About Us: A2Z CORP.
by Don DeLoach [email protected]
The purchase that surprised everyone
"You're crazy," responded A2Z Corp. owner Tim Goldstein's wife, Karen, when he approached her with the news in 2006. "We've just bought a major model airplane kit manufacturer—Peck-Polymers," he said.
It was a moment of inspiration and emotion, but it was rooted in experience and sound business principles.
Tim Goldstein: background and early businesses
Tim had already been a small home-based modeling supplier. Since roughly 2000 he had operated F1D.biz—a specialty shop featuring hard-to-find materials and tools for the small but exacting FF Indoor niche. He was also midway through a full-time career as a consultant and contractor in information technology.
"My interests have always been varied, both personally and in modeling," he said. "I've enjoyed everything from RC helicopters to Indoor FF, so it felt natural to branch out professionally as well."
The A2Z Corp. Model Supply division was preceded by approximately a year by another of Tim's hobbies/businesses: A2Z CNC—a supplier of machine tools and accessories for industry. That proved to be a trigger for buying Peck-Polymers.
"All of a sudden we had lots of warehouse space—and machine tools don't take up much shelf space, so it kind of gave me an excuse to fill the place," said Tim.
"Getting the warehouse, buying Peck, and putting our house and retirement on the line again were watershed moments," remembers Karen. "At that point I knew we were in it for the long-term."
Peck-Polymers: a brief history
Peck-Polymers was started in Southern California in the late 1960s. Bob and Sandy Peck were among the world's first to supply kits of Peanut Scale models, which were replicas of full-scale aircraft with diminutive 13-inch wingspans. When the Peanut craze of the 1970s hit, it carried the company to new heights.
By the 1980s, Peck-Polymers' orange kit boxes were in hobby shops from coast to coast and the company steadily added to the product line. There were more supplies for free flight (FF), and a few for radio control (RC), with indoor and outdoor kits, rubber strip, winders, wheels, and wood. By that time, Peck-Polymers was entrenched as a major FF supplier.
In the early 1990s Bob Peck died after a long illness, but Sandy soldiered on until 2006.
A2Z today
Today A2Z Corp. maintains its modeling and CNC divisions under one roof. The company has six full-time employees working in a 7,000-square-foot building outside Denver, Colorado, that the Goldsteins bought in 2010.
"The machined-goods side takes up less time than the modeling side of the business and is more profitable, but it helps to subsidize the modeling side," said Tim. "Bottom line is I want to support the model airplane hobby, and that is why I continue to put energy and money into it."
The modeling division of A2Z Corp. is a labor of love. More than 1,000 items especially for FF make it the most in-depth supplier of its type in the world. The company offers two dozen Peck-Polymers branded kits, as well as products from other major manufacturers. Tru-Weight balsa is widely regarded as the finest around the globe for world-class Indoor FF duration, thanks to rigorous testing for stiffness and density.
In 2007 A2Z Corp. acquired the popular Sting Aero line of Australian FF glider kits. In 2008, A2Z acquired Lew Gitlow's Indoor Model Supply. Those moves, along with the company's other lines and operations, brought multiple well-known model-airplane brands under the A2Z umbrella.
CNC tools and precision instruments
Perhaps Tim's greatest contribution to the hobby industry to date is his line of high-quality CNC-machined tools for FF. He started with an indoor propeller pitch gauge in 2001, which was followed by a torque meter.
His purchase of a commercial CNC milling machine and lathe in the mid-2000s enabled Tim to make precision steel and aluminum instruments, including a rubber stripper, three balsa strippers, and, most recently in 2010, a dual-ratio indoor rubber winder.
"Tim's machining abilities are top-notch," said MA "FF Indoor" columnist John Kagan. "The new winder is pricey but is of heirloom quality—probably the finest ever made."
Looking ahead
As for what the future holds, Tim is not apt to make predictions. "One day I'll slow down, but I'm still open-minded and a risk-taker at heart," he said. "You never know when another opportunity will present itself."
Our bet is that with Tim's leadership, A2Z Corp. will continue to thrive.
Sources
- A2Z Corp.
3955 S. Mariposa St. Englewood, CO 80110 (720) 833-9300 www.a2zcorp.us/store
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
