OCONOMOWOC — Let’s turn the clocks back and go 100 years into the past. It's 1925. A gallon of milk costs about 30 cents, The Great Gatsby was just published, and an Oconomowoc manufacturing business got its start.
Sentry Equipment Corp. in Oconomowoc began as a manufacturer of milk evaporators for the dairy industry in 1925. One hundred years later, Sentry is creating components for crucial industries like water, energy, and oil.
“From small-town Oconomowoc, we’re sending our products and services all over the world. People in China, people in Australia, people in Europe rely on our products and services to run their businesses," Brian Baker, the president and CEO of Sentry Equipment Corp., said.
Sentry makes the equipment that power plants, water treatment facilities, and oil refineries use to monitor and measure chemical samples.
Think about it like this. You’re a chocolate maker and you’ve got a huge vat of chocolate, and you want to make sure it’s up to your standards. Sentry makes the equipment that can analyze the chemical composition of the chocolate in real time. And, it makes the equipment that can go in, take a sample of that chocolate, and then send it to a chemist for testing.
That’s an oversimplification, but it’s all about allowing the companies we rely on, like We Energies, to measure and analyze their processes to make sure they work well. If that happens, we get hot water and the ability to turn on the lights.
“All these things that power our economy, power the world, we take for granted. But Sentry had everything to do with it," Baker said.
While global industries rely on these devices, they wouldn’t be possible without people like Kelly O’Shea.
“I really like working in manufacturing and now I wouldn’t change a thing," the supply chain manager said.
O'Shea has been with the employee-owned company for 18 years. Along with constantly evolving to meet market demands, Sentry has coupled people and technology to help keep the company successful for so many years.
“You know, it’s really fun to think of what it could look like in the future, too. Because we’re not done. We’re going to keep changing, keep rearranging, and growing," O'Shea said.
As cloud storage, electric vehicle chargers, and AI usage grows, so too will the need for power. Sentry is already seeing utilities invest in expansions, which means more monitoring equipment. So, Sentry likes its chances of being open for another 100 years.
Watch the story below to see more of what Sentry Equipment Corp. makes.
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