and that seems to suit Resnick fine for now. He says he has no plans to sell his business and start chilling out.
|
