When you drive around Milwaukee, you know the city's got a long, storied work history -- you can tell by all of the plants and factories that line the freeways, some long defunct, others still in operation.
Although there's been a lot of buzz about Milwaukee's shifting economy -- that the city is moving toward service and away from manufacturing -- manufacturing is still a big player in the city's economy, employing about 22 percent of the workforce here, according to the Metro Milwaukee Association of Commerce. Consider this: Milwaukee's high-tech manufacturing community is number nine out of the country's 31 major metropolitan areas. And while 11 percent of America's malt beverage is produced here, Milwaukee is also known for lithographic printing, small gasoline engines and electronic controls, according to Infoplease.com.
Check out the following companies, rooted deep in Milwaukee's history, and see if you can identify what they produce.
Milsco Manufacturing Company
9009 N 51st St.
a.) malt for malt beverages
b.) paper products
c.) seats and seat accessories
Answer: c. Milsco, founded in 1924 by Carl T. Swenson, originally began as Milwaukee Saddlery Company, selling accessories for farm horses. In 1934, Harley-Davidson asked Milsco to design a two-passenger seat for its motorcycles. In 1937, the company branched out into tractor seats for International Harvesting. After World War II, the company changed its name to its current moniker when it sold the harness portion of the business to Sears, Roebuck and Company. Today, Milsco produces seats for Harley-Davidson, John Deere, Caterpillar, and Toro.
Vilter Manufacturing Corporation
5555 S. Packard Ave., Cudahy
a.) metal castings
b.) compressors for industrial refrigeration
c.) sewing machines
Answer: b. Vilter got its start in steam engines and through the development of a compressor driven by a steam engine, the company moved into industrial refrigeration. Founded in 1882 under the name Weisel and Vilter, the company provided Milwaukee's brewing greats -- Miller, Schlitz and Pabst -- with compressors. During World War II, General Pershing asked Vilter to produce a 500-ton ice plant to keep 5,000 tons of beef cold for troop stationed in Europe.
A.J. Pietsch Company
3535 W. State St.
a.) carpeting
b.) paint supplies
c.) woodworking
Answer: c. This company has made Milwaukee its home for so long that it is featured in the Milwaukee Public Museum's "Streets of Old Milwaukee" exhibit. Alfred Julius Pietsch founded the company in 1916 as a general building, construction and repairs firm, but the company's specialty is commercial woodwork. Think of the fancy shelving and cabinets in a senior manager's office or a boardroom, and you'll recognize A.J. Pietsch's work. The company is still located in the same building it began in, a marked difference from many companies that moved to suburban locations to acquire more space.
Johnson Controls
5757 N. Green Bay Rd.
a.) temperature controls
b.) automotive batteries
c.) plastic packaging
Answer: a, b and c. You've probably seen the Johnson Controls buildings downtown on Michigan and Jackson Streets, but the company's corporate headquarters are tucked away in Glendale. Founded as the Johnson Electric Service Company in 1885 by Whitewater State Normal School professor Warren Johnson, Johnson Controls got its start in automatic temperature regulation systems for buildings. In 1978, the company branched into manufacturing automotive batteries by purchasing Globe-Union, and is now the country's largest producer of this type of battery. In 1985, the company acquired Hoover Universal, Inc. taking the company into automotive interiors and plastics.
Milwaukee Electric Tool Corporation
12135 Lisbon Rd., Brookfield
(formerly located on State Street)
a.) tools, duh.
b.) dies
c.) motors
Answer: a. Portable, electric, power tools. Ever heard of the Magnum Hole-Shooter? This is where the company got its start -- by developing a "hole-shooter" (a five-pound drill with a motor) for Henry Ford in 1918. In 1922, A.H. Petersen, who had been working with Ford, started the A.H. Petersen Company with A.F. Siebert. Only a year later, a fire wiped out the company, and Siebert bought the building at an auction in 1924 and founded what is today Milwaukee Electric Tool.
