AURORA – Wayne Sikorcin’s father started Craftsman Tool & Mold in 1965, the same year he was born. One of four children, Wayne says that
ADDISON – When Guy Ockerlund’s grandfather – a Swedish bricklayer – came to America, he set up a contracting business. When his construction business slowed
BENSENVILLE – Besides making customers happy and meeting deadlines with high quality products, at Ace Metal Crafts in Bensenville, “It’s all about the company culture,” says CEO Jean Pitzo.
“We’re culture people, we’re all about the people that work for us,” Pitzo said during a recent company visit. “We can talk about metal fabrication, or we can talk about our company culture, whichever you want.”
BOLINGBROOK – Ideal Carbide Die in Bolingbrook’s Victoria Van Bortel and Al Kasper “vice-president” the 61 year old company as a team.
Ideal Carbide, which started in 1953, hired Victoria’s father, Jay Hartz, in 1973. With a background as a metallurgical engineer with an MBA from the University of Chicago, he was hired with an option to obtain Ideal when the founder retired
CHICAGO – Progressive Coating is a Chicago company that CEO Stephen Walters bought eight years ago, and while the U.S. stats continue to bemoan a sluggish economy, Walters’ business has grown 35 percent in each of the last four years.
Having just added the company’s fourth production line, Walters has high hopes for expanding and turning Progressive Coating into a formidable enterprise.
