Girtz Industries plant manager Tyson Mellon leads Alliance Bank’s Junior Board of Directors on a tour of the facility and briefs them on the mission and operation of the organization.

The company is located on property that was the original Girtz farm, adjacent to Lake Shafer. Girtz Industries, Inc. was formed in 1963 by Elmer Girtz Jr. In the early days, Elmer Girtz was engaged in simple machine shop and farm welding related activities, but then became interested in the production of antique automobile replacement parts. A line of such parts was developed and marketed at old car shows. 

This resulted in the establishment of a dealer network, and with it an increase in sales and corresponding ramp up of production to meet demand.

With the upturn in demand for old car parts came the additional pieces of sheet metal production equipment. Soon, production capacity allowed the company to branch out into the supply of fabricated sheet metal parts to industrial users, including Monon Trailer Corporation. Monon Trailer was at the time one of the largest van trailer manufacturers in the U.S. Sales grew to over $1 million per year during the early 1980s, with demand for industrial fabrications exceeding even a strong demand for car parts.

In the mid 1980s, Elmer’s son, David earned his bachelor’s degree and soon became the president and CEO for the corporation. He quickly moved the company into the CAD/CAM metal fabrication arena with the addition of digitally controlled, high precision equipment. Also added were laser cutters and in-house powder coating. During this expansion period from 1985 to 1995, new OEM customers were added including Caterpillar and York International.

Under David Girtz’s leadership, the company moved into a new and additional market. That market is Power Packaging. Partnering with Caterpillar during the period of 1994 to 2001, Girtz learned the skills necessary to provide weather tight housings for large, diesel engine driven gensets. These gensets are in demand by the market for standby and emergency power production. Girtz now provides these enclosures and packaging services for a large number of major OEM’s, as well as for various OEM eaquipment 

Junior Board members had the opportunity to ask questions regarding careers, production and the economic impact Girtz has on the community and the world. While touring the facility, the board was able to witness the entire process of a project from design, building, testing, and implementation via an incredible photo of a power station the company built in the desert of Afghanastan. 

Alliance Bank is a Real Community Bank® with offices in Francesville, Monon, Monticello, Otterbein, Oxford, Rensselaer, and Winamac.