Rift in the lift

Politics aside, the pullout of American troops from Iraq that began in 2010 put manufacturing executive Tim Howard in a bind.

Howard's firm, CounterBalance, manufactures and sells torsion springs that make it easier to lift lids, covers, hatches, countertops and electro-mechanical equipment. CounterBalance's patented device, called a counterbalance, is a key part of the hatch on U.S. Army tanks that allows soldiers to quickly enter and exit the vehicle.

The firm's products are also in copiers and medical laboratory machines, and clients include Xerox and Johnson & Johnson. But CounterBalance grew to $10 million in annual sales from 2005 to 2010 largely from military work. The company, with an official headquarters in suburban Philadelphia, even opened a second plant in Venice in 2007 to meet demand that coincided with a surge in troops in Iraq. A resident of North Port, in south Sarasota County, Howard runs CounterBalance from that 15,000-square-foot facility.