MILWAUKEE — Inside one Milwaukee business, it's loud, it's hot, and you definitely don't want to touch anything. But this is where vital pieces of American infrastructure are made.
The company is called Badger Alloys. It's a foundry in Milwaukee. They pour around 200 different metals, like steel, brass, and bronze.
“There’s nothing that you can do today that isn’t touched by a foundry at one point," Rob Cowen, the president and CEO, said.
His father started the company 60 years ago. They make products for the pump and valve industries, and they are used all over the world.
Watch the story to see molten metal being poured...
“They’re in submarines, aircraft carriers. They’re in food processing plants. They’re in power plants, chemical plants," Cowen said.
Badger Alloys creates the parts that allow utility companies, like We Energies, to operate. So when Wisconsinites flip the light switch, the power comes on.
However, despite the work being done at Badger Alloys being vital to American infrastructure, jobs at places like this and other manufacturers across the country are in need of skilled laborers. According to a Deloitte and Manufacturing Institute study in 2024, there could be as many as 1.9 million unfilled manufacturing jobs by 2033.
“Oh, yea, we have help wanted. We’re probably looking for 6 to 8 people currently," Cowen said. Click there to learn about career opportunities at Badger Alloys.
The workforce is aging out at Badger Alloys and across the United States. Pete Szpara has been a journeyman machinist for 40 years and will retire in about three months. For Szpara, it’s hard to put into words what this job means to him.
“I don’t know, hang on, give me a minute," Szpara said. “It feels great. Like I said, it’s the personal pride of - that you are important, not just here, but to a community, to your family, to everybody.”
Because he’s creating something with his hands that he feels moves America forward. Being a machinist is the greatest, well, 2nd greatest, thing he has ever done.
“When they gave me that journeyman’s card, second best day of my life," he said.
"What was the first day?" I asked.
"Getting married," Szpara said.
"That’s for your wife watching?" I asked.
"Yes,” Szpara said with a laugh.
This work has given him an immense amount of pride. Szpara hopes future generations follow in his footsteps. And places like Badger Alloys are depending on it to keep American manufacturing going.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
