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October 20, 2025
KAUKAUNA – To keep pace with industry demands, Keller, Inc. has expanded its steel fabrication capabilities at its Kaukauna location.
President and CEO Cory VandeWettering said the expansion will help bring more work in-house and boost efficiency, quality and collaboration across projects.
It’s an improvement that VandeWettering said was necessary as the industry continues to evolve.
“We’ve been operating out of a very archaic, outdated, small existing steel shop on our site that back in the day was an old truss shop that we converted to a steel shop,” he said. “As building codes have changed and energy codes have changed, it has forced the industry to change how they build buildings.”
In turn, VandeWettering said Keller is building more conventional steel-framed buildings that the company fabricates in its steel shop
“As buildings continue to get larger, they need to be more energy-efficient,” he said. “We saw a need for more of those types and styles of buildings [emerging] in the market, so it was time for us to invest in a more efficient shop to fabricate and build those types of buildings.”
VandeWettering said the company did a deep dive into the cost analysis and discovered its ROI and potential efficiency increase made the new steel shop a wise decision.
As Keller continues to grow congruent to its customers’ success – and as buildings get bigger and insulation and energy requirements continue to advance – VandeWettering said the new shop will help Keller meet those demands.
“We’re conservatively estimating a 20% increase in productivity just because of the new layout [and] the flow,” he said. “We did some analysis, [and] we used to touch a piece of steel 13 times before it hit the site, and we’re thinking we can cut that in half with the new shop.”
VandeWettering said the company is also looking to hire two additional people for the new steel shop, which will significantly increase its production capacity.
He said Keller is also looking to keep more parts and pieces in house – items that would have been outsourced before.
“Now, we can control the schedule, we can control the quality…,” he said. “It’s better for us, better for our customers and helps everybody all the way around.”
Creating a streamlined experience for customers
VandeWettering said Keller’s new steel shop adds 30,000 square feet of manufacturing space and features five six-ton overhead cranes.
He said the expansion represents Keller’s long-standing commitment to design-build construction, an approach the company formally adopted in 1988 but has been practicing since the 1970s.
“We’re biased, but we 100% believe in the design-build process,” he said. “We believe in a single source of responsibility. I think what makes Keller unique is our process… We have on-staff architects, we have interior designers [and] we have 175 guys out in the field who pour concrete and build buildings.”
VandeWettering said Keller’s ability to keep projects on schedule comes from relying on its own team members throughout the process.
“We’re proud to put the Keller ‘K’ on a lot of projects here in Northeast Wisconsin,” he said.
VandeWettering said Keller takes pride in its comprehensive, detail-oriented approach – an approach that helps the company stand out in a competitive market.
With many strong builders in Northeast Wisconsin, he said Keller’s process appeals to business owners looking for a streamlined experience without the need to oversee every detail.
“They have a business to operate, a business to run – they don’t want to be bothered with this,” he said. “Their business is growing, so they need a partner that can take the pressure off of them, to allow them to do what they do well every day and can execute on their behalf. And that’s what we try to fulfill for folks who are looking to grow.”
Additional renovation, hiring plans for 2026
After 65 years in business, VandeWettering said Keller continues to explore ways in which it can remain at the forefront of design-build construction.
Creating a new mechanic shop out of the previous steel shop, he said, is next on the docket.
“We’re making use of the old steel shop,” he said. “Our current mechanic shop is undersized. Our equipment continues to get bigger. Our cranes, our lifts, our vehicles continue to grow [and] our fleet size… continues to grow.”
VandeWettering said this prompted the hiring of a mechanic and, in 2026, “we’ll be converting our previous steel shop into a new mechanic shop.”
“[The renovation will include] all new siding, roofing, concrete floors, service pit…,” he said. “It’ll match the new steel shop, and we’re excited to kick that off this winter.”
With nearly 300 employee-owners, VandeWettering said Keller remains committed to its original vision of treating every project as if it were its own.
As the Keller continues to grow, so too, he said, will its team.
“We’re certainly looking for good people to help us grow, whether it’s pouring concrete, building buildings, finishing carpentry – we need good people,” he said. “And if you want to get on the wagon and ride with us, it’s a great place. We have awesome people here. We have a great culture, and you will be valued and appreciated.”
VandeWettering said Keller aspires, as an employee-owned company, to continue moving forward.
Sitting idle, he said, is not an option.
“We think you’re either growing or dying, and we want to be on the growing side of that,” he said. “And it takes people. I’m a big culture guy – I think culture is what makes a company.”
As a self-described “big culture guy,” VandeWettering said what makes a company is its culture.
“And the employee-ownership culture is very unique,” he said. “Everybody wears the same hat, and we all pull the plow in the same direction. I’m passionate about it, I believe in it and I care tremendously about this company and the people who work here.”
