In a world of global companies employing hundreds of thousands of workers, a family-run factory has found its place in a niche role of more modest proportions, now centered in Pewaukee.
That’s not to say that Uzelac Industries, which started out as a four-person operation in Bay View in 2003, hasn’t grown with the times. In fact, it has had customers abroad, as far away as Australia and New Zealand, for its stainless steel rotary dryer system, as was previously reported in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
And the firm will introduce itself to a new community — its third — on Sept. 17 with the grand opening of its 39,000-square-foot Pewaukee headquarters and manufacturing facility at N45 W22900 Lindsay Road.
“Founded by my father more than 20 years ago, this moment is especially meaningful as it represents two decades of growth and the opportunity to carry forward the values the business was built on,” said Danella Uzelac, in an email announcing the company’s move from Greendale to Pewaukee.
Mike Uzelac, the company’s CEO, was an executive with a Milwaukee metal products company when, in 2003, he began buying small manufacturing firms under a plan to run his own business. His contract fabrication shop in Bay View grew with his acquisition of Poja Sheetmetal in 2003 and Duske Engineering in 2006.
In addition to its rotary dryer system, which is used by many of Uzelac’s customers to convert operational waste into usable byproducts such as animal feed supplements and fertilizer, it also offers large equipment fabrication services to original equipment manufacturers. Both aspects will be enhanced by the opening of the new facility, which now employees 26 people, according to its founder.
“The driving force behind the construction of the new facility was growth, both in our existing markets and in new fabrication opportunities,” Mike Uzelac said in an email interview on Sept. 15. “The new Pewaukee location gives us the larger and taller space we need to build and handle much bigger-scale projects, allowing us to fully leverage our expertise in fabricating large equipment and assemblies.”
The names of some of the buyers are iconic. They include Cargill and Tyson, as well as poultry and egg poultry producer Herbruck’s, among others. “Over the past two decades we’ve built a reputation in rotary dryers and fabrication that’s taken us national,” he said.
In Pewaukee, the manufacturing plant will use a twin 40-ton overhead crane bay, a 10-ton crane bay, and a 3-ton crane bay. Such equipment marks the company’s evolution, from a 3,000- to 5,000-square-foot facilities in earlier times, despite the fact that it remains a family operation with a small group of workers.
“Moving into a 39,000-square-foot facility with 40-ton cranes, advanced equipment, and the room to build on a much larger scale really shows how far we’ve come,” Mike Uzelac said. “This building is a symbol of the hard work of our team and the trust of our customers over the past 22 years.”
Contact reporter Jim Riccioli at james.riccioli@jrn.com.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Uzelac Industries expands manufacturing abilities with move from Greendale to Pewaukee
Reporting by Jim Riccioli, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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