I flew into Green Bay from New Orleans on Sunday morning. My traveling companion, Kristin Luke, WorkBoat’s sales manager, flew into Green Bay from Portland, Maine. Kristin and I had done this 118-mile, 4-day trip from here to Milwaukee some years ago, and we've come back for more.
Four days to cover 118 miles? No, we’re not going by covered wagon, we’re stopping in on a variety of WorkBoat customers along the way.
We set out early Monday morning to R.W. Fernstrum & Co., makers of keelcoolers, boxcoolers, and laser plates, because what better place to begin a trek from Green Bay to Milwaukee than the state of Michigan — Menominee, Mich., to be exact.
Fernstrum is having a very good year. “2013 was our best year, and this year is right up there with that one,” said Sean Fernstrum, the company’s president and grandson of Fernstrum’s founder, Robert W. Fernstrum. “We have orders coming from everywhere.”
Those orders include tidal and wave generation and all-electric vessels in addition to all types of diesel-powered workboats. “Those banks of batteries have got to be cooled,” said Fernstrum. “Now we’re cooling the HVAC systems in the engine rooms. And the dredging industry has really taken off.”
The company currently employs 38. Those 38 are loyal to Fernstrum, but that loyalty has to be managed. “In November, when deer season opens, you have to let these people hunt,” said Fernstrum. “It might be just a couple of days, or it could be up to a week. Hunting season is not to be overlooked.”
When there is an opening on the shop floor, Fernstrum said he reaches out to the people at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College in Green Bay. “Kids from the farms around here or the logging industry go there to learn a new skill,” he said. “We’ll reach out to the school and see what they have for us. They really do a good job with training.”
Fernstrum prides itself on customizing each order. Recently, the company received some keel coolers that needed some tweaking. Turns out the coolers had been on a landing craft for over 60 years. “We said send them some new coolers free of charge,” said Fernstrum. “We’re keeping these here.”
