other equipment, is filled with ….

other equipment, is filled with liquid and pressurized to its specific test pressure.

Passivation and liquid penetrant testing can also be done at the customers’ request. Passivation creates a passive surface layer that is more resistant to corrosion and cleans the unit in the process. During liquid penetrant testing, a dye is put onto the exchanger to test the welds for cracks and imperfections that are harder to see during a visual examination.

“We build our equipment to run efficiently, clean easily and last 20 to 25 years,” said Herman about Enerquip’s high-quality equipment. The quality of Enerquip’s products is a direct reflection of their team’s pride in their work and their focus on customer satisfaction. History Pep Simek played a large part in the success that Enerquip has today. In 1985 Simek purchased Conseco and rebranded the company as Enerquip. Before the purchase, Conseco primarily built large boilers for military destroyers under government contracts. When the company went bankrupt, workers reached out to Simek for help. At the time, Simek owned Tombstone Pizza. He and a few of Tombstone’s key executives decided to take a chance and purchase Conseco out of bankruptcy. “There were days when Enerquip was not being profitable early on, but Pep steered the course and believed in the people,” said Deml about Enerquip’s rough start. Eventually, the other owners moved on, but Simek held on strong. In the late ‘80s, Englishman John Holroyd bought into Enerquip. He had a varied background which included ground-breaking engineering advancements in the pharmaceutical and medical industries.

Holroyd led the company into the market of stainless steel heat exchangers. Enerquip’s first big break was aligning with Ecolab, a global leader in infection prevention solutions. Afterward, Holroyd continued leading Enerquip into the sanitary market, eventually leading to Enerquip’s role in the pharmaceutical world. After delving deeper into the world of stainless steel, Enerquip moved away from its government work and focused on these new, more sanitary industries.

In an effort to bring more production in-house, in 1999 Holroyd purchased a small electropolish business. Electropolishing is a process of removing a layer of metal to reduce surface roughness. It’s often required in pharmaceutical and other sanitary applications.

When Holroyd moved to southern Wisconsin to focus his attention on this new venture, Deml became General Manager of Enerquip. Enerquip owned the electropolishing business until 2005. During that time, they gained much knowledge about electropolishing and brought the service in-house at a much smaller scale.

“We owe a lot to John and Pep; they persevered all those years. I think many people would have given up, but they didn’t,” said Deml when talking about how grateful Enerquip is to Simek and Holroyd and their significant role in leading Enerquip down the path to success.

In 2008, both Simek and Holroyd retired, and the company sold to a private investor, James Nielson. Enerquip was thrilled to hold its private ownership. The Nielsons have a hands-off approach where they trust the leaders of Enerquip to grow the company, be profitable, aspire to the highest culture possible, and maintain a safe working environment. The team says it’s a terrific, excellent relationship.

Jeannie Deml started at Enerquip in 1995 as an administrative assistant without knowledge of heat exchangers. Deml’s leadership skills and desire for excellence brought her to the well-deserved position of President & CEO in 2011. Deml has done an excellent job running Enerquip and has only led them further into success and expansion.

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“Jeannie’s very modest, but it all comes down to leadership, and her leadership is above and beyond any place I’ve ever worked,” Weik said when talking about Deml’s role in Enerquip’s company culture and success. One part of Deml’s leadership is her genuine kindness and care for Enerquip’s employees. Weik conveyed sincere gratitude and respect recalling a time when Deml was there during a family medical issue.

“I mean, how many CEOs care that much? It’s just amazing,” Weik said about this act of kindness and sincerity. Deml’s actions and leadership skills have helped shape Enerquip’s company culture and fundamentals that keep Enerquip successful.

Deml led Enerquip to do a building renovation and expansion back in 2015. The renovation goal was to enhance the work environment in the offices and manufacturing plant while setting the company on a path to future growth. The renovation included 37 upgraded office spaces, windows that provide natural light, and two storage towers that allowed Enerquip to save much-needed manufacturing space. One tower is 22 feet tall, and the other is 56 feet tall with a storage capacity that can hold 200 tons of material.

Enerquip plans to continue its growth and already has done so with its involvement in new emerging industries and its 2021 purchase of American Heating Company. This summer, Enerquip and American Heating Company are moving forward together as Enerquip Thermal Solutions.

The former American Heating Company’s products are built out of Beggs, OK, by a small but dedicated team. Its main products are industrial heaters, economizers, steam generators, and tank heating solutions. You’ll find American Heating Company industrial heaters in large and small tank terminals and asphalt processes across the country. The company is well regarded in the industry, has a strong product line, and a wonderful, hardworking staff. It was a match made in heaven. Employees “Why would you leave such an organization that appreciates the people as Enerquip does,” said Weik when talking about the longevity of Enerquip employees. Enerquip has very low turnover rates double the national average tenure. The team’s longevity is partly thanks to the company culture that Enerquip lives by and the gratitude that Enerquip has for its employees. This culture of appreciation, care, and family runs throughout the organization. “Enerquip lives by its culture. It’s not just something we say. And part of that culture is understanding the value of promoting within,” said Lindsey Mayer, Marketing and Communications Manager at Enerquip. Many of the leaders at Enerquip have moved up the ranks to earn their leadership roles. The company continually works to help its employees grow through education, training, internal workshops, and more.

Enerquip also has opportunities for people who want to return to the community after college or technical training. They recently hired two engineers out of UW-Stout who are already excelling in sales and design. In addition, they enjoy working with the local high school’s internship programs and have had success with subsequent recruitment. They hope to continue to build on these partnerships in the future. Enerquip has a strong team because they hire the best to be the best. They know that employees make a great company. It is important to them that