Mayville Engineering Company, Inc. (NYSE:MEC) is pleased to recognize the 75th Anniversary of the company’s origination. Founded in 1945 by Mayville natives, Ted Bachhuber and his Uncle Leo, the original manufacturing facility was a rented garage building behind Mayville’s Main Street. The original letterhead bore the title, “Tools, Dies, and Special Machinery.”
Shortly into the business venture, Leo’s health forced him to retire and then Ted and his wife Grace took over the business. Progress was slow in these formative years, but as the company became known for the quality of its products and the resourcefulness of its personnel, the pace quickened.
Almost overnight, the company needed additional production space to keep up with the growing demand for its products. MEC acquired a small warehouse adjacent to its rented garage and later purchased a commercial building where the current headquarters still stands today.
As an extension for his love of the outdoors and trap shooting, Ted Bachhuber and his team designed, built, and sold the MEC line of shotshell reloading products. Ted and Grace spent many hours traveling to shoots and vendor events to promote MEC Shotshell Reloaders all over the country. They were so well known and involved in the trapshooting community, that Ted and Grace were inducted into the Wisconsin Trapshooting Hall of Fame in 1964. It is because of Ted’s dedication to creating market leading products that MEC Shotshell Reloaders and the MEC brand became synonymous with quality, value and customer service in the reloading market and remains the foundation for how MEC does business to this day.
Over the years, MEC has grown and expanded throughout the country and currently occupies 20 facilities in seven states. MEC Shotshell Reloaders are part of the MEC Outdoors group that now includes MEC Clay Target Machines, MEC Metallic Reloaders and promotes the MEC Outdoors lifestyle. In 2011, MEC was named the “#1 Largest Fabricator in the U.S.” by The Fabricator magazine, a title that the company has now held for 10 consecutive years serving a growing list of diversified and market leading OEMs.
“I’m sure that our founder, Ted Bachhuber, would be pleased to see that his original foundation for success of quality, value and customer service are alive and well and contributing to MEC’s success even today. We are proud of our past and look forward to building on MEC’s heritage for many more years of continued excellence and leadership in the manufacturing industry,” said Robert D. Kamphuis, Chairman, President and CEO of MEC, regarding the 75th anniversary of MEC. “Most importantly, I’d like to thank past and present employee shareholders for their significant and tireless commitment to MEC and our great customers.”
The month of October has also was declared “Manufacturing Month” in the State of Wisconsin. In a State of Wisconsin Proclamation, it reminds Wisconsinites “of the numerous contributions of our manufacturing businesses as well as the strength and continued growth of our manufacturing community.”
MEC’s 75 year history is a true testament that manufacturing matters and remains the foundation of a strong and vibrant economy.
-
Ted Bachhuber stands in front of the original manufacturing facility.