The Tribune Phonograph (Abbotsford, Clark Co., WI)

Vol. 47, No. 51, Wed., Dec 19, 2007, pages: 1, 6, 8

Transcribed by: Bob Lipprandt

 

Melvin Companies celebrates 75 years. 

 Business began in 1932 with single truck

By Karyn Eckert

 

Seventy-five years ago, 20 year old Francis Melvin needed full-time work in the Abbotsford area. The country was deep in the Great Depression, so jobs were scarce everywhere, including central Wisconsin. 

 

Armed with only an eighth grade education, Melvin traded his used car for a used truck. With that one truck, the Melvin Companies was founded. 

 

Today, Melvin Companies is a diverse and multi-faceted business that continues to be family-owned. I had become one of the state’s most successful supplier-contractor organizations. Their fleet includes nearly 175 vehicles, trailers and pieces of equipment, including 15 ready mix trucks, all of which are front discharge. They employ about 55 people during the construction season. 

 

FROM THE BEGINNING

 

1953 Concrete Truck - This picture shows a Melvin Companies truck in 1953.

 

Francis Melvin was born in the Black River Falls area and raised on a farm. His family moved to Owen in 1924, then to Abbotsford in 1929. 

 

At 17, Melvin began driving truck to make his own way during the depression. At 20, he needed full-time work, so he bought his first truck and began his own trucking business.

 

It was with his first truck he courted his future wife, Ruth Ockerlander, then of Dorchester.

 

“The truck proved as romantic as it was practical,” said Jim Melvin, the couple’s son. 

 

They were married in 1936 and settled in Abbotsford. They had three children; Neal, Bonnie and Jim.  

 

With a family to support, Francis took jobs hauling gravel with his truck. For several summers he also hauled peas to the cannery in Dorchester, often nearly 24 hours a day.

 

In 1944, Francis purchased his first power shovel and established a gravel washing operation east of Abbotsford. A second gravel washing facility was added in the Medford area in 1948. 

 

Original Melvin -  Francis Melvin, founder of the Melvin Companies, is pictured here in 1956 with one of his trucks loaded with 11 logs totaling 7,000 board feet. Melvin hauled lumber in Michigan between summer construction seasons for 25 years.

 

Because summer road construction seasons were short, for 25 years, Melvin Companies hauled logs in Michigan during the winters to supplement the company income. For many of those years, Francis worked in the woods with his employees and Ruth cooked meals for the crew in the camp. 

 

Melvin Companies opened the area’s firs ready mix concrete plant in 1951 at it present retail facility on the North end of Medford. A concrete block manufacturing facility was added in 1954, and a hot mix blacktop paving operation in 1964. Blacktop and block production were discontinued in later years. 

 

The original ready mix plant was replaced with a new facility on DTHO in Medford in 1978. 

 

The 1960’s and 1970’s saw continued expansion of Melvin Companies into other types of construction work and services beyond the Medford and Abbotsford areas. Excavation and gravel businesses grew with the addition of more backhoes, bulldozers, end loaders, gravel processing equipment and dump trucks. 

 

“We saw what we thought were opportunities in the 1970’s to open facilities in other are cities and also to get more involved in local road construction and commercial work in Central Wisconsin,” Jim said. “That was a busy and exciting period of time for the company.”

 

In 1973 a new office building was constructed in Abbotsford. The unique building features a “case in place” concrete floor, concrete block interior walls, a pre-case concrete roof system and decorative blocs for the outside walls. This made the building completely fireproof. 

 

Tragedy struck the Melvin family in 1974. On July 23, 1974, Francis was killed in an accident at one of the Melvin Companies’ gravel pits.

 

“This was an extremely difficult period of time in our lives,” Jim said. “The unexpected death of our father left a large hole emotionally, but we also had to deal with the huge loss of the expertise he had gained in the 42 years of operating his business.”

 

Francis unexpected death meant a big decision by the family: continue the family business or sell it. Brothers Neal and Jim decided to continue and purchase it from their mother in 1975. 

 

“The decision as to what was best, continue or sell the business, was a difficult one,” Jim said. “However, we felt that our parents had worked far too hard to build the business up to what it was to let it go. We had an experienced and dedicated group of employees, which included a skilled supervisory staff that we thought could help us move forward and make the business successful.” 

 

“There is no question in my mind today that we made the right decision, but being only 24 years old at the time, it was a tough one to make.”

 

Ruth, who had been the bookkeeper for the family business since the beginning, decided to retire. At age 92, she still lives in her home next to the Melvin Companies office in Abbotsford.   

 

A NEW GENERATION

 

By 1980 Melvin Companies was operating server ready mix plants in central Wisconsin. Plants were located in Abbotsford, Medford, Greenwood, Neillsville, Thorp Stanley and Phillips. Along with concrete, the facilities offered construction supplies and materials, sand and gravel, concrete and lite-wate blocks, basement windows, concrete finishing tools, face brick and chimney supplies and materials. 

 

A complete line of pre-case concrete products was added to inventory in 1984. The pre-cast products included septic and holding tanks from 750 to 2,500 gallons, concrete steps and small items like lawn edging, mobile home pads, and sidewalk blocks. 

 

SEPARATE WAYS

 

In 1984 Neal and Jim decided to divide the business. Neal moved to Phillips and began operating the Northern market as Shamrock Concrete and Supply, Inc. Jim remained in Abbotsford to operate the Southern market as Melvin Companies. 

 

Jim, a graduated of Abbotsford High School, grew up in the family business and spent his summers working at the family business. He graduated form UW-Whitewater in 1971 with a BBA in accounting. He also met his future wife, Bonnie, in Whitewater. They have five children; Kara, Andy, Eric, Krista and Anne. All five have worked summers for the company. 

 

Under Jim’s leadership Melvin Companies continued to grow. Agriculture lime was added to the diverse business in 1987 with the purchase of Abby Ag Lime from Jim and Nancy Karau, Spencer. It included stockpiles in Abbotsford, Spencer, Owen, Loyal, Athens and Stratford, along with dump trucks, equipment and large backhoe. The Melvin Companies retained all of Karau’s employees. 

 

A second lime facility, the Eggert company, Medford was purchased in 1995, which added another lime facility as well as additional trucks. The Melvin Companies now serve customers in Clark, Marathon, Taylor and Wood counties. 

 

With continued diversification in mind, Melvin Companies formed a separate division, Park Properties Inc., and purchased mobile home parks from 1988 to 1995. Expansion and renovation of the parks resulted in a total offering of more than 100 rental spaces. 

 

The most recent major expansion occurred in 1997 with the purchase of Armin Buehler Trucking and Excavating, Medford. It included several large backhoes, dump trucks, and end loaders, as well as a complete gravel processing and washing spread. The Melvin Companies retained all the Buehler’s employees. 

 

ECONOMIC IMPACT

 

2007 Concrete Truck - Melvin companies owns 15 "front discharge" ready mix trucks like this one. The entire fleet is replaced on a 10-year rotation.

 

Melvin Companies has left an imprint on the communities it resided in. The annual payroll totals nearly 2 million dollars, and it is not unusual for the Company to spend in excess of $500,000 some years on truck and equipment upgrades. 

 

“The Melvin Companies are continually updating their truck and equipment fleet as well as their production equipment to offer our customers, a quality product and faster service, be it in the ready mixed concrete or excavation and sand and gravel segments of the business,” said Jim Melvin.

 

But Jim said he is most proud of the companies’ employees. The crew now averages nearly 14 years of employment per person, and 25 percent of the employees have been there for more than 20 years. The Melvin family is also very appreciative of their numerous employees, many with well over 25 years of employment. 

 

“Our greatest asset is our employees,” he said. “We have an experienced crew that as I am extremely proud of. I truly appreciate their loyalty and dedication. 

 

“We would also like to thank our many loyal customers in central Wisconsin for their support over these many years. Obviously we would not be where we are today without them.”

 

SERVING THE COMMUNITY

 

Melvin Companies has been a strong community service force in Abbotsford, especially for education. 

 

Although Francis Melvin only completed the eighth grade, he was aware of the need for continued education. For that reason he gave several scholarships to students in area cities. 

 

Melvin Companies continues that practice today. It annually awards five Francis Melvin Memorial Scholarships to students in cities served by the company. 

 

Francis was also very interested in Abbotsford High School having a swimming pool. 

 

“My father never learned how to swim when he was a child, and for safety sake, he felt it was very important to have a clean, safe, year round environment where are children could learn to swim,” Jim said.  “He remarked that if it helped save even one life, it would be the best donation he ever made.”

 

In the early 1970’s Francis offered the district a one time donation offer for all the excavating, ready mixed concrete, blocks and other materials he sold, to build a swimming pool along with a planned addition. The donation was work more than $25,000 at the time. 

 

“The rest is history, as we have one of the few swimming pools in a school our size,” Jim said.”

 

Francis was able to see this project completed shortly before his death. 

 

Ironically, his twin granddaughters would later benefit from the donation. They were accomplished swimmers on the Colby/Abbotsford swim team, as well as four year members of the UW-La Crosse swim team. 

 

Jim and his wife Bonnie, have continued to be strong supporters of the swim program in Colby and Abbotsford. They organized and contributed to the installation of new starting blocks in the Abbotsford and Colby pools, as well as a computerized timing system in the Colby pool. 

 

Jim, who served on the Abbotsford School board for 15 years, also spearheaded the North Field expansion at the Abbotsford High School, assisting with fundraising and also donating a considerable amount of material and labor to facilitate completion of the project. 

 

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

 

Three Generations of Melvin - From left, Eric, Ruth and Jim Melvin make three generations of family members to be involved in the family business. Ruth's husband, Francis Melvin, started business in 1932.

 

A father and mother’s conviction in “work hard and strive for quality and service” is as valid today as it was 75 years ago when the company was founded and is largely responsible for its continued growth and development. When Francis and Ruth Melvin started their business with literally nothing during the Depression years, they incorporated a philosophy that focused on hard work and excellence. 

 

Francis and Ruth’s grandson, Eric Melvin, returned to the family business in June. 

 

“When I was young the large machines always interested and amazed me,” Eric said. “One thing that sticks out in my memory of the company as I was growing up was sitting on the outside steps at my Grandma Melvin’s house when I was very young watching all the trucks come in at the end of the day and discussing with her the various things that they may have been doing that day.”

 

During college, Eric spent several summers working at Melvin Companies. 

 

“I enjoyed some of the hands-on opportunities, such as training for and receiving my CDL and running equipment,” Eric said.  “I also enjoyed growing the relationships that had started the previous summers and starting new relationships. 

 

Eric graduated from UW-Eau Claire with a BBA in business administration and management in December 2003. He spent three years in Milwaukee working in the wealth management department at M&I Bank. 

 

“I came back to the family company because I have always enjoyed working in the industry,” he said. “It gives one the opportunity to see a project start as nothing and grow into something that can be quite impressive. Throughout the years that I worked and became more involved I knew that was something I wanted to do. I have always been very proud of the company’s history and I want to take on the challenge of continuing that.”

 

Eric said he hopes to implement new products and services that can compliment and improve those the company presently provides. 

 

“I would also like to continue the positive relationships that we have with our employees, customers and venders and as well as grow new relationships,” he said. “I feel that it is imperative that I continue learning about all aspects of the company, which will give me the knowledge and ability to help implement any needed changes for improvements to enable the company to carry on well into the future.” 

 

After working at and owning the Melvin Companies for over 35 years, Jim is very happy to see his son Eric return “home” and become part of the management team at the Melvin Companies in 2007, which marks the Company’s 75th anniversary. 

 

“It is a very special accomplishment for any business to reach its 75th anniversary, but especially for it to have remained in the same family for that entire period of time,” Jim said. “I am so very happy and proud, as I am sure my father Francis would have been, to see our son Eric come back to work in the family business, making him the third generation Melvin family member to do so.”

 

 

 

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