In the past few years, Dane Manufacturing, a 107-year-old company, has brought new life to the former Marshall Erdman site on Waunakee’s Division Street.
Troy Berg, who with his wife, Michelle, bought the company in 2001, spoke at the Nov. 14 Waunakee Rotary meeting.
When the Bergs bought it, it was located in Dane, had 12 employees and did $1 million in sales. Over the years, it outgrew its space and was added onto several times before it ran out of space to grow further,
In 2015, when the company landed a large contract for painting, Troy discovered the Marshall Erdman site and relocated Dane Manufacturing there. It manufactures sheet metal, which is used worldwide for a number of products including cars, cable boxes, tubing for cables, and for data centers as part of the cloud. Dane has several clients in the area and larger ones, as well.
In 2015, the Bergs bought another company in South Carolina. Between the two, they employ 175 workers, including 111 in Waunakee where the plant runs three shifts five days per week.
Providing some history of the Waunakee site, Troy said Marshall Erdman built the campus and then sold it to Techline, creating a vibrant place that eventually became dormant when it closed. That didn’t make anyone happy in Waunakee, Troy said.
The campus is on 50 acres. Dane Manufacturing’s 180,000-square-foot fab plant is operated in one of the buildings; another is used for a warehouse and distribution space. Other buildings have been rented or sold.
Dane Manufacturing uses several laser cutter machines along with other machines, and Troy said they don’t take away jobs; they create jobs for people to operate them and allow for larger orders to get completed in less time.
Some clients have expectations of “perfect, right now,” which Troy says Dane Manufacturing can handle, but the price is higher.
Growth, Impact and Excellence are Dane’s mantra, and Troy said he wants his employees to grow. He also wants Dane Manufacturing to have a positive impact on the community. Recently, the facility hosted the Food for Kidz event, allowing more volunteers to help with the massive food packaging effort, and has had employees volunteer for Rotary in Lights. Rotarian Ken Pesik thanked Troy for allowing the club to store its Rotary in Lights trailers at the Dane Manufacturing site.
Dane Manufacturing also hosted Donald Trump when the 2024 president-elect campaigned in Waunakee.
“We’re always looking for ways to give back to the community,” Troy said.
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Other News:
-Rotary booklets have been printed. If you want to see one, ask Jennifer Tasker. She has 4,000 in her car, she said. She also has 20th anniversary Rotary in Lights commemorative ornaments for sale with proceeds going to the Waunakee Food Pantry and Neighborhood Connection.
-President Phil Willems announced that if people come out to help this weekend at Village Park, the Rotary in Lights display may just get finished.
-Phil’s Heroes of the Week were Paul Carderella, who organized the bowling tournament, and Jennifer Tasker, who spearheaded the Rotary in Lights effort.
-Peggy Acker Farber is in charge of providing cookies for the Santa at the Village Center event again this year. Rotarians can bring cookies can be brought to the Dec. 5 Rotary meeting for the Dec. 7 event. You can bake them yourself or pick them up at the store
Guests: Brittany Ketter, guest of Chris Zellner.
Birthdays: Nov. 21, Gabriell Hamele. With no meeting on Thanksgiving, we can also wish an early Happy Birthday to: Nov. 30, Susan Vergeront; Nov. 30, Tony Burns.
Anniversaries: Early Happy Anniversary to: Dec. 3, Jim and Kathy Kattner
Greeters: Nov. 21, David Kennedy and John Reuter; Dec. 5, Joe Baer and Dan Statz; Dec. 12, Jen Tasker and Pat Durden; Dec. 19, Kylie West and John Cullen.
To sign up to greet or to find out if you are greeting, visit:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/805054CAAAA2CA7F85-44320149-2023#/
