The Fox Cities Chamber and Baker Tilly sponsor the Manufacturer of the Year Award, presented at the Chamber's Annual Meeting in October. Read more about the 2009 Annual Meeting online.

Manufacturing has long been the backbone of the Fox Cities economy, and as the national economy regains momentum, manufacturing industries are re-engineering their operations to establish themselves in the global marketplace.  By honoring manufacturing firms, the Chamber draws attention to successful strategies and lean manufacturing practices.

Manufacturing awards are presented to Small, Medium and Large firms, and special awards may be given at the discretion of the judges to recognize unique manufacturing practices or accomplishments.  Recipients of the local awards are encouraged to apply for state level competition, also sponsored by Baker Tilly.

Small Manufacturer Category:  Fox Valley Spring

Spring has sprung . . . but in this case the reference is not to one of the 4 seasons of the year, but reference to compression springs, extension springs, torsion springs and all things springs—all of which are manufactured by Fox Valley Spring Company in Greenville. 

The company was founded and is still owned by Russ Stang, Sr. and just celebrated its 20th year in operation.  It offers a diverse custom product line for a wide variety of products utilizing CNC technology.

Fox Valley Spring became ISO 9001 certified in 2000 and is currently pursuing ISO 14000 certification.  Sound business practices combined with continuous improvement have allowed the company to weather the difficult economic times.  The company continually reviews procedures to ensure the most efficient processes are in place and rewards employees for their ideas for efficiency.  This way of thinking within the entire company helps to achieve the primary goal of servicing the customer and thinking of FVS as a one stop spring source.

Lean manufacturing practices have positioned the company in the top 10 percent of the industry by the Spring Manufactures Institute Annual Market Report which measurers financial stability.  Consistent performance has FVS considering expansion plans for manufacturing, shipping and receiving, and customer service. The company currently occupies a 25,000 square-foot facility and has 33 employees. 

In addition to sponsorships of community little league, soccer and softball teams, the company is involved in a bikes for kids event that provides bicycles to children to promote a healthy lifestyle.  Fox Valley spring also is involved with the local Lions Club to help keep Greenville green.

Medium Manufacturer Category:  Eggers Industries

The "Louisville Slugger" baseball bat is introduced.
Montgomery Ward issues a 240-page catalog offering nearly 10,000 items.
The first Dow Jones Average appears in the Afternoon News Letter Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is released.
The world's first roller coaster opens at Coney Island, New York.
Quaker Oats becomes one of the first food commodities to be sold in packages.
The Washington Monument is completed.

The year for each of these events was 1884 – the year that Eggers Industries was established.  Founder Fredrick Eggers had a vision for a high-quality, custom veneered products manufacturing operation. 

Eggers' products include conference tops and veneered components, door frames, flush doors, architectural paneling and veneer matching, specialty glass, and rail doors. The company also provides curved panels and custom components.  It offers its products for various markets, including corporate, education, government, healthcare, hospitality and the elevator industry.

To continue to stay competitive, Eggers developed a visionary company process called "The Eggers Way" that involves a set of core values to drive the business.  Some of the values include balanced responsibilities, continuous improvement, honesty, integrity and success sharing.

A primary component of Eggers success is its strong customer relationships.  A key customer program rewards customer loyalty based on annual sales volume.  Additionally, the architectural and design community are invited to attend Eggers Institute, a three-day educational training program.      

Eggers utilizes green materials including those for the Leadership in Environmental and Energy (LEED) program.  It meets or exceeds all of the established quality wood product standards and offers materials that are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council as coming from well-managed forests.  

Today Eggers continues to be privately held and has been honored for the past three years by Deloitte & Touche as part of the Wisconsin 75 program recognizing the largest privately held organizations headquartered in the State of Wisconsin.  The company has three locations in Northeast Wisconsin that include 650,000 square feet of manufacturing space – 320,000 of that space located in Neenah.  It employs more than 481 employees, 259 of them at the Neenah plant.  This location has been a finalist for the Wisconsin Corporate Safety Award eight times since the year 2000 and won the award three of those times. 

The Neenah location is involved in community by supporting area food pantries, Adopt-A-Family for the Boys & Girls Brigade, Make-A-Wish Foundation and the United Way.