Next year will be a big one for Milwaukee-based Perlick Corp. as the company celebrates 105 years in business. The family-owned manufacturer of commercial-grade refrigeration, underbar and beverage dispensing equipment recently revealed plans for both a major update to its corporate headquarters on Good Hope Road and a wave of hiring to the tune of over 100 new employees.
Dick Palmersheim, chief executive officer at Perlick, said the need for dozens more employees and a refurbished space is directly tied to an increase in demand the company has been seeing for its products.
“As bars and hotels and casinos reopened (following the COVID-19 shutdown), they started building new units or remodeling existing units and the demand for our commercial products increased significantly since last spring. So we’ve been trying to keep up with the record demand by hiring a lot of new associates to work in our factory,” Palmersheim said.
In addition to those working on the factory floor, employees in technical service, customer service, engineering, and finance and marketing have also started joining the company.
By the end of 2022, total company employment is expected to increase by just over 40% compared to 2021.
Palmersheim said the company expects to hire more than 100 new people across the office and factory spaces. That includes hires from 2021 and those planned within 2022.
Perlick has 450 employees globally, 340 of whom work in Milwaukee.
While the past 19 months have wreaked havoc on many businesses in the Milwaukee area, Perlick attributes its ability to remain successful during the pandemic to several factors. When the COVID-19 shutdown was first announced in the spring of 2020, Perlick was negatively affected in that the portion of the business that sells to bars, restaurants, hotels and casinos was no longer able to do so.
However, the company was still able to manufacture and ship some products. Perlick was able to continue operating during the initial phases of the pandemic because it was deemed essential.
“We were still manufacturing products for many essential construction projects around the country… NFL stadiums like the Los Angeles stadium were under construction at the time and were allowed to stay open and continue to produce our equipment,” Palmersheim said.
He said many of the company’s high-end, under-counter refrigerators were being sold to pop-up hospitals that were opening around the country in response to COVID-19.
The residential side of Perlick’s business also saw an increase in demand later in 2020. High-end refrigeration and wine reserves for homeowners became more popular as people were spending more time at home, remodeling kitchens and building outdoor entertainment areas.
“That part of our business actually increased in sales in 2020 versus in prior years and has continued to be extremely strong in 2021 because our production lead times are much shorter than our competitors’, so we’re picking up significant market share,” Palmersheim said.
When it comes to the extensive updates planned at Perlick’s 56-year-old building, Palmersheim was not able to share an exact number as to how much the company is investing. A specific budget has yet to be finalized, but Palmersheim said it would be in the multi-million range. The refurbishment of the building, located at 8300 W. Good Hope Road, has already begun and is scheduled to take place over the next two to three years.
The office space of the building will be completely remodeled with a focus on more collaborative work areas. Leadership also plans to put in a biergarten that employees can enjoy after work. Palmersheim said Perlick also has an ongoing multi-million dollar investment in new manufacturing machinery to increased its capacity, including a new "state-of-the-art" laser to increase production efficiencies.
A new in-house photo and production studio will also be added to the building.
