KEVCO Inc. is celebrating 35 years of providing industrial floor treatments and repair. During that time, KEVCO has become known for setting the industry standard for service and high quality installations.
How was the company started?
Kevin Powalisz started KEVCO in 1990 in the basement of his home. Later that year, KEVCO moved into the corner section of a shared industrial building located in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. The initial building was a simple open warehouse with one desk in a corner. KEVCO started adding on rented space to store equipment before moving into and renovating a 33,000 square foot building in New Berlin, WI that they continue to call home today.
From the beginning, the company has slowly and methodically added key employees…some of which continue to play critical roles in the operation of KEVCO today.
How has the company evolved?
As materials and methods have changed, KEVCO has also changed in its approach to achieving and maintaining industrial floors. In the early years of KEVCO, polished concrete had not been discovered as a useful flooring alternative and warehouses of one million square feet were rare. Today, polished concrete is widely used and warehouse/distribution centers of one million square feet or larger can be found in every major city in the country.
Becoming a leader in the installation and application of floor treatments that serve the warehouse/distribution industry has become an important part of KEVCO’s portfolio. The shift to urethane cement floor treatments away from epoxy floor treatments in the food and beverage industry has also been a transition that KEVCO has embraced and leads with.
What is your core philosophy?
KEVCO’s philosophy has been to create quality job opportunities for quality people. KEVCO provides an environment in which this can occur. KEVCO University was formed to provide a avenue for workers to gain practical skills that are necessary for advancement. KEVCO also recognizes excellence through incentives and has recently launched the Kevin & Mary Scholarship Fund that will be available for children of employees that have proven academic success.
KEVCO promotes from within. Our VP of Operations started as a warehouse helper loading trucks on weekends over 25 years ago. Our Quality Control Manager started as a laborer over 35 years ago. The current President began his career at KEVCO as a Sales Rep.
What challenges and opportunities do you see on the horizon for KEVCO?
KEVCO’s greatest challenge will continue to be the recruitment of motivated workers that are looking for a career in construction. To combat this challenge, KEVCO will continue to lead with competitive wages, benefits and opportunities.
Opportunities are endless and will begin with maintaining our current market share. This will be accomplished by continuing to provide the very best customer service in our industry. Further growth will occur by our being positioned to act quickly and effectively to adversity and new opportunities.
KEVCO
3000 South 163rd Street
New Berlin, WI 53151
kevcoinc.net
(262) 788-5556
