Wildeck celebrates 50th anniversary

Industrial steel work platform, material lift, safety guarding, and elevated access equipment manufacturer Wildeck, Inc. celebrated its 50th anniversary at MODEX 2026.

The trade show was hosted by MHI April 13-16 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Since its founding in 1976, Wildeck said it has evolved from an engineering division of a steel supply company into a manufacturing powerhouse, providing the structural backbone for the world’s most complex supply chains.

From postwar boom to e-commerce growth

Wildeck’s heritage traces back to 1944 at the Williams Steel and Supply Company based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. As industrial demand surged in the post-WWII era, businesses faced a persistent challenge: a lack of usable floor space. Custom designed Williams platforms, known as “Wildeck Mezzanines,” would become so successful that by 1976, the company established it as its own separate division to meet demand.

Today, Wildeck’s product portfolio extends far beyond mezzanines. The company also provides vertical reciprocating conveyors (VRCs), rideable material lifts (RMLs), custom ladders & stairways, work stands, and forklift impact barriers.

As a custom product provider, Wildeck said its products are uniquely-designed and made for each project application. These include massive multi-level platforms for global e-commerce companies, to specialized access platforms for aircraft maintenance applications.

Employee ownership helps meet customer needs

While Wildeck has been in business for 50 years, a key organizational change occurred in 2007 when employees approved an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP). Now, Wildeck is a subsidiary of Holden Industries, Inc., a 100% employee-owned company.

Wildeck said employee ownership fosters a culture where every employee can have a personal stake in the company’s success. This collective commitment was never more evident than in 2020, when Wildeck’s critical support of major online retailers led to its designation as an essential business, allowing operations to continue uninterrupted throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to keep the nation's supply chain moving.

“Fifty years in business is a testament to the skill and dedication of our entire team,” said Dan Lorenz, Wildeck president. “We’ve spent five decades meeting our customer’s exact needs with highly-engineered solutions, and that does not happen without great employee-owners. We look forward to leading this industry for the next 50 years.”

Wildeck’s 50th anniversary arrives after a recent milestone for the company. In 2024, Wildeck completed its new, state-of-the-art headquarters in Waukesha, Wisconsin, consolidating its three previous locations in the state onto a 22 acre campus that features a significantly larger production facility. Simultaneously, the company expanded its Western operations with a new office and manufacturing location in Tolleson, Arizona.

To celebrate this 50-year milestone, Wildeck will be hosting a special event for its employee-owners and retirees later this year, showing its appreciation to those who have helped make the company a success.