(Above L to R) Mathews Machinery, Inc. salesman Domenico Tringali with Bo Walker, Imperial Western Products.

Bill Trawick, a skilled entrepreneur, examines needs in the market and then expands to fulfill that void in the industry. Accepting all suggestions and fresh ideas from employees, the company is always willing to try something new. Thinking outside the box is a tradition of the company. Early in the company, Lee Trawick, the founder, perceived a need in California for a cottonseed company, thus beginning the pursuit of growth, involvement, and leadership across multiple industries. The Trawick’s have always set the company goal to produce the lowest possible cost products of unprecedented quality and service.

The corporation is also committed to superior, proactive environmental protection and conservation. A large portion of their products are recycled and refined byproducts that are environmentally safe, biodegradable and non-toxic. For example, IWP processes cooking oil into clean burning renewable Biodiesel, they produce soaps and powerful janitorial products, as well as fully biodegradable, non-toxic release agents for the concrete precast industry. In addition, IWP produces animal feed, as well as a leading line of tire products, non-toxic biodegradable asphalt products, not to mention the availability of onsite grease pickup services available throughout all of Southern California, Arizona, and Southern Nevada. They also offer a pickup service for bakery waste refinement, as well as other transportation services of bulk liquid and dry product trucking. Other Imperial Western products not derived from recycled cooking oil are also fully biodegradable, non-toxic, and earth friendly such as their pipe joint lubricants and custom formulated and compounded chemicals. Trawick and IWP are always looking for new ways to recycle wastes into new byproducts. Imperial Western’s main industry has been the distribution and manufacturing of animal feed. IWP has been one of the largest feed suppliers in the industry for over forty years offering custom mixes, high energy feeds, and low cost high quality alternatives to traditional high priced seasonal ingredients. The rail yard actually started off as an expansion to the company by off loading for other companies. Now, IWP utilizes its rails to send and receive its own products, as well as to load their own onsite storage facility.  Other services the diverse company offers include: silage coverage, wood grinding and chipping, custom labeling and packaging, and several different forms of transportation services. It is the ingenuity and tenacity of Imperial Western Products that afforded them the opportunity to conquer so many industries with the utmost standard of excellence.

	(Above) L90 logging more and more hours loading commodities at the Selma facility.
	(Below) Rail and off loading of commodities.

Many of the niche businesses require the loading, unloading and movement of tons of materials per day. This requires heavy machinery, particularly the use of reliable wheel loaders on a day to day basis. Bill Trawick and IWP buy most of their equipment from Matthews Machinery with their headquarters located in Corona, California and branches in Bakersfield, El Cajon, Livermore and Sacramento. Imperial Western currently owns four L90 Volvo wheel loaders in Selma, one in Buckeye, and four in Coachella. In a drastic comparison to construction machinery use, IWP’s loaders clock in thousands of hours before being retired or traded in. An average loader may run for seventeen plus hours a day. The oldest L90 has over 50,000 hours and the second oldest has over 40,000, neither with any major work done to them. Another Volvo loader of Imperial Western Products that was transferred to one of their plants clocked in over 60,000 hours! Using these Volvo wheel loaders to move hundreds of tons of material a day may seem unexciting, although their value to this company’s bottom line is anything but mundane. Being able to rely on Mathews Machinery and their Volvo wheel loaders has helped Imperial Western Products to focus more on other parts of their growing empire.

Imperial Western Products is known for taking risks; however, every move they make is carefully calculated. The industries they specialize in often have little competition thus allowing them to rely on these “niche” areas for profit versus relying on their competitive markets. The profit from these specialized fields also allows them the avoid making rash decisions in the commodities areas.

Stiff regulations in California do pose some obstacles for IWP. Workman’s compensation, insurance, regulatory and environmental issues, air quality, and waste water management are among the issues that are becoming “more and more difficult to have to continue to be in compliance with,” Bill Adams states. Also, with growing Homeland Security issues, the company has found it best to keep the majority of their own records to expedite any compliance checkups. This adds more people to the payroll, but in the long run, is a wise business move for IWP. For Trawick and his corporation, being involved in multiple fields ensures him that different markets can fluctuate without adversely affecting the entire financial picture

	(Top Left) Loading cotton seed at the Coachella location. (Bottom Left) Another Volvo loader working hard at the Selma location. (Below) Semi-truck loading Bio-diesel at the Coachella location.

Urban sprawl has also become a concern for IWP. For example, the majority of dairies in California have moved to the San Joaquin Valley from growing urban development in the last 20 years; there are over half a million cows in a seventy-five square mile radius. Since the company’s income is from four different industries, the mainly dairy based Selma location can safely stay put.

Continuing the Trawick legacy are Bill’s sons. Trent is now joining the company, he just graduated from Arizona State and has the Trawick potential to take the company in newer and bigger directions in the future. Jared will also be joining the company soon after he is finished with college. One thing that Imperial Western Products and the Trawick Family can count on is that the markets will continue to rise and set as sure as the sun each day. Thankfully, they will also be able to rely on the diversified company and divisions they have built since 1966 to keep them viable for years to come. For more information call 559-891-2600. Cc