Milwaukee-based Midwest Stairs and Iron Inc. only had a couple of jobs under its belt before the Great Recession hit. But that adversity has helped the company learn to roll with the punches.
Founded in 2006, Midwest fabricates stairs, railings, balconies, light structural and other miscellaneous metals projects. It works mainly with iron, stainless steel, aluminum, brass and bronze.
About 90 percent of Midwest Stairs and Iron’s projects are for the construction industry, with some industrial and residential work. An engineer and architect on staff help the company plan competitive bids for construction projects throughout the area.
The company completed a project at Convent Hill, an apartment building in Milwaukee, and then The Edge, a riverfront condo development in Milwaukee, when it first opened.
“After that, it seems like the bottom fell out of everything,” said Howard Wurgler, president of Midwest Stairs and Iron.
The company began to order its materials more precisely, keeping inventory as low as possible. There were some temporary layoffs, but employment is now above pre-recession levels.
While sales dropped during the downturn, they have improved as things got busier over the last two years, Wurgler said. Sales were $4.5 million in 2012, up about 20 percent from 2011. The company hired six employees last year.
“The profit margins still aren’t where they’re supposed to be,” Wurgler said. “We’re doing more work for less money.”
The company needs more space to keep up with the increase in orders, so it is adding 6,000 square feet of space to its Milwaukee facility in the spring. The addition will bring manufacturing space to 20,000 square feet, with another 7,000 square feet of office space.
With the extra space, Wurgler expects to increase production about 25 percent and hire at least four more fabricators
Recently, Midwest Stairs did work on the stairs at the Loyalty Building for the recently opened Hilton Garden Inn hotel in downtown Milwaukee.
Some of Midwest Stair and Iron’s 45 employees also are currently installing four stair towers at Lambeau Field in Green Bay as part of an addition there.
Last year the company installed the beams and columns for the Jones Island turbine replacement. It was one of the largest structural jobs the company has completed. It also made the steel rails at Marquette University’s law school and Engineering Hall.
The competition for this work is significant, Wurgler said.
“We have a lot of competition,” he said. “It’s all good competition. It’s just who’s got the sharper pencil.”
Midwest fabricates, finishes, paints and installs all of its projects, so workers need to hone several skill sets, Wurgler said.
“I don’t like to subcontract anything out. I want to do it all (ourselves),” he said. “We have a lot of pride in our work and we try to be competitive.”
