FRANKLIN TWP — Family businesses are common, but very few can claim to have international clientele like Bronder Technical Services. Despite this, Ken Bronder remembers the business' humble roots.

A 1968 graduate of Butler County Community College, Bronder had worked for several companies in the electrical industry before deciding to try something on his own.

“It's the only thing I knew,” Bronder said.

Bronder started the business with his mother, Florence, in 1990.

“When we first started, we worked out of my mother's basement,” he said.

Now, the business has 100 employees.

Bronder is the vice president and his mother is the president, making the company a Women's Business Enterprise. Being certified as such gives companies additional opportunities for development and recognition.

Businesses that are 51 percent owned by women are eligible to be listed in this category.

“She keeps an eye on everybody, and the money,” Bronder said.

But they aren't the only Bronders working at BTS, which Bronder describes as a real family business.

His wife, Catherine, is the corporate secretary. His son, David, is an estimator and project manager. His daughter, Nicole Robinson, does human relations and accounting. Her husband, Jason Robinson, is a traffic signal technician.

“I can't get rid of my kids,” Bronder joked.

The company moved into its location in Franklin Township in December 2009.

Bronder said he is pleased with the new facility, at least in part because of its size. The office is 12,000 square feet and the warehouse is 8,000 square feet. The former facility on New Castle Street was 6,000 square feet total.

“In our old building, we had people on top of people,” he said. “Now, people have room to work. People have room to have a little privacy to work.”

Bronder said electronic work is the company's “mainstay,” but BTS now does data, communications and fiber optic work.

BTS works at airports, installing runway lighting and navigational aids. It does street work in Western Pennsylvania, installing and maintaining traffic signals, and it works with power plants.

“It's not just one item,” he said of the company's wide variety of services.

The company has even worked on the scoreboards at PNC Park and Heinz Field.

BTS has projects in Florida, South Carolina, Arizona, North Dakota, Wyoming and Puerto Rico. The farthest west project is in Taiwan and the farthest east is in Liberia.

“Nothing in Alaska or Canada,” Bronder joked.

He praised his staff for being integral to the company's success.

“It's made up of a lot of good, hardworking individuals,” Bronder said.

Although Bronder enjoys fishing and boating in his spare time, his real passion is the Steelers. His office is decorated with Steelers paraphernalia, with a large neon painting of Ben Roethlisberger and Troy Polamalu behind his desk being the crown jewel. The main lobby of the building has a plaque with tickets from the inaugural season at Heinz Field in a frame.

He has eight season tickets for the Steelers, two of them front row.

But Bronder's love of the Steelers goes beyond owning season tickets.

In 2008, he bought a school bus for $3,000 and had it decorated to take to games. It is parked in the company's warehouse.

Students at the Butler County Vocational and Technical School worked on the bus. The auto body department did the painting and the graphics department did the graphics. It was completed in 2010.

Although the original color of the bus could be considered gold, he was advised to paint it a different color so as not to be confused for an actual school bus.

On the inside, a few of the seats are removed and others are reconfigured. Bronder said as long as the bus has fewer than 14 passengers, he is permitted to drive it without a special license.

On the dashboard, a Terrible Towel is next to a Steelers baseball cap.

The back of the bus is modified for grilling.

He said his goal was to keep the decorations as timeless as possible. The only player's number is a 43 on the back window, which he added because his wife is a Polamalu fan.

Bronder takes the bus to every home game for tailgating, usually with six or seven other people.

“We get a lot of comments on it, and a lot of pictures,” Bronder said.

In addition to owning the bus, Bronder has followed his Steelers to Super Bowls.

He went to Super Bowl XLIII, when the Steelers beat the Arizona Cardinals and in February he went to Super Bowl XLV when the Green Bay Packers beat the Steelers.

Despite the loss, he still was pleased that the Steelers made it.

“It's great for the team, great for Pittsburgh and great for the area,” Bronder said before the game.

<b>Age: </b>62<b>Address:</b> Butler Township<b>Family: </b>Married, two adult children<b>Employment: </b>Vice president, Bronder Technical Services<b>Education:</b> Butler County Community College<b>Interests</b>: Football, fishing, boating<b>Quote:</b> “When we first started, we worked out of my mother’s basement.”