November 2021 Volume 3

MEMBERS SPEAK

A Story… By Eric Peterson

I am extremely passionate and proud to be a part of the FIA and the effort to keep the forging industry in the USA strong. My grandfather, James E. Peterson, was a self-mademanwhoworked his way up through the ranks in Uniroyal Tire. He was attending Eau Claire State when he met my grandmother. Grandma told me he made his spending money by caddying at a local golf course, his

My legacy, what I am passionate about, is the following vision and continuing to be involved with efforts to bring what was offshored back or keep it from leaving in the first place! Reshore and manufacture a best in world version of locking pliers. Bring it back where it was invented and manufactured for over 80 years, back where it belongs, that was the mission. It sounds simple enough, locking

goal was to afford ½ interest in a shared car. He made 25 cents to carry a bag 18 holes, GOOD MONEY! Jim began his Uniroyal career just before he and grandma were married in September of 1937. Before long, grandma was pregnant withmy father, and in the spring of 1942, Jim was transferred from Eau Claire, WI to Des Moines, IA to help with defense, it was ‘war time’ as grandma called it. Jim would travel between Des Moines and Eau Claire on weekends to help his pregnant wife. His dedication to the company would be rewarded. Jim eventually rose through the ranks at Uniroyal to Supervisor then Manager and finally to Senior Quality Control Manager, a role he would retire from the company in. (See picture to right) Growing up in St. Cloud, Minnesota, my parents would put me on the Grey Hound bus bound for Eau

pliers used to be made in DeWitt, Nebraska. Bring that manufacturing back, make the product stronger and with a craftsmanship and quality level better than anything available from the offshore competitors. The task, as many of you reading this, especially those involved in hand tool manufacturing already know, was extraordinarily challenging. The mission’s success would not have been possible if it were not for the expert advice, direction, training, and assistance gained through the membership, friendships, and collaboration with FIA. I am inspired by the market reaction, success, and strong support the reshored product continues to enjoy. There are fiercely loyal and proud people in DeWitt, Nebraska working every day to ensure every

product that leaves that plant lives up to the brand promises. Randy Badman who narrates the beginning of the video linked below is one of my favorite people on the planet and someone I am proud to call friend. I believe the video captures some of the emotion many of us feel regarding this industry. Visit https://youtu.be/MDU1CMgkklY (Malco's Eagle Grip Story) to view the YouTube video. As for me, I cannot get enough, I may be addicted to the smell of melting steel, I simply love it! I am fortunate to now be representing ESC Induction, FIA’s newest member! I developed a close relationship with the founders of ESC, Shawn and Tracy Davis, and their team over the past several years. I am very excited to help them through the hyper growth stage ESC is currently experiencing. At ESC a thorough understanding of your process needs, now and in the future, a commitment to understand and meet those needs, and a promise to BE THERE onsite whenever you need us is our value proposition. Give me a call, I would welcome the opportunity to discuss bringing one of our customized induction solutions to your operation. Go FIA! I will continue to do whatever I can to support the cause! ■ Eric Peterson

Claire, Wisconsin. There my grandparents would pick me up and I would spend a month or two every summer with my now retired grandma and grandpa Jim. The retirement home was a property on the shores of Lake Holcombe in Holcombe, Wisconsin. That lake may be the best place in the world for a 12-year-old boy. One morning while working with grandpa he said the following to me, after he heard Uniroyal was closing the Eau Claire plant that he had worked at for over 40 years. “Son; remember this day and what Uniroyal is doing. No country can just be a consumer, we used to make things in the USA. Becoming a country that is simply a consumer is not sustainable, eventually the countries that produce will stop lending you money and take whatever they want. If the U.S. continues this path, we will not have enough industrial power or manufacturing capability and therefore will have no way to stop them.” When I looked up at him his eyes were watering. The thing about Grandpa Jim is he never really cried, and his eyes watered a lot, a condition he got from years of melting rubber. Regardless of why his eyes watered, at 12 I understood the closing of the plant hurt. He still had friends working there and they would lose their jobs. That summer a few stopped over and grandpa would break out the Canadian Club, sit with them and talk about what used to be. 40 years later, I hear those words as clearly as if I heard them for the first time yesterday.

VP Sales and Marketing Phone: 970-867-2496 Email: Eric.Peterson@EscInduction.com

FIA MAGAZINE | NOVEMBER 2021 75