PHOTOS BY DANI EL LIPPITT

I

The Trunsky family and
Crown Steel are like the
little engine that could:
Small is better.

ERIC BAUM SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

Leonard Trunsky holds his Flangemaster invention.

kink back to the last time a
lengthy railroad train held
up a busy intersection. Imag-
ine for a moment the daunt-
ing challenge of a small
businessperson stepping into
the competitive marketplace
servicing America's rail customers. •
The unlikely location of Crown Steel's
headquarters demonstrates Leonard
Trunsky's series of business and per-
sonal successes within an industry dom-
inated by giant corporations.
West Bloomfield based Crown Steel
Rail remains the sole full-service rail
supply company between Chicago and
Cleveland. In a constantly shrinking
market tightened by mergers and ac-
quisitions among the dominant players,
Mr. Trunsky, 70, has survived through
close customer relationships, a half-cen-
tury of experience and a propensity to
do the unexpected.
"I think 50 years in the business of
bucking the giants is worth it," says Mr.
Trunsky. "What I've accomplished is a
miracle. To go up against these large
companies with large sales forces and
millions in equipment is unheard of I've
actually learned you can make more
money by concentrating on being small."
Small has been profitable for Crown
Steel Rail, where sales have more than
tripled from $3 million in 1986. Iden-
tifying a target market and servicing it
thoroughly and faithfully has kept
Crown in business and made Mr. Trun-
sky's one of the most respected names
associated with rail in the Midwest.
The little guy against the giants is
only part of the story. Mr. Trunsky is
proud of conquering barriers of entry to
a closely guarded industry. But he is
more proud of the recognition he's
earned as an active volunteer and phil-
anthropist. Even during his busiest sea-
sons, Mr. Trunsky still manages to find
at least 10 hours per week for a brisk
volunteer schedule dating back to 1947.
Mr. Trunsky purposely structured
Crown Steel Rail's overall business de-
signs to maximize profits for the amount
of time required to run the company.
For example, all employees except for
his son, Rodger, and his wife, Rosyln,
are leased or hired as independent con-
tractors to cut down employment pa-
perwork and filing procedures.
"I never got the kind of satisfaction
from my work that I did from my vol-
unteer activities so I never wanted to
get any bigger," says Mr. Trunsky. "Fm
one of the few people who never worked
for the railroads or L.B. Foster," a large,
full-service rail company.
The railroad business has two dis-
tinct components that can be classified
"railroad" and "industry." Railroad en-
compasses the five remaining class 1
lines, including CSX, who police their
own systems traversing North Ameri-
ca. Industry is the service sector: in-
stalling and repairing track connecting
factories to the main rail systems.
Ford Motor Company, Detroit Edi-
son and other large companies using

STEADY NICHE page 62