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Fourth generation keeps foundation firm for steel companyBy Pamela Cotant
The company, which manufactures structural steel and miscellaneous metal products such as stairs, railings and residential piers, is located in what seems to be the most incongruous setting - a factory with a Bavarian look on the edge of town at 802 S. Century Ave. "That's his heritage and he just loved it," said Ken Ballweg, Endres' son-in-law, who now runs the company. Endres fell in love with the architecture when he traveled to Germany and brought that back to the plant. He either carved or designed the decorative wood trim and designed the stained glass. A park was created on land surrounding the business. It's called Kappel Park - the German word for chapel - because it was the site of a replica of the chapel built by his great-grandfather, John Endres, near Indian Lake. Goats grazed on roof Endres also was enamored by goats grazing on the roof of Al Johnson's Swedish Restaurant in Sister Bay and brought goats to Endres Manufacturing in 1982. They now graze in Kappel Park from Memorial Day weekend to the Octoberfest put on by the Waunakee Rotary and Lions clubs. The company's logo even features a goat. "We think it's eye-catching and people know us for our logo," Ballweg said. Later, the company needed the land and took the chapel down but Kappel Park has several bridges, ramps and a little house for the goats, a playhouse outside of the goat area and other decorations. It's the site of the Waunakee Jaycees' Easter Egg hunt every year. Providing structural steel for the new Madison Post Office in 1974 put the company on the map. More recent jobs have included the Overture Center, Epic, the new J.H. Findorff and Son headquarters and a number of campus buildings. The company received a Wisconsin Family Business of the Year Award in the small business category in 2006. Endres Manufacturing was started by Lawrence Endres, who was born in Martinsville, in a barn at 305 West St. His only son, Larry, who had three sisters, did small jobs around the factory when he was only six. Larry Endres married Leona Wallin, who became the company's bookkeeper in 1957. Their children, Diane and Ron, worked at the business when they weren't in school, doing jobs such as bookkeeping and helping with the pier-building. In 1965, Ballweg started working part time at the shop while attending UW-Madison where he studied history. After graduation, he served in the U.S. Army Reserve and then came back and started working for the company full time. He became reacquainted with Larry Endres' daughter, Diane, whom he knew because the two grew up in Waunakee. They were married in 1974. Larry Endres retires In 1990, Larry Endres decided to step down as president, and formally turned over the business to his son-in-law Ballweg, who is now the president. Larry Endres died in December. Ballweg eventually worked in the office as he gradually took on more and more responsibility. "Nobody here has ever jumped from one position to another," Ballweg said. "You start at the very bottom of the pile and work your way to the top." Diane Ballweg didn't stay at the company largely because at that time there didn't seem to be much room for a daughter at the plant. She has found her place as president of the Endres Manufacturing Company Foundation, which was formed in 1996 to provide financial support to local organizations and nonprofits - one of the many ways the company is involved in the community. The organization also has been a way to get other family members involved. Larry Endres' son, Ron Endres, who chose not to make a career at the company, serves on the board as does Annie Ballweg, Diane Ballweg's daughter-in-law. "It's a good outlet and I think plays a really important role," said Diane Ballweg, who teaches aviation at Edgewood High School. "It's good to have a philanthropic arm." She also got the company newsletter started and plans the company's social events. Family assumes roles The couple's three children, Ben, 30, Sam, 27, and Katie, 18, started at the company with various office tasks, running blueprints and cleaning the office. "Then you kind of graduated to painting out in the park," Sam Ballweg said. Ken Ballweg, 61, wanted to pass the business to the next generation so he tried to make it seem like a fun place to work while the family kept the lines of communication open. They also had periodic family meetings conducted by Smith and Gesteland, the company's accounting firm. "We talked about the family business and the history and whether either of us was going to get involved," said Sam Ballweg, referring to the two older brothers. Sam Ballweg was thinking about returning to the business when he went to Boston College where he was one of the first students to graduate with degrees in finance and theology, a discipline he finds comes in handy on the job when he's involved in human resources. He's the first generation to have a formal background in business. After graduation he gained experience on a couple of other jobs before starting in July 2004. He serves as a project manager and has other duties, but titles are downplayed at Endres. Fifth generation ahead? While it's rare for a company to be run by a fourth generation, Sam Ballweg and his wife, Annie, welcomed their son, Michael, on Feb. 5, laying the groundwork for perhaps a fifth generation. Ken and Diane's oldest son, Ben Ballweg, served five years in the Navy and is now a pre-med student. Their daughter, Katie Ballweg, is at Edgewood High School and has been accepted at Denver University where she would study sports medicine or business. She has been working at Endres Manufacturing in the summer and during some vacations. Diane Ballweg said family members has recently started having semiannual meetings to talk about passing on stock and ownership, and what the children's roles will be in the company. "From the start, you have to look at each other as equal partners," she said. The company also attends seminars and hears speakers as a member of UW-Madison Family Business Center. Ken Ballweg said he prepared his employees in advance of his son coming to the company because when he started, the foundation was not laid and there were some hard feelings when he moved into the office. While Ken Ballweg's personality was different from that of his father-in-law, who believed in top-down management, they forged a congenial working relationship built out of respect. Ken Ballweg said when he had an idea for the company, he would mention it to Larry Endres; 99 percent of the time he went along with the suggestion. "But you could never say we should do this," Ken Ballweg said. "It had to be his idea." Already Sam Ballweg is finding ways to promote ideas he thinks are worthy. A big example is the 401(k) program that was on the shelf because Ken Ballweg was opposed to it. But Sam Ballweg convinced his father that it's become so commonplace that most job candidates ask for it. While Sam Ballweg still feels like he's learning a lot, a sea of change is occurring. "The individual employees are going to him instead of coming to me," Ken Ballweg said. "They know he's the future of the company." Pamela Cotant is a Madison freelance writer. pcotant@mailbag.com madison.com ©2009 Capital Newspapers. All rights reserved. |
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