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That spirit is alive and flourishing in the southwest corner of Antrim County at a company called Twin Bay Medical on the south side of Elk Rapids.

At its helm is founder Al Werth, a man with lively eyes and an enthusiastic manner.Ê He has made a name for his company by inventing devices that solve problems or improve processes for customers primarily in the biotech industry.

"We never design things we think an industry or customer needs.Ê We develop what we know they need," he said.

The story at Twin Bay is divided into three main chapters. The first is about a young man, one of seven children, who began working to accomplish his apprenticeship in tool and die at the age of 14.Ê His father owned Reed City Tool and was a master toolmaker in the injection molding business.

Ê "One of our claims to fame was football helmets," Werth said. "If there was a game anywhere in the Midwest, chances are they were using our helmets."Ê Master toolmakers were a proud tradition of many Midwestern families at that time, but most of those craftsmen are gone, and apprenticeship programs have all but vanished with them, having fallen victim to foreign subsidies.

The second chapter involved Werth's foray into the world on his own. He became general manager for Pilot Industries in Dexter, a supplier of hoses and tubes for the automotive industry. His stint with Pilot lasted from 1993 to 1998. He had developed a reputation as a creative problem solver and product designer.

Ê In his next chapter, Werth entered into the biotech market, urged on by a friend who pleaded with him to use his imagination and ingenuity to tackle a challenge.Ê Simply, a product was needed to replace the wax that was used by those wearing braces on their teeth to relieve discomfort.Ê Werth developed a silicon replacement, and his appetite for biotech had been baited.

Ê The biotech world is made up of companies who make pharmaceuticals.Ê They are the mixers, the bakers and the time-release makers of products that find their way into medicine cabinets and supplement drawers.

Ê Their components travel through tubes to vats that are conjured and stirred in super clean environments. Werth had experience with tubing, but more importantly, he had his creativity and ingenuity.

Ê "I have vision to be able to see flaws in processes and products," he said.ÊÊÊ That vision makes up the third and current chapter in this story, and reveals the theme of success that began back in his early teens exploring his father's tool room.

Ê Werth's senses scour the landscape for opportunity.Ê He sees what others do not see.Ê He listens to customers and distributors who bring him challenges. He can smell a chance to do something better, and he can taste potential success. He invents. He solves.

Ê In Elk Rapids, Twin Bay Medical now employs as many as 15 people.Ê WerthÊ plans to double the size of their building, fueled by an ever-increasing demand for their new products.

Ê To watch Werth in his lab explaining enthusiastically what his products have done and how they were developed, is like watching a modern-day Benjamin Franklin watching the weather channel.

Ê Buoyed by patents and exclusivity agreements, Twin Bay now introduces about one new product per year, the most recent of which involves a connector used in pharmaceutical manufacturing that does what most in the industry deemed "impossible," according to Werth.

Ê In 2002, he designed and introduced what many believe to be the perfect tube clamp that employs a complete 360-degree seal.Ê This "BarbLock" has caught on, and continues to find new applications.Ê Each year, Twin Bay has increased production by a half million to meet demand.

Ê Werth also employed superconductor technology to power a new impeller/mixer for pharmaceuticals. It virtually eliminates contamination opportunities.

Ê To be sure, the products are extremely high-tech, and it is easy to get lost in the details. The company now manufactures more than 285 different part numbers, and Werth estimates that there are 8,000 to 10,000 manufacturers using their products worldwide. It is the free thinking and positive attack of an opportunity that continues to be the story, however.

Ê Werth points out he would be nothing but a mad professor in a lab of ideas without those that work for him and the community in which he lives.

Ê Elk Rapids Schools are what drew him and his family to the area, a recommendation that came from his wife's sister.Ê He also appreciates the support from his wife who is the harbormaster in Elk Rapids, and their four children.

He describes his employees as "dedicated, homegrown and hometrained."Ê They in turn express a respect and fondness for their leaders' energy and intelligence.

Ê "Every Monday all of us get together to discuss products and processes," Werth said. "It's the employees who come up with better ways to do things."Ê For more information about Twin Bay and a better understanding of their products, inventor Werth invites you to visit their Web sites: www.Twin BayMedical.com and www.barblock.com.

Jeff Kessler can be reached at perkins90@hotmail.com with questions, comments and leads.