By: Bob Miller, NTEA director of outreach
This article was published in the June 2016 edition of NTEA
News.
Marshfield, Wisconsin-based Stainless & Repair Inc. (S&R)
was founded in 1973 by Stanley Backaus, with help from a business partner. The
company’s story started with a letter sent to local milk haulers and cheese
factories. It stated: “We wish to announce that we have started a business and
are fully equipped to handle all your stainless steel repair and construction
needs.” Fire apparatus work was soon added to its list of services, jumpstarting
the growth that continues today.
As with most new businesses, the first year
proved challenging. Nevertheless, with a determined attitude, Stan and his four
employees started making a name for themselves in central Wisconsin.
Throughout the 1980s, the milk operation was strong, and
the fire business continued to flourish. The main focus was repair and
modification of truck-mounted elliptical tanks.
The 1990s brought pivotal change for S&R. In 1992,
Stan’s three sons Dale, Daniel and Derrick joined the company as owners and
equal partners. The shop was already a second home as they had all worked with
their father from an early age. They had picked up welding, fabrication,
electrical wiring and customer service skills from other employees, and it was a
welcome addition to have the younger generation step into leadership
roles.
(L
to R): Stanley Backaus, Derrick Backaus, Dale Backaus and Daniel Backaus of
Stainless & Repair Inc.
In 1994, S&R expanded again when Sieg Auto Parts
left the building the two companies shared, opening up some much needed
office space, a dedicated parts area and more manufacturing room. S&R
was able to rent additional room outside to accommodate the growing
tank inventory.
Within a few years, Derrick became general manager and
recognized continued business growth would require more efficiencies, prompting
him to focus on building a new facility in 1996. Derrick researched the
financial investment, found land outside of town and gained the support of his
brothers. Next, he consulted his parents. It was hard for owners of a
25-year-old, debt-free company to consider tackling this project. His mother
Barb understood the value of financing as she was managing S&R’s accounting
function and could see the need to move and develop. With a little coaxing and
some sound debate, Stan agreed.
In 1997, they started construction on the new larger
facility on the south side of Marshfield, completing the move in October. At the
time, they had 12 staff members and were looking to add two shop employees. The
new building was designed with drive-thru bays, overhead hoists, plenty of extra
room and six acres of outside storage. For speed and efficiency, they moved
formerly outsourced products into their facilities and started handling their
own wheelbase modifications, lift axle installations and other truck equipment
needs for milk and fire tanks.
Stainless
& Repair Inc. in Marshfield, Wisconsin
In the 2000s, S&R added equipment mechanics and
experts, along with other lines, including dump bodies, service bodies, van
bodies, platforms, suspensions, municipal snow-fighting plows and salt
spreaders, and farm and grain bodies. Along with general truck equipment lines,
fire body manufacturing started to thrive. Water-hauling fire trucks evolved
into custom-built rescue trucks, utility task vehicle units, engines, pumper
tankers, command vehicles, and more.
S&R expanded the north side of its
building in 2004 and made other renovations, increasing general
storage and enlarging the break room and parts storage area. The next year, the
company built an addition on the south side of the building to support the
growing truck equipment division.
To fulfill additional demand for fire products, they
purchased property in 2011 and added a pump test facility where they perform
annual assessment on numerous units and act as an Underwriters Laboratories
testing facility for newly manufactured trucks. Today, the fire apparatus
division has a lead-time exceeding one year, with orders for custom-built
engines, pumper tankers, utility task vehicle brush rigs, tenders and brush
trucks. The fire industry is regulated by specific National Fire Protection
Association recommendations, which have kept S&R in a niche
market.
In 2014, the tank division gained seven bays, office
space and a parts area. Since the 1970s, the milk tank industry grew from
2,200-gallon tanks on single-axle trucks to 6,200-gallon tanks on seven-axle
trucks, grossing 80,000 pounds. S&R was instrumental in facilitating these
changes in Wisconsin. In 2015, the company started manufacturing drywall
platform, crane platform, portable forklift and sand bodies.
S&R acquired more land in order to add 2,400 square feet of office
space in 2016. The current year is bringing more change as leadership continues
to seek expansion by buying a manufacturing building and about 15 acres of
land.
Presently, company facilities span nine acres, with
30,350 square feet of building space and 45 employees.
S&R has transitioned from repairing stainless steel
milk tanks with a few people in the early 1970s to producing hundreds of
truck-mounted bodies which service the tank hauling, dump body, municipal and
fire-fighting industries. The Backaus family credits the company’s success to
its dedicated staff — some of whom have worked there for more than 20
years.
Stainless milk truck
For more information, visit stainlessandrepair.com, call 715-591-4933
or stop by 8765 E. 29th St. in Marshfield.