Frecon Company was started in 1960 on my kitchen table. My first product was called the “Bug Stopper”. The name, Frecon, was derived by taking the first three letters of my wife’s name and mine. We have used various versions of Frecon throughout the years

Frecon Engineering was started on December 1, 1965. We rented 1200 square feet from Art Stamping. The business was located in Golf Manor. I hired Jerry Maxwell (the gentleman that taught the die-making trade to me), and one apprentice three months after the doors were opened. The majority of the dies we made were for the Metal Stamping Industry.

Our research led us to the development of our Tile Die Business. In 1967, we rented an additional 1200 square feet at the same location and employed four people. In the remainder of the late 60’s, we phased out of stamping dies and moved into serving the Ceramic Tile Industry. Our reputation grew rapidly and we were the leading supplier of mosaic tile dies. To keep up the demand we increased our workforce (8 employees) which required us to find a larger facility. In 1969 we moved to our present location of 6000 square feet.

In 1970, we tried our talents on the refractory brick industry. Our engineering approach to solving their problems was very successful. It has remained a major part of our business. In 1971, we expanded into the designing and building of special machinery. Our products were well accepted and all went well for two years. A recession occurred and we discontinued special machinery

We bought our first NC machine in 1975 and the second one in 1979. We spent about 3% of our annual income on development of steels, processes and products to maintain our competitive edge. We invested 8% of our annual sales into new equipment and the maintenance of the old. We have been an innovative leader in our field of business. We have developed processes that are unique to us and established ourselves as a respected leader and a company that our customers can rely upon.

In 1981 and 1982 we lost five customers, four to bankruptcy and one who just couldn’t pay the invoices and work in progress. Recovery was stymied by recession that existed in our industry. Through hard effort and kindness from some of our best customers, we started to recover. However, as the ceramic industry started to decline again, we were hit with and additional $380,000.00 in customer bankruptcies. We needed to look for a new source of revenue. As a result, in 2000, we changed the course of the company and its name to Frecon Technologies, Inc. To accommodate this change, we purchased several pieces of CNC Turning equipment and a Coordinate Measuring Machine. As with any major change, it took us time to achieve success, but in 2002 we did – the company was profitable. But as we moved into 2003, most of our customers felt the slowing economy and our sales dropped more than 50%.

2003 through the beginning of 2006 were difficult years. Not only was the Ceramic, Clay and Concrete industries hit with a recession, but the metalworking industry was hit with increased metal costs, fuel costs and metal shortages. We managed to work through it by adjusting our equipment and employee levels to reduce costs. In late 2005, the housing industry began to pick up. People were building new homes and companies were building new facilities thus causing the Ceramic, Clay and Concrete industries to improve. Then in early 2006, we received a large order for CNC machined parts and have been growing stronger and better since.

At the beginning of 2007, my son Ed joined the organization. He brought in a new perspective and enthusiasm for improving our manufacturing processes. In addition we have purchased new equipment, a Waterjet, computerized saw, a Bridgeport mill and others. We have gained a tremendous amount of knowledge about making CNC machined parts and continue to strive for excellence and more efficient methods of manufacturing. As Ed takes on more and more of the responsibilities for the CNC machining side of Frecon Technologies, Inc., I hope to concentrate on the Ceramic, Clay and Concrete side. This will allow me to travel and work at the same time.

During my journey with the Ceramic, Clay and concrete industry, I created a mascot, Piece O’Clay. I didn’t use him much in my early years, but he has become an important tool for advertising in recent years. Below is his story.