In 1973, Jerry Stecker took his knowledge of tool and die work, and bet on himself.
Jerry was in his early to mid-20s when founded Stecker Machine Company out of a garage, and over the next 50 years would transform the company into a premier CNC machining company.
Tom Sprang, the Manufacturing Manager for the company, spoke with Seehafer News, where he explained that Jerry didn’t go into his new venture blindly.
“Jerry Stecker took it upon himself to study and work hard to gain his apprenticeship and his certification and degree in tool and die, which is a journeyman’s card for a tool and die maker,” Sprang explained. “[That] is a very heavily respected card in the industry of manufacturing.”
In 1984, the company moved to 7511 Center Road, where they stayed until 2001.
That is when they purchased the land on County Road C in Newton where they currently produce high-quality products for a variety of companies.
“[Stecker] had more expansion plans, and were able to buy the facility, and grow our plant one operations,” Sprang noted. “At this point in time, we have two facilities that are around 200,000 square feet each.”
To fill that space, Stecker employs over 270 employees, who have crafted parts for many agricultural implements that motorists can see out in fields right now as the harvest continues.
Sprang tells us he has only been with the company for the past eight years but has spent over 20 years in the industry.
“Personally, I had seen Stecker Machine as a company that was thriving and growing,” he explained. “The changes that Stecker Machine was making in the area to promote their business and to support the overall economy of the local environment was very impressive of a small company. Growing to where they want to be and continuing that growth is very exciting for me and I wanted to be a part of that growth.”
Tom Sprang
And his intuitiveness was correct, as in 2022, Stecker Machine recorded a record year in sales for the 2nd generation, family-owned manufacturer.
They have also been highlighted in several respected publications, including Manufacturing News magazine.
As for what the future holds, Sprang tells us they have some land locally where they can continue to expand, but if the business continues the thrive, they could end up expanding to other locations, likely remaining in Wisconsin.
