WEST BEND — A West Bend kitchen utensil and cookware manufacturing company is reopening its outlet store 18 years after it closed.
Regal & West Bend Cookware leadership and retired employees celebrated the reopening and spoke about the future of their business on Saturday during their Oktoberfest event.
The re-imagined outlet store and museum are open Wednesday through Saturday with an ever changing stock of discounted cookware.
People can drive to the manufacturing plant, get a look at classic appliances and then buy new, locally made, affordable pots, pans and other cooking needs.
"You always have stories about companies closing, we're growing and expanding," Dave Duecker said. "We're making an eight figure investment into this facility to set us up for the next generation and hopefully for the next generation 115 years down the road."
Duecker is the president of the manufacturing department called Synergy Ops.
"People that worked here worked here a long time, they didn't work and leave, they stayed, Candy Sarauer said. "The loyalty just kept them here. It's a great place to work. You don't have a lot of places like that anymore."
Watch here: Why is Regal & West Bend Cookware such a great place to work?
Candy Sarauer retired after 30 years with the company and reunited with old co-workers at their alumni event.
The company's leadership team said they're growing, something that doesn't surprise past employees like Sarauer.
"They really appreciate their employees," she said. "By putting this on today, I don't think Regal Ware realizes what they've done."
Sarauer said the company's community involvement is special, something company leadership hopes helps them attract more people eager to work.
"We might have people that are doing different jobs today than they might have been doing five, 10, 15 or 20 years ago," chairman and CEO Ryan Reigle said.
"But at the end of the day, if we don't have incredibly talented, dedicated and focused people who understand how to make all of this work, nothing works. So, everything is rooted back in people." His great grandfather started the company back in 1945.
"Everybody knows how committed they are to the community," Sarauer said. "Today's event is truly testament to that."
The manufacturing plant ships products across the globe and throughout Wisconsin. People can find the outlet store located in the back of the building at 1100 Schmidt Rd, Suite 102 West Bend, WI 53090.
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