Stratford Homes, A&B Process Systems each mark 50 years
by Casey Krautkramer
The Record-Review Two Stratford businesses, A & B Process Systems and Stratford Homes, are celebrating their 50th anniversaries this year.
A & B Process Systems, a leading unit of JBT Corporation specializing in the manufacturing of custom stainless steel processing equipment, is proud to commemorate its golden anniversary this summer.
The company held a “groovy” 50th anniversary party on June 24 for its employees and members of the Stratford community. The company was established in 1973 by brothers Ajay and Bill Hilgemann, thus it was only fitting that 1970s costume and mustache judging contests were held at the 50th anniversary celebration. There was a 1970s photo booth too.
Ajay and Bill Hilgemann started A & B Process Systems in Ajay Hilgemann’s garage in Marshfield. They moved their business into the former canning factory on North Street in Stratford. They hired Glenn Linzmeier in 1974 as their first president and CEO of the business. He has since retired.
The company built new business headquarters in the Stratford Business/Industrial Park in 1993, and then constructed a new manufacturing plant in the park in 1995. They have built three plants in the business/industrial park.
Stratford Homes is celebrating 50 years of bringing people home in Wisconsin.
Casey Krautkramer/The Record-Review Married couple Mike “Spike” and Shari Krostag won the A & B 50th Anniversary groovy celebration’s 1970’s costume contest on Saturday afternoon on the A & B campus in the Stratford Business/Industrial Park. Mike Krostag is an A & B Process Systems employee in Stratford. The 1970s costume contest was held because A & B Process Systems was founded in 1973 by Stratford brothers Ajay and Bill Hilgemann.
The Hilgemanns sold A & B Process Systems to JBT Corporation of Chicago in the fall of 2015. Over the past five decades, A & B Process Systems has undergone numerous transformations, adapting to shifting markets and evolving customer needs. Pam Miller, general manager of A & B Process Systems, said the company commitment to continual growth and innovation has been instrumental in ensuring the company’s resilience and relevance in a fast-paced industry.
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A& B Process Systems is celebrating its 50th year and celebrating its employees and their contribution to the company’s success.
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“We are incredibly proud of the journey A & B Process Systems has taken over the past 50 years,” Miller said. “Our success is due to the unwavering dedication and talent of our team, as well as our commitment to meeting the needs of our customers with superior quality equipment and services.”
Even though the business has changed through the years, Miller said its unwavering commitment to sustainability and to the community has not changed. She said A & B Process Systems is proud to be a member of the Stratford area and it enjoys working with the high schools and youth apprenticeship programs, as well as supporting many non-profit organizations.
“As we celebrate this milestone anniversary, we extend our deepest gratitude to our partners, customers and dedicated team members who have contributed to our success story,” Miller said. “We remain committed to pushing boundaries and delivering exceptional solutions to our customers in the years to come. We will continue to adhere to the principles of innovation, quality and customer satisfaction that have defined our journey thus far.”
Stratford Homes is also celebrating 50 years in business this year with a celebration on Thursday, July 27. The party is from 11:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. on this day. The celebration is for current Stratford Homes employees and their guests, retirees of Stratford Homes and their guests and Stratford Area Chamber of Commerce and Stratford Village Board members.
The event will consist of a catered meal, a variety of themed basket raffles, two grand door prizes and new 50th anniversary clothing for the employees and retirees. Stratford Homes new model home will be available on July 27 for a sneak peak only on this day for the 50th anniversary celebration attendees.
Stratford Homes started in 1973 when a small group of local people, whose previous company had declared bankruptcy, decided to try again. They moved across STH 97 in Stratford into the building they call home today. Like their predecessor firm, their initial products were mobile homes, but they decided to focus more on the double-wide segment of this market than the more competitive single-wide homes they had been building.
Early on, they started to build a new line of modular homes, which although similar to their mobile home products, were built to the same codes that traditional site-built homes were built
A & B Process Systems employee Jacob Grassel of Auburndale, to the left, won the prize for having the worst 1970s mustache and A & B Process Systems employee Kelly Morgan of Marshfield won the prize for having the best 1970s mustache during the 50th Anniversary celebration on June 24 They both won facial hair trimming kits.
Stratford resident Amy Bell picks an A & B Process Systems 50th anniversary cookie out of the box. A & B hired Stratford civic groups and businesses to provide the public with free food and beverages during the celebration.
to. This proved to be a very good decision and within a few years of starting up, all production and sales activity had moved over to the modular home product lines.
Over the ensuing years, Stratford Homes continued to evolve within the modular home industry and today it’s one of the top providers of customer modular homes in the upper Midwest market. Sales are made to independent builders predominantly located throughout the five-state area of Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Over the years, sales have been made as far east as Indiana and as far west as Montana Continued on page 30
Trace Grassel, 7, of Auburndale, plays the Bozo Bucket game on June 24 during A & B Process System’s 50th anniversary celebration for its employees and the public. Volunteer Chris Schmidt, the adult pictured to the left, operated this game.
A & B Process System employee Sarah Schuette and her husband, John Schuette, pose in the groovy bus during the company’s 50th anniversary celebration on June 24. The business was established in 1973 in Stratford.
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and also across the border into Canada.
In 1987, the original owners of Stratford Homes decided the time was right to sell the business and the father/son duo of Bob and Rob White acquired the business. Although the Whites lived in the Minneapolis area, they had acquired a business in Stevens Point, Steel King Industries, two years prior to acquiring Stratford Homes so they had a familiarity with the central Wisconsin area and knew the people living here had a strong work ethic.
In 1989, the corporate structure of the entity was changed to what is now Stratford Homes Limited Partnership. In 1990, the founding president of Stratford Homes, Dean Weiland, retired and David Endy who had recently joined the Whites, was given oversight and responsibility for the business. Today, Rob White and David Endy own Stratford Homes Limited Partnership.
Throughout the 1990s, the business grew steadily and significantly and the plant was expanded to its current size of 125,000 square feet. Growth continued in the early 2000s and the company decided to open a second production facility in Chariton, Iowa, in 2001. With the continued increases in revenue, the company outgrew its office space in Stratford and a new office was added in front of the existing building in 2005. By this time, Stratford Homes Limited Partnership had reached a total of 250 employees spread between the two facilities in Stratford and Chariton, Iowa.
In 2006, Stratford Homes Limited Partnership was hitting its peak just as the economic and housing recession started to seriously impact the housing market. By 2009, sales had fallen 70 percent and the company had to make the difficult decision to shut down the Iowa plant. By 2011, Stratford Homes Limited Partnership started to emerge from this difficult housing climate and has seen its sales grow steadily since then. In 2023, sales are projected to be up to three times the low water mark hit in 2010 and employment in Stratford is back above 100 workers.
