After a year of uncertainty a local company celebrates 40 years of staying in business. It's no small feat to stay in business four decades especially after what last year's slumping auto sales brought. Officials at Eaton Corporation in Kearney hope this will be the spark they need to refuel their business. 

     After a year of cutbacks and layoffs folks at Eaton finds reason to celebrate. "We are glad to be a part of the Kearney community for the last 40 years. We would like to express our thanks to our employees," said Plant Manager Kevin Matson.
  
     Of those 40 years perhaps the worst came just recently. In January, auto sales hit a 26 year low. In February, that number dropped even further. In the following months sales were slow to improve. For Eaton, which makes valves and gears for cars, the slumping sales took it's toll. "We've had some pretty unpleasant situations we've had to deal with. We've had to reduce our workforce. We've had to cutback on the number of hours worked," Matson said.
  
     "It's been very rough. I think we should take pride in the fact that this is a company that will work very hard to keep going. They won't just pull the plug and walk away," said Jonathan Krebs of the Buffalo County Economic Development Office.
 
     Despite it all, the corporation still employs almost 400 people. They even recently brought some on temporary layoff status back to the job. "I think we've weathered the worst of the economic climate. Hopefully, things have hit the bottom and are on their way to improving," said Matson.
 
     Their hope for the future is more opportunities. They would like to pave the way for stability in the next 40 years. "Our ideal future would be to not only be a manufacturer of auto engine valves and gears, but whatever other products that Eaton Corporation would like to send our way," explained Matson.

     Eaton Corporation is a huge driver of the local economy as well as the  national economy. With the help of several locations across the U.S. the corporation had more than $15 billion in sales last year.

Reporter's Notes by Laurie Dutcher:

At it's peak Eaton Corporation in Kearney had more than 800 employees.

The entire corporation employs more than 70,000 people.

The company sells products to customers in more than 150 countries.