On October 4th, Brehmer Manufacturing in Lyons held a pancake feed and open house to celebrate its 50th anniversary. It was a fitting way for the family-run, family-friendly business to commemorate the milestone. As a company, Brehmer cares deeply about community—the tightly-knit community that works at its facility, the surrounding community of Lyons, and the community of customers it devotedly serves.
Brehmer bears the name of the family that founded the business and still runs it today. Joe Brehmer, whose father Rey started Brehmer Manufacturing in 1974, worked alongside his dad as they created the company from the ground up. When Joe was a junior in high school, Rey was working full-time as a salesman for a feed company. Joe helped his dad grow the business by designing and building products while Rey sold them on the side.
“I remember when we first started, he would go out, get some jobs, and come back in and say, ‘Hey! Can we build this?’ He and I would work together and get it built,” said Joe. Then, his dad would sell the new products to local farmers. “After I graduated high school, I came here. And this has been my education.” Eventually, Joe’s younger brothers, Jamie and Chad, joined the family business as well. Joe’s wife, Tammy, is also actively involved, processing payroll for the manufacturer.
The support of a Nebraska community
Together, the family has grown Brehmer into a thriving business. It employs 45-50 people designing and building farming equipment—including fertilizer tenders, nurse trailers, and field loaders. Through its Eagle International line of products, the company also manufacturers tire-recycling equipment. These machines help customers worldwide reduce waste by downsizing tires, including the massive ones used in mining operations. Over the years, Brehmer has made multiple expansions to its facility, which is now over 60,000 square feet.
The manufacturer’s success wouldn’t have been possible without tremendous local support. In the company’s early days, the Brehmer family needed capital to finance its growth. Area residents rallied to raise funds so that the company could branch out from its small base of operations in Oakland to a facility in Lyons. “We wouldn’t be here [in Lyons] if it weren’t for our community,” said Joe. “The bank went out and found several farmers who put down our deposit. We were a small group, and that was a humungous move for us. Our banking system—First Northeast Bank of Nebraska—has been fantastic. You couldn’t ask for better people; they’ve been with us through thick and thin.”
Creating opportunities for the next generation of Nebraskans
Being in a community of 800 residents hasn’t impeded Brehmer from finding great talent. In fact, Joe Brehmer credits the small town’s strong culture for instilling outstanding character and a great work ethic in students—qualities highly valued by his business. Jeanette Johnson, who does marketing and graphic design for Brehmer, says the company has a penchant for hiring local youth and training them for key roles. “A lot of the more technically advanced positions we have are filled from the inside by those who start in high school, come in during the summers, and learn their trade on the job.”
That’s how Treyton Frahm got his start with the company. A CNC machinist, Treyton began working at Brehmer Manufacturing when he was 17 and still in high school. He would go to work after school every day for about an hour. In the summers, he would work at the plant full time. “I decided I liked machining, and there was a big opportunity here, so I went to college for it at Norfolk,” he explained. After completing his program, he returned to Lyons and took a job at Brehmer where he has been working ever since. “There are a lot of opportunities. Manufacturing isn’t just one specific thing. You have the machining side, the bending side, the lasers, the welding,” he added. “There are a whole lot of things that, if you’re interested in, you can do.” Treyton graduated without student debt, stepped into a position that pays well, and was able to find a great career using his skills in his hometown.
Joe takes great satisfaction in seeing local graduates find success at Brehmer. “They’ve done some wonderful things here,” said Joe, referring to three employees who grew up in the area, two of whom were classmates of his son. “One of them is running the whole side of the fab shop, and he is putting programs together that you wouldn’t believe. The other is making all our literature and running 3D programs. The third is a smart electrician that I’m coaching now. They’re kids from the community. I watched them grow up, and now I see them blossoming with what they’ve found as their niche. That’s what I’m most proud of.”
A family-friendly workplace
Having spent 50 years growing his family business, Joe knows full well the challenges of navigating work and home life. Brehmer Manufacturing has built a family-friendly workplace that accommodates parents’ busy schedules. “This is family. I’ve got people coming in and out of here all times of day. Some take their kids to school, basketball games, football games. I did it, and my son is the best part of my life,” said Joe. This family-oriented culture has positioned Brehmer as an employer of choice in the area, contributing to its ability to fill job openings—often through word-of-mouth recruitment.
As part of its commitment to treat employees as family, Brehmer recently started a profit-sharing program. The incentive plan gives employees a quarterly cut of the company profits added to their regular pay. Since the plan began, Joe has been amazed by the added sense of responsibility he has seen from his team, with workers staying until 10:00 or 11:00 p.m. at night to make sure a job gets done. One farmer, who works part-time for Brehmer, even came in after a day in the field to make progress on a project.
The next generation of the Brehmer family—Joe’s nephews Alex and Ryan—have moved into the leadership roles in the business. They are in a gradual process of becoming co-owners while Joe scales back his responsibilities and moves into retirement. Though perhaps “semi-retirement” would be more accurate. “I don’t need to fully retire,” he says, “I like doing what I’m doing!”
Founded on relationships
A commitment to building strong relationships has undergirded Brehmer’s half-century of success. “I think the biggest thing is that you treat people—your customers—the way you want to be treated. Don’t put something out the door and say, ‘Oh well. It’s your problem.’ We’ve eaten costs on stuff that we’ve spent a lot of money to get back and fix, but that’s always been our philosophy,” said Joe. “You have to put out products that you would be comfortable using and can take pride in.”
At its 50th anniversary celebration, the priority Brehmer places on relationships was on full display. Customers and supporters came from miles away, including some Joe hadn’t seen for years. They came to show their support and express gratitude for the way Brehmer Manufacturing has benefited them.
As Nebraska celebrates Manufacturing Month this October, the Department of Economic Development congratulates Brehmer Manufacturing for 50 years of business and for being an exemplary employer in the industry. To learn more about the company, go to brehmer.com. To see photos from Brehmer’s 50th anniversary celebration, visit its Facebook page.