Omni Models and Hobbico Sale
#2
I , as a model airplane hobbyist , could think of far worse things than to be sent Email about of all things , model airplanes , from the company that bought a company I've bought model airplanes from .
#3
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It has been my impression over the years that Horizon, while being a great company in some ways, did not offer the service that Tower did. I don't have anything concrete to back that up, but it is a distinct impression. There is no reason to believe that will change in the future. However, that very liberal service, which I never had the impression that Horizon offered, may be part of the reason that Tower ended up as they did. Sad......
#4
It has been my impression over the years that Horizon, while being a great company in some ways, did not offer the service that Tower did. I don't have anything concrete to back that up, but it is a distinct impression. There is no reason to believe that will change in the future. However, that very liberal service, which I never had the impression that Horizon offered, may be part of the reason that Tower ended up as they did. Sad......
#5
It has been my impression over the years that Horizon, while being a great company in some ways, did not offer the service that Tower did. I don't have anything concrete to back that up, but it is a distinct impression. There is no reason to believe that will change in the future. However, that very liberal service, which I never had the impression that Horizon offered, may be part of the reason that Tower ended up as they did. Sad......
#6
From actual experience as opposed to idle speculation, events for me were quite the opposite.
Tower was terrible with any service issues while Horizon was exemplary.
It will be interesting to see what happens in the future.
Tower was terrible with any service issues while Horizon was exemplary.
It will be interesting to see what happens in the future.
#8
#10
Bankruptcy judge OKs Horizon's purchase of Hobbico's RC business News-Gazette.com has more info on Horizon's purchase of Hobbico (Tower and Omni):
They are being selective on whom they immediately rehire from Hobbico. Dust hasn't cleared yet, so don't know how many employees they will retain. Both companies are about the same size.
Competing Hobby Shack renamed to Hobby People folded not long ago. America's Hobby Center quietly subsided or lost prominence a while back, may be 10 - 12 years ago? I used to remember Polks, Indy, Ace, etc.
Hobby Lobby was sold to a new owner, renamed to Hobby Express and is now moving from Nashville, TN to Ashkeville, SC.
Anyway, it will be interesting to see what the new Horizon will look like.
Horizon is buying Hobbico's Great Planes and Tower Hobbies divisions, along with its Axial and Arrma brands. Also on Monday, a bankruptcy judge approved a separate $7 million sale of Hobbico's Colorado-based model-rocket subsidiary, Estes, to an organization called The Langford Group.
An auction for Hobbico's remaining assets — including United Model, Revell US and Revell Germany — was temporarily suspended last week.
Hobbico employees will be applying for jobs in departments at Horizon rather than specific positions, and a temp agency is helping Horizon process the applications. "Due to time constraints with hiring/reviewing/interviewing 300+ employees, Express Employment is assisting Horizon with the recruitment process," Huppert wrote. "Employees who are selected to work in the Distribution Center could start on Saturday, April 7th through Express Employment." If employees apply by Friday, their seniority with Hobbico will be used to determine when they're eligible for benefits. However, "If you apply after the close of the transaction (April 6th), you would be considered a new applicant and treated like any other external candidate," according to a document attached to Huppert's email.
"We will review the applications and get in touch with candidates with whom we are interested in moving forward," the document said, later saying: "We plan to interview as many people as we can, but given the short time frame prior to closing, we will not likely be able to interview everyone." A representative for Hobbico could not be reached for comment Monday, and a representative for Horizon said the company would issue a statement after the sale closes.
The two companies were both formed in 1985 and are among the top 25 employers in the county, according to the Champaign County Economic Development Corp. Last year, Hobbico said it employs 415 people in the county, and Horizon Hobby reported 341 employees.
An auction for Hobbico's remaining assets — including United Model, Revell US and Revell Germany — was temporarily suspended last week.
Hobbico employees will be applying for jobs in departments at Horizon rather than specific positions, and a temp agency is helping Horizon process the applications. "Due to time constraints with hiring/reviewing/interviewing 300+ employees, Express Employment is assisting Horizon with the recruitment process," Huppert wrote. "Employees who are selected to work in the Distribution Center could start on Saturday, April 7th through Express Employment." If employees apply by Friday, their seniority with Hobbico will be used to determine when they're eligible for benefits. However, "If you apply after the close of the transaction (April 6th), you would be considered a new applicant and treated like any other external candidate," according to a document attached to Huppert's email.
"We will review the applications and get in touch with candidates with whom we are interested in moving forward," the document said, later saying: "We plan to interview as many people as we can, but given the short time frame prior to closing, we will not likely be able to interview everyone." A representative for Hobbico could not be reached for comment Monday, and a representative for Horizon said the company would issue a statement after the sale closes.
The two companies were both formed in 1985 and are among the top 25 employers in the county, according to the Champaign County Economic Development Corp. Last year, Hobbico said it employs 415 people in the county, and Horizon Hobby reported 341 employees.
Competing Hobby Shack renamed to Hobby People folded not long ago. America's Hobby Center quietly subsided or lost prominence a while back, may be 10 - 12 years ago? I used to remember Polks, Indy, Ace, etc.
Hobby Lobby was sold to a new owner, renamed to Hobby Express and is now moving from Nashville, TN to Ashkeville, SC.
Anyway, it will be interesting to see what the new Horizon will look like.
#11
Well, best of luck to all of the people employed in the hobby industry. I`ll support it all I can.
#13
My Feedback: (1)
I've ordered from Tower, Omnimodels, and Horizon hobby through the years and they've all been good, but Tower is like an old friend I've always got my balsa and Towerkote from. As a scratch builder, I hope Horizon keeps stocking stuff for us, or I will have to find a new source.