Jerry & Donna
Camenzind purchased their first icemakers in 1966, what
was later to become Arctic Ice, began in the back of
their restaurant with 6 - 400 lbs. per day Kold Draft
icemakers. This purchase was recommended to be a good
investment by a friend who was to serve as a partner in
this new ice company. When the friend left the
partnership about a year later, it was up to Jerry,
Donna and their growing family to make this investment
work.
1966
- 1968
From 1966 to 1968, Jerry and
his family produced 240 bags of ice per day. Each paper
bag was filled with 10lbs of cube ice, and it took 2
days to fill the 500-bag capacity delivery truck. At
this time, the small truck was their only means of
storage, so after 2 days of production, the third day
was spent delivering ice.
1969
- 1972
Due to the success of their
ice sales, Jerry and Donna moved their icemakers from
the back of the restaurant to a block ice plant in St.
Charles, MO, purchased in 1969. The plant had the
ability to produce 500 big 300 lb. blocks of ice per
day. Even though the majority of their ice production
was in the form of block ice, only 25% was sold as
block. Most of the blocks were cut into cubes and sold
as bagged, cube ice. Not only was ice produced
differently than it is commonly produced today,
approximately 50% of ice deliveries were to automated
ice vendors. These coin-operated, highly mechanical
machines would dispense bags or blocks of ice
automatically, similar to a soda machine the size of a
truck. Even though ice was manufactured and distributed
differently, the most important aspect of the business
has remained the same. Service, both in the early days
of Arctic Ice and today, has remained the key to
successful company growth. Taking care of the customer
by meeting their particular needs and treating each
customer with respect and courtesy has been key to the
success of Arctic Ice.
1973
- 1977
Arctic Ice can also
attribute their success to utilizing new technologies to
increase efficiency and productivity. In 1973, Arctic
Ice took their first big step toward greater production
efficiency by purchasing their first Vogt® Tube-Ice®
machine. This greater production efficiency led to their
purchase of two additional Vogt 5000's in 1975. In that
same year, Arctic Ice also moved the company to what was
to be their permanent home for years to come. At this
facility, ice was processed from the 3 Vogt icemakers by
a homemade storage bin, an automatic poly sacker and
then conveyed to the storage room to be tempered.
During
this time other family members began working at the
company. The first two were Jerry and Donna's sons' Mark
and Steve with their daughter Sherrie to soon follow.
Their children's first duty was usually bagging ice.
Having their children work as part-time baggers was a
necessity in this family, and it also gave their
children an early respect for the company. Today, even
though Sherry has limited involvement within the
company, all five of Donna and Jerry's sons are
valuable, full time members of the family company. The
oldest son, Mark, functions as a general manager while
taking incoming orders and dispatching trucks. Doug is
the plant engineer and mechanic, and his brothers Steve
and Mike work in sales. The youngest brother Chris,
along with his wife Karen, works with Donna to manage
the office and company bookkeeping.
1978
- 1999
In 1978, Arctic Ice bought
their first high capacity Vogt P24 22 ton per day ice
machine. Three
years later, Arctic Ice purchased a second P24. Their
continuing success motivated them to replace both of
these machines by their first two Vogt P34AL Ice Makers
in 1985. As Arctic Ice has grown they have made it a
priority to utilize the latest technologies. In some
cases they were the first to employ new industry
equipment. Their first two Vogt P34AL icemakers were
connected to one of the first AIS Packaged High-Side
refrigeration systems. They were later the first ice
company to employ a Kamco 35 ton live bottom bin and
most recently were the first to use a Keith Walking
Floor holding bin in a packaged ice operation.
1999 to Today
In the spring of 1999, Arctic ice moved into their new,
state-of-the-art ice plant. At this facility, four Vogt®
P34AL-200 stretch Tube-Ice® machines function with a
high-side refrigeration system to produce approximately
265 tons of ice per day.
Ice is transferred to an 85-ton Keith® WALKING
FLOOR® holding bin and then to the packaging system by
a custom-designed, fully automated AIS Screw Delivery
System. The screw system yields a four station bagging
system coupled to three Hamer FFS (Form, Fill and Seal)
Machines, a Turbo Automatic Block Press and a fully
automated Raesco palletizing system. This facility
also boasts 8 loading docks and two freezers with the
combined storage of 1,900 full size pallets of ice or
580,000 bags. To deliver all this ice, Arctic Ice
dispatches 25 full time delivery vehicles. This new
state-of-the-art facility has greatly increased their
processing and distribution efficiency.
Through the years, Arctic Ice has seen many
changes and tremendous growth. Hard work and the
utilization of new technologies for greater productivity
have been important to their success. But central to
this success has always been honesty and a strong
commitment to customer service. It is this customer
service that will allow them to continue their growth
while maintaining a loyal customer base. What began as a
side business in the back of a family restaurant has
evolved to be not only a major ice plant but also a
family legacy. Now
with five sons, 3 grandsons and a daughter-in-law in the
business, Jerry and Donna have taken family owned and
operated past the norm and into a whole new level of
success.
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