From Fire to Flourishing
SPRINGFIELD TWP, Mercer County — Nearly a year and a half after Wendell August Forge opened its new $8 million headquarters, the company is flourishing.
“It's been doing really well,” said owner Will Knecht. “The locale has been fantastic.”
The 52,000-square-foot building on Route 208 west of the Grove City Premium Outlets has 40,000 square feet for manufacturing and distribution, 8,000 square feet for office space and 4,000 square feet for retail space.
The building is on 12 acres. Six have been used for the building and parking lot, and the other six are available for expansion.
“We built that with growth in mind,” Knecht said.
The retail space is divided into different “sets,” with each set having a different theme and products. A window gives customers a glimpse at some of the crafts people working with dies.
The manufacturing area is designed to be open, giving employees more room to work. Tours of the manufacturing space are offered.The office space is open, with nearly all employees, including Knecht, working in cubicles. Only the chief financial officer has a separate office.The office area includes a “creative space” with couches for employees to think and get inspiration. Knecht said this can be lively at times.He said a 10-year goal of the company is to be named a top 100 workplace in the U.S.The building replaces the former headquarters, which burned down March 6, 2010. The cause of the fire was a heating element that sparked in one of the lacquer booths. A fire prevention device in the booth failed.The company set up temporary headquarters shortly after the fire and began working to create a new building.
Since then, the company has grown.At the time of the fire, the company had 75 employees. Now it has 110.In 2011, the company bought Old Forge Metals of Vernon, N.Y., and added that company's pewter casting abilities. In 2012, the company broke into the college store market. That year, it also began testing its products in some Macy's stores.The company's products are in 920 retail stores nationwide.“That's really exciting,” Knecht said.He said that most of those are independent retailers.He also said the company is working with Macy's to expand its presence in its stores. By the end of the year, he said he hopes the products are in 1,300 to 1,500 stores.
One of the largest areas of growth for the company is in its business to business division, with companies buying Wendell August products for use as awards or gifts.Knecht said sales from the company's website also have been doing well.The company, which makes handcrafted heirloom-quality items out of metals, also has stores at the Grove City Premium Outlets, Wilmington, N.C., and Berlin, Ohio.Knecht said the fact the products are durable and made in America are big drawing cards for the company.“We're very bullish about what we're doing,” Knecht said.
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