Contact: Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon
E-mail: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org
Surnames: Bachhuber, Lahr, Kamphuis
----Source: Clark County Press (Neillsville, Clark Co., WI) 11/18/2020
MEC Celebrates 75 Years
Mayville Engineering Company (MEC) founder Ted Bachhuber inspects a part at a company facility. MEC recently celebrated 75 years in business. Submitted photo
Mayville Engineering Company (MEC) has recognized the 75th anniversary of the company’s origination. MEC has two facilities in Neillsville, one on either side of Industrial Park Drive, that together employ 127 people.
Founded in 1945 by Mayville natives Ted Bachhuber and his uncle Leo, the original manufacturing facility was a rented garage building behind Mayville’s Main Street. The original letterhead bore the title, “Tools, Dies, and Special Machinery,” Shortly into the business venture, Leo’s health forced him to retire and then Ted and his wife, Grace, took over the business.
“Progress was slow in these formative years, but as the company became known for the quality of its products and the resourcefulness of its personnel, the pace quickened,” Lisa Lahr of MEC wrote in an Oct. 27 press release. “Almost overnight, the company needed additional production space to keep up with the growing demand for its products. MEC acquired a small warehouse adjacent to its rented garage and later purchased a commercial building where the current headquarters still stands today.”
As an extension for his love of eh outdoors and trap shooting, Ted and his team designed, built and sold the MEC line of shotshell-reloading products. Ted and Grace spent many hours traveling to shoots and vendor events to promote MEC shotshell reloaders all over the country. They were so well-known and involved in the trapshooting community, that Ted and Grace were inducted into the Wisconsin Trapshooting Hall of Fame in 1964.
Over the years, MEC has grown and expended throughout the country and currently occupies 20 facilities in seven states.
MEC shotshell reloaders are part of the MEC Outdoors group that now includes MEC clay target machines and MEC clay target machines and MEC metallic reloaders. In 2011, MEC was named the “#1 Largest Fabricator in the U.S.” by The Fabricator magazine, a title that the company has held for 10 consecutive years serving a growing list of diversified and market leading OEMs.
“I’m sure that our founder, Ted Bachhuber, would be pleased to see that his original foundation for success of quality, value and customer service are alive and well and contributing to MEC’s success even today.
We are proud of our past and look forward to building on MEC’s heritage for many more years of continued excellence and leadership in the manufacturing industry,” said Robert D. Kamphuis, chairman, president and CEO of MEC, regarding the company’s 75th anniversary.
Kamphuis also extended his appreciation to past and present employee shareholders for their “significant and tireless commitment to MEC” and to the company’s customers for their support.”
