One-man operation has grown into full-service facility

Heather Graves

Staff

October 17, 2023

BELLEVUE – Perfecting its craft for more than 120 years, Phil Wadzinski – president and CEO of Pecard Leather Care Co. (1836 Industrial Drive) – said the company definitely knows a thing or two about leather care products.

Nestled inside Northeast Wisconsin – a predominantly large manufacturing region – Wadzinski said as a manufacturer itself, Pecard is proud to help support others in different aspects of the trade.

“Because of the construction industry, because of the manufacturing industry (within the region) there are a lot of laborers and that sort of thing, which bodes well for the products we make,” he said. “We certainly have products that can be used on fine leathers and fashioned leathers and those sorts of goods – but, the work boot market and in the labor market is certainly one that has always been our bread and butter realm.”

More than a century of experience
Wadzinski said Pecard was started by Phil Pecard in Lena in 1902 under the name Pecard Chemical Co. as a niche company.

“At that particular point in time, there was a lot of lumber industry in the area,” he said. “He needed a product that would help those people condition their leather, keep it in good shape… to be able to work outdoors.”

Wadzinski said the company was eventually moved to the Allouez area – at the corner of Libal and Greene.

He said his father Arthur purchased the company with a handful of other investors in the mid-1950s – and in 1964, the company was incorporated to support further growth.

“He eventually became the sole proprietor of the business,” he said. “The business was moved in the mid-1970s to its current Bellevue location in the Schmitt Industrial Park.”

Over the next two-plus decades, Wadzinski said his father continued to expand and transform the business as it kept pace with demand.

During that time, Wadzinski said Pecard formulas were refined, patented and legally protected, and the trademarked classic, redheaded “Never Leak” duck logo was introduced.

Wadzinski said he and his siblings grew up working with their dad at the business.

In the late 1980s, Wadzinski said his older brother Steven worked with their dad to refine product lines, update logos and develop new markets.

He said Steven purchased Pecard from their father when he retired.

“I returned to the business in the late 1990s working with my brother Steve – he did the office end of it and I ran the production, factory and warehouse,” he said.

Sadly, Wadzinski said his brother Steve was killed in a car accident in 2006.

“I purchased the company from this estate in 2009 and have been operating it ever since,” he said.

Products
Though much has changed over the years in terms of products for Pecard, Wadzinski said much has also stayed the same.

“We still offer our main product lines – they have formulations that for the most part have stayed the same, minus a few revisions,” he said.

However, as the leather marketplace evolved, Wadzinski said so, too, has Pecard.

“They’re starting to (make) acrylic-coated leather or vinyl-coated leather, so we had to develop new products that worked on those types of leathers also,” he said. “We’ve also added some color dressings on brown and black that can be used to restore to color or recover at minor abrasions on leather.”

Phil Wadzinski said the company has “an army of about five to six people” depending on its needs. Submitted Photo

Wadzinski said Pecard also carries leather accessories, such as brushes, cloth and microfiber floss.

“We evolved into a full-service leather care company,” he said. “The ingredients used have also evolved over time and have become much more pure. We use USP-grade petroleum products.”

There are also some products that Wadzinski said Pecard has discontinued.

Wadzinski said Pecard focuses on a few different areas of focus with its leather care lines.

“We’re probably the No. 1 product for antique leather care,” he said. “We continued to enter different segments of the marketplace. We have a line of products for the equestrian marketplace for harnesses, saddles and riding boots and also into the powersports market for motorcycle leather, saddle bags, chaps, jackets, riding boots and leather gloves.”

Wadzinski said Pecard’s classic leather care line covers work boots, shoes, apparel and upholstery.

Name change
In 2016, Wadzinski said the company changed its name from Pecard Chemical Co. to Pecard Leather Care Co. to better reflect what the company offers.

“It came about for a couple of reasons,” he said. “One was we were getting calls from various companies asking if we had these exotic chemicals,” he said. “And it was more or less to show people looking for leather care that is what we did – so, why not change the name to better represent what we make and what we do?”

COVID-19 pandemic
Like many other businesses, Wadzinski said the COVID-19 pandemic brought with it some challenges.

“It certainly made things challenging on the supply side of things,” he said. “99% of our supplies are within the U.S. Generally, pre-COVID, it would take about six to eight weeks to acquire (supply items). When COVID hit, in some instances, it was pushed out to 28-35 weeks, or even a full year, due to supply chain issues.”

Wadzinski said another hurdle brought on by the pandemic that Pecard encountered was the closure of many of its wholesale clients.

“We supply a lot of cobblers and shoe repair shops throughout the country,” he said. “When COVID hit, especially in the major metropolitan areas, those types of places didn’t have the foot traffic they did pre-COVID. So, that certainly affected our sales.”

Thankfully, Wadzinski said, Pecard has been able to rebound.

“Unfortunately, however, some of those repair shops and cobbler shops in major metropolitan areas closed and they’re gone forever – which is quite sad due to the circumstances and situations COVID brought on,” he said. 

Advantages of Northeast Wisconsin location
Being located in Northeast Wisconsin, Wadinski said comes with some significant advantages for Pecard – specifically in terms of supply chain.

“In particular, Green Bay Packaging – that’s where we get our boxes from,” he said. “Belmark – that’s where the majority of our labels come from. Because they are so close, that gives us the advantage of not having to pay for shipping costs to have those items brought in – and that helps us stay competitive and keep our prices (down).”

Reanna Rosloniec, director of sales and marketing, said as folks put more focus on protecting their investments, they can look locally at Pecard to help them do that.

Over the years, Phil Wadzinski said Pecard has evolved into a full-service leather care company. Submitted Photo

Pecard – which is recognizing Manufacturing Month in partnership with the Greater Green Bay Chamber during the month of October – said “we are a Made in the U.S.A. company, we’re a small business.”

“I think it’s important to talk about that because people want to know,” she said.

Small, but mighty
Wadzinski said the company has “an army of about five to six people” depending on its needs.

“We have a good group of people working for us,” he said. “I also have a couple of folks I can call in on an as-needed basis who are retired and they’ll come in and give us a hand.”

The future of Pecard, Wadzinski said, “looks quite bright.”

“A lot of people nowadays are talking about sustainability, and I think people are realizing now that you buy good-quality, leather-made goods and you take care of those goods that will last a long time,” he said.

Wadzinski said that mindset has changed from where it was 15-20 years ago – when “people would buy footwear, shoes on the cheap and wear them until they were destroyed and then go out and buy another pair.”

“I think that attitude is changing a bit,” he said. “People are spending more money on those quality goods, and the products we manufacture, help them preserve and take care of those goods and sustain them for a long time. In some instances, if they’re properly cared for and treated, they can be passed on to another generation.”

For more information on Pecard Leather Care Co., visit pecard.com.