Rentapen Inc.
400 Travis Lane #30, Waukesha
www.rentapen.com
Industry: Welding fixtures
Employees: 13
Waukesha-based Rentapen Inc. has seen a lot of changes since the welding fixtures business was launched in 1976. Over the years, advances in technology, a shrinking pool of talent and economic challenges have made it difficult for similar companies to stay afloat.
“The industry changed a lot,” said company president Susan Straley. “We can’t just find our customers to service and stay with us a while. They go away, disappear, or (get) bought out and moved overseas.”
In 2000, Rentapen had three employees and was being run out of Straley’s basement. Today, the firm employs 14 and has found a more permanent home in Waukesha.
When the Great Recession hit, the company met the challenges head on, and managed to grow their business in the process. The machine design company experienced a 50-percent growth rate in 2011 over 2010 and continues to expand its offerings and reach.
Straley says an aggressive marketing campaign, website redesign and investments in social media tools such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Google + helped to spread the word about the business. A stronger web presence also allowed the company to pick up clients in new regions.
About 60 percent of Rentapen clients operate outside of Wisconsin.
The firm also expanded its services, building components it previously only designed.
“I looked at where our talents are,” she said. “We are constantly innovating, improving our processes.”
In addition to social media, the company stays informed by monitoring welding news and is involved in local educational initiatives, including at Waukesha County Technical College. Straley uses her blog as a platform to educate and help attract people to the industry.
“We started out on the board with pencils, erasers and TI calculators, so we’ve come a long way,” said Straley. “3D solid modeling, you can do so much more. It’s wonderful. In seconds you can do what” used to take weeks to do, she said.
“My goal is to grow the company to employ more people,” she said.
