Serving as president of EccoFab for the last 27 years, Gerry Bauer is known by his peers as someone who is “willing to take risks, tackle challenges and iterate solutions until they work.” Bauer was inducted on March 24 into the Pit & Quarry Hall of Fame. Below are highlights from Bauer’s induction speech, which can be viewed in full here.
ON GETTING HIS START IN THE AGGREGATE INDUSTRY: In 1977, I left my first love, farming, to take a job at a small fabrication shop in another state. To say I wasn’t a happy person would be an understatement. I vowed that I would serve five years in this new role and then go back to farming. Well, 47 years later, I’m still here. I’m still working in that job, and it has brought me more joy than I could ever imagine to work alongside aggregate producers, big and small, to create solutions for their crushing problems.
ON THE ROLE HARDOX STEEL HAS PLAYED IN HIS CAREER: So much of my story is interwoven with the kind of people who represent SSAB Hardox steel. In 1981, a salesperson selling a new type of steel from Sweden walked into my shop, and I’ve worked nearly exclusively with their steel ever since. I became the first domestic member of the Hardox Wear Parts Network in 2001. It’s been a partnership I cherish and I’m really proud of. A lot of times I say the word ‘we’ because I feel like a part of SSAB, and I wouldn’t be here today without their support.
ON THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE SUPPORTED HIM THROUGHOUT HIS CAREER: Thank you to Kjell Bäckman, global head of special steel sales for SSAB, my longtime salesperson; Ray Adams, who is never afraid to raise those prices on me; and the many people both past and present that have been part of my SSAB journey – Eric Hoppe, Chris Gasper, Jacqueline Gay, Ursula Egenhofer and Laura Mays, just to name a few.
The story would not be complete without the many producers who have partnered with me to think creatively about their challenges. They include Irvin Rohl and Elmer Lewis from the former Rockford Blacktop Co.; Jim McKnight from Rogers Materials; and Ray Schremp from ALAMP/America’s Materials. I’d like to thank my friends at AMCAST, namely Vinnie Rocco and Tomaso Veneroso. I owe a depth of gratitude to my mentor Lloyd Teeuwen, who taught me not to rush into any project; to think about it and walk away from it if you have to for awhile.
I’ve got some great people who have worked with me at EccoFab: Brian Soderbergh and Bruce Poliska, Lynda Larsen, Rex Foltz, Chris Reyes, Charlie Nelson and Tony Bussan.
ON HIS FAMILY: I’m very lucky to have several of my siblings with me tonight and many cheering from afar. Patrick Bauer, Christine Luzzie Bauer, Mary Bauer and Susan Bauer, I love you. Thank you for always supporting your big brother. My two children and their families are here also. It is so special that I can share this moment with you. Brian and Jennifer, you gave up lot of nights and weekends to help build EccoFab. But it’s the CEO of EccoFab, the CEO of our family and my partner in crime that I owe the largest thanks to. My wife, Christine Bauer, managed our family and allowed me to be unabashedly myself, build the company through many late nights and weekends and log more than a million miles on my work truck calling on customers. I love you very much.
For more on the Pit & Quarry Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, click here. To learn about Gerry Bauer and his impact on the industry, read his Hall of Fame profile.
