Colby Metal Inc. earns manufacturing recognition

Colby Metal Inc. has been named a finalist for the 33rd Annual Manufacturer of the Year (MOTY) Award by the Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce (WMC).

According to a release by the WMC, finalists must showcase the strength and vibrancy of the manufacturing sector that sustains high-wage, family supporting careers.

Colby Metal joins Custom Fabricating & Repair in Marshfield as the only two local companies featured as finalists for the awards.

The list of finalists features a majority of urban-area companies but Colby Metal Inc. Owner and CEO Mark Viegut said that it’s the hardworking people of the company that make it a great place to work.

“After 36 years of being in business and reflecting on where we have been, we realize that our ‘awards’ truly come from our team and customers that we work with every day,” Viegut said. “To be recognized and nominated by a company that works with businesses all over the state, is rewarding in itself.”

Baker Tilly, Michael Best & Friedrich LLP and Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce sponsor the annual MOTY awards program. These partners will celebrate the finalists and reveal the winners on May 19 at the Pfister Hotel in Milwaukee.

Colby Metal Inc. has now been nomi- nated as a finalist for the MOTY Award twice since 2015. The company also received the Wausau Region Chamber Small Business of the Year Award in 2018 and the Greater Wausau Chamber Manufacturing Excellence Award in 2019.

Viegut reiterated that the success of the company can be completely attributed to the employees that show up for work every day.

“We find it extremely humbling as a small business in Colby, WI, to be nominated for an award like this, not once but twice,” Viegut said. “We are extremely proud of our employees as they are truly the backbone to our success. It says a lot about our team and their dedication to each other, the customers and the business as a whole.”

Colby Metal Inc. was established in 1986 and now boasts a 49,000 square-foot facility on the east side of Colby. The company employs over 70 people from central Wisconsin and has multiple team members that have years of experience in the fabricatding and precision powder coating field.

Mark and Darla Viegut bought the company in 2016 and Mark has over 30 years of experience in the industry. President Travis Kind has been with Colby Metal Inc. since 2005 and also has a wealth of knowledge and expertise in metal fabrication.

The company attributes its success to not only its employees, but a continual effort to produce the utmost quality of products.

Manufacturing as an industry makes up nearly 20 percent of Wisconsin’s Gross Domestic Product ($63 billion) and employs 480,000 people state-wide.