By John Howell
A decision by the Batesville Exchange Club resulted in a trip last week to tornado-ravaged Louisville and an informative guest at the weekly meeting.

During the club’s May 14 meeting, Danny Jones suggested sending aid to tornado victims in the form of plastic garbage cans and other weatherproof containers manufactured by Sardis’ United Solutions.

United Solutions plant manager Bruce Kiesling immediately bought in to the idea and added to the Exchange Club’s $400 purchase donations of plastic containers worth $4,000 retail.

Jones, Andy Hosler and Russell Pierce delivered the goods May 20 to the Louisville Convention Center where donations are collected, cataloged and distributed. (“I had to borrow Dunlap and Kyle’s trailer,” Jones said. “Mine wasn’t big enough.”)

“The churches down there were really appreciative,” Jones said.

Kiesling visited the May 20 Exchange meeting and described the injection molding manufacturing process that creates United Solutions’ products. The company located to a vacant building in Sardis in 2000 and now employs 120, Kiesling said.

“We’re here to stay,” Kiesling said. United Solutions is a 95-year-old company, headquartered in Leominster, MA. The grandson of the company founder is CEO today, he said. The company has recently purchased a second building in Sardis.

“We’re committed to the community,” Kiesling said.