The competition probably should have banished Wilson to the moon.
Wilson’s humble startup - now called Wilsonart International - today operates factories in the United States, Europe and China.
But when parent company Illinois Tool Works, which now owns the company, put Wilsonart up for sale last summer it looked like this Temple success story might be headed for an unhappy ending.
Wilsonart said it was only seeking voluntary layoffs. Still, that didn’t stop speculation that the company was in financial straits.
With worldwide manufacturing almost at a standstill, ITW pulled another surprise move. Suddenly last month, the company took Wilsonart off the market.
Vice president of manufacturing Rusty Booth said the Temple factory is holding its own.
“Even with the down economy, most of our people are getting their hours in each week, not that we haven’t been affected,” Booth said.
“While down in volume, we’re still a very profitable company. Our capital investments have been relatively normal over the last two or three years.”
A 30-year employee at Wilsonart, Booth said the press machines that morph layers of paper into counter and furniture tops are humming as usual.
“It wasn’t like anything ever was really wrong. We’ve always been profitable,” Booth said. “Sometimes people think when you are for sale . . . that things change dramatically. There was really not that much change. We were really just as busy before.”
Booth said they have downsized their work force, but they’ve used attrition, asking for volunteers who may already be considering retirement, or leaving for other reasons, rather than pink slips.
Wilsonart’s longevity in the community is a selling point for the staff at the Temple Economic Development Corp.
“People know and recognize Wilsonart’s name. They understand that if Wilsonart is here, it’s a good place to be in business. They’re a great example of a successful, significant corporation in Temple, Texas,” said Jonathan Scott, director of business development.
The long careers Wilsonart employees enjoy is evident on their ID badges. The start date is stamped below their name.
That math adds up to 28 years for Vincent Kasa, a grandfather and supervisor in the assembly department. Marketing manager Kathy Calhoun started in 1981 when she was a high school student.
But these folks are still rookies compared to Calhoun’s father, Glenn Odstrcil. He was one of Wilson’s original 50 that signed on in 1956. He retired in 2001, a 45-year career.
Although competition in the laminate business is tough, Temple Wilsonart employees say they can compete in a global marketplace and they’ve got the history to prove it.
