Stratford area businesses celebrate 50 years

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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.