Two of the most prolific homegrown companies in the area, Hartman Global Intellectual Property Law and Urschel Laboratories, Inc., have been faithful partners to each other for nearly 15 years.
While the companies found their roots in Porter County, and are still based there today, both have expanded their reach to include national and international business connections. In fact, Urschel serves as a global leader in food cutting technology, and Hartman Global’s work spans 130 countries. With the Hartmans’ extensive knowledge of engineering and materials-related technologies, plus their dedication to their clients, it’s no surprise that their firm is the one Urschel turns to when it’s time to protect their products.
In its more than 100 years of business, Urschel has built its brand on continuous research and development, creating the most innovative cutting machinery to create cleaner, more precise cuts to foods, such as bagged salads and potato chips. Mike Jacko, vice president of Applications and New Product Innovation, said that Urschel’s largest sources of competition reside in Europe. Ensuring that patent applications are handled with more than a modicum of efficiency and speed is crucial.
“We worked with a company in Washington D.C. before we began working with Hartman Global full-time, and we turned to them [Hartman Global] when we needed some help overload,” Jacko said. “They were very attentive, very smart, and they worked with us much better than the other company did.”
That was in 2008, and by 2010, Hartman Global was Urschel’s primary intellectual property firm. Jacko said Gary and Domenica Hartman, co-founders of Hartman Global, Intellectual Property Attorneys, and Registered US Patent Attorneys, demonstrate a particular balance of knowledge and dedication that works for Urschel.
“You only have to show Gary something once for him to tackle it,” Jacko said. “When we need him to come in and write a patent application, he’ll come in and do it within a few days. And with Gary, I know that it’s going to be done right the first time. I’ll review the content, but I don’t have to check on how he writes the claims or anything along those lines. He writes a lot of patenting material.”
Something the Urschel legacy takes pride in is its commitment to quality, in terms of both the finished product and the measures it took to get there.
“Urschel is a very quality-conscious company,” Jacko said. “We don’t try to sneak around the system or anything. While we value managing time and energy, we dedicate the right amount of both to secure the quality.”
Jacko pointed to the Hartmans as an example of that balance, and an illustration of the alignment of values between their two companies.
“They’re family people, and they have their own ideals, which is great,” Jacko said. “They’re not in it for the money, either. Like us, they just have a standard and passion for what they do.”
At one point in time, Jacko and the Hartmans were neighbors in Valparaiso, a memory which brought a chuckle to Jacko when he recalled first discovering they had been working together and living in close proximity without realizing it. Since Jacko does most of his work overseas and the Hartmans handle so many clients nationwide, the thought does carry a strange bit of humor with it.
“They’re just very hospitable, very good people,” Jacko said. “We talk about our kids. I don’t mean this to come off any certain way, I mean it as a compliment when I say they’re not like the stereotype of attorneys.”
As for Domenica and Gary, the admiration is mutual.
“We are humbled that Urschel allows us to handle their IP matters, not only here in the United States, but globally,” Domenica said. “Truly an honor and a privilege!”
“Urschel is a great example of a company that is able to inspire a company-wide team effort to produce the best equipment available, and it’s rewarding for us to play a role in this effort,” Gary said.
For more information about Urschel Laboratories, visit https://www.urschel.com/index.php.
To learn more about Hartman Global Intellectual Property Law, visit https://hartmanglobal-ip.com/.
