Senator Tom Cotton Visits Kiefer Sage
Cotton and members of his team spent the early afternoon touring our facility and meeting the people behind our products. It was a chance to show him what we do and why we do it.
Senator Tom Cotton looks over the Kiefer Sage History Wall with Owner & Chairman, Erin Kiefer.
We started at our company history wall in the lobby, where our Chairman, Erin Kiefer walked the Senator through our history from 1983 to today: a grandmother who needed independence at the grocery store, a founder who wouldn't settle for "good enough," and the world's first electric shopping cart.
He saw Martcart through the years, from the vintage originals to Zeos, our new connected shopping scooter. He got to sit in one of our Tenhold vehicles that has been upfitted for first responders and we demonstrated our Spraymaster central cleaning system for him. The Senator then walked our production floor to meet some of our team members and their supervisors who build it all. He got to watch some of our products being made right on the line, which he claimed was a large highlight of his visit.
Cotton said, “Seeing the new cutting edge carts that Kiefer Sage is sending to large retailers like Walmart was fun. They are getting more and more advanced. I’m just waiting for the time that it can tell me what aisle I need to go to to get the laundry detergent or pasta sauce for my wife.”
Senator Cotton learns more about our newest and most tech-forward MartCart, Zeos, with Daniel Howell, Senior Vice President of New Product Development, showcasing its capabilities.
Talking workforce and education
After the tour, our leaders sat down with Senator Cotton to talk about growth, education, and workforce development. We shared our growth ambitions, how we're investing in our people, and what we're learning about growing talent in Northwest Arkansas.
Cotton had this to say at end of our time together, “I don’t just recommend coming to see Kiefer Sage and the great people here, but I also recommend doing business with them. They make great American products right here in Arkansas while employing hundreds of Arkansans.”
Thank you to Senator Cotton and his staff for taking the time to visit.
From left to right: Sean Womack, Chief Strategy Officer, Kevin Wisel, Chief Financial Officer, Catherine Sanders, Senior Vice President of Marketing, Erin Kiefer, Owner & Chairman, Tom Cotton, Arkansas Senator, Justin Sparks, Chief Executive Officer, Noble Gibbens, Chief People Officer.