Waterford, WI – Flitz is a family owned manufacturing company operating in Waterford, Wisconsin. The company is truly an American small business success story with some employees having been with the company for over 30 years.
The company began 46 years ago with its president Ulrich Jentzsch, his father, mother, and Ulrich’s wife Karen with a vision to create premium metal polishing products that were high-performance and eco-safe. Its initial product was Flitz Metal Polish.
For the first three years of its existence, Flitz was only sold at retail shows. The owners spent considerable time on the road demonstrating the product, but this time investment with customers paid off well for Flitz. Â
Today, while the bulk of the company sales are still generated via business to business, the retail sales continue to grow as word spreads about the product’s versatility and quality. The company has thousands of five-star reviews.
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Over the years, the company realized that the outsourced manufacturing process was costly and inefficient. The company decided it was time to invest in equipment that would enable them to take control of their operations and fulfill their dream of producing their products from start to finish.
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The company contacted the Racine County Economic Development Corporation (RCEDC) to secure a low-interest, low-downpayment equipment loan. In addition to the $200,000 loan, the company also applied and received a Racine County matching grant.
Flitz International is very grateful for all the help the RCEDC team has given our organization over the years. RCEDC assisted us in securing very attractive funding. They were there every step of the way and made the process very simple. Because of the low-cost RCEDC loan, there were no tough decisions of budget-cutting or shifting of expenses. We continue to stay in touch with RCEDC to learn many other cool things that they have to offer.
Bringing the manufacturing process inhouse had an immediate impact. Flitz could now oversee every aspect of the production process, eliminating costly outsourcing.
RCEDC was pleased to play a role in supporting Flitz with its expansion plans. In addition to providing the company a low-interest loan, the company also applied for and received a Racine County matching grant to expand its marketing activities to reach even more customers. As a result of the company’s investment, they will create 4.5 new jobs.
