When Benson Industries came to Milwaukee, they were in search of two things: a location to set up the curtain wall plant and a local partner to assist in building the workforce.
Never before had an out-of-state company leased a Milwaukee facility and utilized 100% unemployed and/or underemployed Milwaukee residents to fabricate their product.
Together, Duwe and Benson set up shop in the Century Business Park and successfully produced over 2600 complex glass panels. The partnership employed over 150 RPP certified workers who had no prior experience and payed nearly $1.7 million in wages.
As the glass panels were completed, they were shipped to the job site. Duwe’s composite crew of Iron Workers, Iron Worker Apprentices and Glaziers, under the management of Benson Industries, wrapped the outside of the tower, one unit at a time.