Janesville company manufactures growth
Photo
Sean Knutson tig welds a cast iron machine part at Fab-Masters in Janesville.
JANESVILLE — When it opened in 1995 in Janesville, Fab-Masters had two employees and one product.
Seventeen years later, the custom metal fabrication and welding company has 18 employees and growth plans that include more employees and space at its new home on Joliet Street.
Fab-Masters is a small Janesville company that’s growing in a very traditional industry, a prime example of what economic development experts say is necessary for each and every community to rebound from economic troubles.
In April, the company moved from a land-locked, 18,000-square-foot facility on West Racine Street to the 28,000-square-foot building that was formerly the home of Monroe Truck Equipment.
The city of Janesville helped the company with a $28,000 forgivable loan, and the state chipped in with tax credits tied to job creation. Both are tied to Fab-Masters’ commitment to have nearly 30 employees within three years.
“We started with nothing and now have good clients that respect our work and come back to us,” said Jim Grafft, who owns the company with Jack Grice, Rich Walker, Rod Cunningham and Paul Mielke, the company’s general manager and its first employee.
Fab-Masters was formed to supply a reliable metal soffit piece for one of Grice’s companies. It picked up work for Giddings & Lewis, as well as a few other area companies, and soon was on its way to what would become four expansions, all in buildings Grafft owns.
Fab-Masters typically works with steel, stainless steel and aluminum to make a wide variety of pieces and parts. On any give day, employees might work on 10 to 12 different jobs.
The company posted its busiest month in July when it turned out more than 250,000 individual pieces. In one year alone, it made more than 700 different pieces for one of its better customers.
“We do good work here,” said Mielke, who first hooked up with Grice at Freedom Plastics and then moved on to Globe Sheet Metal. “The majority of our work is fabrication and welding, and as the business has grown, we’ve geared ourselves toward the cement industry.”
On a recent visit, workers were building pieces of a rolling batch plant commonly used in the concrete industry. They’re huge pieces that dwarf the small pieces being made in another section of the plant.
With nearly half of its business coming from concrete customers, Fab-Masters had its share of struggles during the recent downturns in the construction industry.
But business is picking up, and the company has added a high-tech laser-cutting machine that cuts to incredible tolerances.
“It will open a new area of business for us and allow us to diversify a bit,” Mielke said.
Having survived the construction downturn, the company is poised for growth in that and other markets, particularly in a bigger building that’s more efficient and has plenty of room for expansion, Walker said.
“We’re very encouraged with where we are because the economy has been suppressed the last few years,” he said.
Grice said the company would step up its marketing efforts.
“We haven’t done a lot of advertising,” he said. “It’s always been word of mouth, with no real selling.”
Walker and Mielke said the company would improve its website and develop consistent direct-mailing campaigns designed to increase its base of 15 or 16 regular customers.
“We don’t have the biggest, and we don’t have the best, but we’re consistent, and we plan to keep growing,” Mielke said. “We’ve got great stockholders, great employees and we’re a place where people come who want it done right.
“We’re small enough and flexible enough that we can accommodate whatever the customer needs.”
Vic Grassman, the city’s economic development director, said the city’s loan to Fab-Masters might have been small, but it’s important because it fits the city’s overall goal of retaining core businesses that are the bedrock of the community.
“I liken it to any business situation,” Grassman said. “When you can help a business—a customer—expand and grow, it’s far cheaper and requires a lot less effort than finding new customers.”
Jul 30, 2012 at 12:42 p.m.
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Gary,
Obama told Jim graft "you didn't build that"......"someone else did"...
Im sure you agree....
Jul 29, 2012 at 10:38 a.m.
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And by the way, it is not sarcasm
if you have to explain it,
just as it is not a joke
if you have to ask people to laugh.
Jul 29, 2012 at 10:25 a.m.
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This story has to be about Obama.
Fab Masters better just hope that Bain Capital does not get a hold of them and ship all of their jobs to China.
Remember, Mitt Romney says that he likes to fire people.
Jul 29, 2012 at 10:02 a.m.
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Anybody who believes that the President of the United States secretly harbors feelings against American business deserves whatever ninny stumbling about overseas that they vote for. Heck, the people that ninny hired to refute the misquote of the President turned out to have, themselves, taken government loans and grants, showing that government loans and grants are in fact a normal and ordinary part of American commerce. It is, however, essential that those involved in commerce understand that they have a role and government also has a role in the overall success of the country. Nobody stands alone: that's what a community is and that's what a country is. Congratulations to Fab-Master and congratulations to Janesville for supporting the expansion of a local business. That's how it's supposed to work.
Jul 28, 2012 at 8:15 p.m.
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Regardless of the political climate... people want to work, they want to succeed. Hats off to you all.
Jul 28, 2012 at 3:42 p.m.
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Congratulations Fab Masters. Keep up the growth, our community can use it.
Jul 28, 2012 at 8:16 a.m.
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moderate1
??
You have posted the same comment numerous times....not so moderate.
Jul 28, 2012 at 7:40 a.m.
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I agree with hdonlybob. Great story and great work.
Jul 28, 2012 at 6:01 a.m.
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A $28,000.00 forgivable loan is all that needs to be known about this story.
Jul 27, 2012 at 11:11 p.m.
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Good for them, and good for Janesville...
Forget the politics crap, this is a great story.
Jul 27, 2012 at 11:08 p.m.
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Not trying to be a cop, just a pet peeve of mine. I pretty much let go anything any poster puts up - I'm as guilty of typos as the next guy - but when your profession is words and print I expect a little more.
Jul 27, 2012 at 10:08 p.m.
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sorry dtb, I didn't know you were the new "grammer and speling cop" in town.
(sarcasm and spelling errors intentional)
Jul 27, 2012 at 10 p.m.
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emmo, the typo was "give" should have been "given" (on any given day) and any competent editor would have caught that and corrected it.
Got it? (Apparently not)
Jul 27, 2012 at 9:47 p.m.
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Good story. I am not sure who "built" this company. But to me it sounds like it was built with hard work, big dreams, and yes some loans. The only difference now is that the Government is one of the biggest lenders.
It appears to me that the company is returning the loan with big dividends. Metal Fab is a growing business and I applaud their work. I will look them up if I need something made in the future. Good story. Peace
Jul 27, 2012 at 9:18 p.m.
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dtb...it's called a "job shop" because each part order is a "job".
Think if it as a "project shop" and the employees work on 10 - 12 different "projects" in a day's work.
Got it?
Jul 27, 2012 at 8:58 p.m.
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"On any give day, employees might work on 10 to 12 different jobs."
Who's editing this stuff?
Jul 27, 2012 at 8:20 p.m.
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The economy grew at an anemic 1.5 per cent in the second quarter of 2012...Obama built that.
Jul 27, 2012 at 7:50 p.m.
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Congrats to Fab Masters. We need more people like this who can actually work with their hands, and turn out a quality product.
This company has been around for 17 years, that is an achievement in itself.
janesvillean....
Obama was not "misquoted", he actually had a moment of truth about his real feelings. I would link you to the actual video, but I am sure you have seen it.
Jul 27, 2012 at 7:06 p.m.
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wonders, the article notes that the company is growing with government assistance:
"The city of Janesville helped the company with a $28,000 forgivable loan, and the state chipped in with tax credits tied to job creation."
.
Of course the company's success primarily comes from those who founded and work at the company, but it should also be noted that the people of Janesville have assisted at a crucial point.
.
President Obama was deliberately misquoted by the GOP: he was saying that the public built the infrastructure (like highways) that supported business owners. Similarly, the public of Janesville has built a school system, industrial parks, and TIF districts that continue to attract businesses. If we can keep working together as a community we can surely all share in this success.
Jul 27, 2012 at 4:18 p.m.
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Thank you President Obama for making this a growing company. No jobs are ever created by a private individual.
Can you read the sarcasm?
Jul 27, 2012 at 4:16 p.m.
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What number does nearly 30 mean?
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