The name Cleveland Vibrator might evoke a chortle or knitted brow depending on where a person's mind is. In reality, anyone who's ever tapped powdered sugar through a sieve to dust their beignets, shaken salt on a steak or flicked the side of a funnel to dislodge an obstruction has employed the same concept that industrial vibration uses.

The Vibra-Might, Cleveland Vibrator's signature pneumatic piston vibrator, jiggles, shakes and jostles on a much larger scale. Whether it's shaking feed grain out of a giant hopper to satiate a herd of hungry cows, or jostling tiny plastic medical staples into shipping containers, the Vibra-Might keeps products moving.

"Anywhere that there’s bulk material being touched, processed, handled, or packed," says Vice President Craig Macklin, "we’ll be there as an integral part of making that happen for lower cost, or just ensuring that people's production lines are up and running."

And when he says anywhere, he really means anywhere. Over the last few years, the company has advanced the brand nationally—with customers from Baltimore, Maryland to Spokane, Washington—and to points across the globe.

"Last year we got a new distributor in Chile and one in India that are both getting started and doing pretty well," says Macklin. "Right now we're finishing up an agreement with a distributor in Spain and Portugal."

"People in Japan love to see a 'Made in USA' label," adds company president Glen Roberts.

As mysterious hulking machines drill, polish and bore throughout the shop, one thing couldn't be more obvious: Cleveland Vibrator is proud of its products and considers them to be the best on the market. Roberts credits burgeoning global sales to the company's old-school attention to quality.

"People are tired of buying substandard products," he says. "They want to buy something that works and that lasts a long time. Our air piston vibrators are ductile steel. They're manufactured, honed, machined, and made to specific sizes. They're not inexpensive, but they're nice units with a nice warranty. And we have great customer service."

"We're beyond just American made," adds Macklin. "We're Cleveland made."

The company, which employs 25, has increased its workforce 15 percent in just the last six months. Macklin notes a surprising trend therein.

“There seems to be a growing trend toward younger people wanting to get involved in manufacturing,” he says, noting his first ten years in the work world were spent in “big theoretical” industries such as consulting and software sales. “A lot of younger people are interested in making a tangible product that you can hold at the end of the day, one that you can point to and say, ‘This is what we make and this is why it’s different or better than somebody else’s,’” says Macklin, adding that Cleveland is still a manufacturing mecca.

“I came into this with the perspective that manufacturing had been eliminated from Cleveland like all the papers said,” notes Macklin, who’s been with the company for two years. “When I got into it, I found out there’s really a whole lot here—way more than we really notice and give credit to. Cleveland is still making a lot. It seems to be with smaller companies or new industries. I’ve been kind of pleasantly surprised by that.”

Cleveland Vibrator has called Ohio City home for 70 years. Before the business occupied their current Clinton Avenue location—which was originally the Third Baptist Church of Cleveland, built in 1855 complete with two floors and a graceful spire—it was located near the Superior Viaduct where Justin Becker founded the company in 1923. Company President Glen Roberts explains the enduring attraction of the location.

“This is a great location,” says Roberts. “You can catch the main freeways very easily. That’s really why the Becker family started here. That’s really been the thing with us too: the easy access for trucks to come in and out of here. It’s also pretty easy for folks to get to work here. And I guess we feel comfortable too. We’re part of neighborhood.”

Ask Macklin what the best part of working in Ohio City is and watch the comfort creature emerge, “Walking next door for some of the best coffee I’ve ever had—at Rising Star.” Who could argue? But he also touts the energy of the neighborhood. “We’re in an area that’s fairly vibrant, with a lot of young energy surrounding us.” He notes that it’s a far cry from other boxy manufacturing companies that are adjacent only to a lonely interstate exit—and at best a mediocre cup of gas station coffee.

“Here we are—right in the middle of the action.”

“We’ve been here a long long time,” notes Roberts, who’s been with Cleveland Vibrator for 42 years. “A big part of my life is here. When you’ve been someplace for forty-some years, it’s part of who you are.”