Premier Conduit is a manufacturer of corrugated conduit/ innerduct for the telecommunications industry. You can find their product nationally, internationally and elsewhere outside the atmosphere. “I had a distributor call once and tell me that our pipe is on a satellite in outer space,” says owner Aimee Baumann. “I guess it's fair to say that our pipe is literally ‘out of this world.'”

Baumann says doing business in Erie is convenient. “Erie is a great location for shipping and receiving materials between the port, rail and interstates,” she says.

Aimee's husband, Larry, worked in the industry for many years before the company he worked for was sold. But the niche market was still there. In addition to manufacturing above industry standard products, he felt the competitors' customer service was lacking. “What sets us apart from our competitors is our mindset with the customer,” Baumann says. “Our customers are very happy that we got into the conduit business because we truly care about the people we serve. We strive to provide the best customer service along with a quality product. We have grown our business doing so.”

Great customer service means meeting the special requirements that customers want.” We provide custom lengths on a reel,” says Baumann “Not having minimum reel lengths is a definite edge. A customer doesn't want to buy more than they need. We also provide custom colors for customers who need to color code what type of cable or fiber is in the conduit.”

Exceeding a customer's expectations comes down to getting back to basics. “We treat customers as they want to be treated,” Baumann says. “Our other competitors are much larger than us, but we provide just as well — if not better.”

“We're definitely one of the major players in our industry, in our niche market. We have surpassed our expectations,” Baumann adds.