Wausau Window and Wall Systems

1956

Three entrepreneurs from Wausau, Wis., form Wausau Metals and offer a complete line of aluminum glass block ventilators.

Allowing room to grow, the name leaves the option open for a diverse product line while establishing a reputation for quality and reliability.

Just two years after beginning operations, the company outgrows its original facility and moves to its long time home on West Street in Wausau.

1968

Apogee Enterprises, Inc., a progressive Minneapolis company, acquires Wausau and sends its treasurer, Lawrence J. Niederhofer, to lead the company to unprecedented growth – in people, in sales, and in facility expansion.

An early decision involves the installation of aluminum finishing tanks for applying the Anolok finish to aluminum window and trim. This in-house capability opens doors to many architectural offices.

1970s

With the energy crisis comes an innovation for an entirely new dimension in aluminum windows – the thermal cavity. Using an insulating material to create a bond between the inner and outer face of the aluminum window sections, the thermal cavity greatly reduces the flow of heat between the two surfaces.

1975

During the holiday season, the first computer arrives at Wausau and is installed in the engineering department to aid in calculations and cutting lists for window parts. Detailed energy analysis is made possible by storing weather data to predict energy savings and determine the best combination of window and materials for a given city.

Product line growth takes a major leap with the acquisition of Milco, a Michigan company with years of experience in manufacturing both hung and rolling windows. Consolidated under the single name of Wausau, the company serves even more customers.

1983

With the opening of Linetec, arrives a new direction in window finishing. Today, Linetec is the largest, high-performance architectural metals finishing company in the United States.

One of the only finishers in the nation capable of handling oversized materials to up to 48 x 96 x 360-inches in dimension, Linetec also is among few to offer spattercoat finishes and custom color matching.

Committed to environmental practices, Linetec operates 98.8 percent pollution free and provides finishes that further contribute to its customers’ sustainable design goals.

1990s

Wausau and Linetec work as free-standing business and profit centers under the Apogee Wausau Group. Their operations span six buildings at two sites and employ more than 850 people.

Through this network, Wausau distributes windows directly to installing subcontractors and generates orders through authorized representatives as well as from its own sales force.

1997

Wausau opens a satellite manufacturing facility in Stratford, Wisconsin to support the continued growth of the standard window market.

1998

Apogee Wausau Group invests in operational enhancements to further enhance responsiveness and communications with customers. Customers react by rating Wausau number one in customer satisfaction.

1999

Wausau Metals changes its name to Wausau Window and Wall Systems – a name that better reflects the company’s current building products solutions and future growth.

Exemplifying this direction and responding to customers’ time and budget sensitive projects, Advantage by Wausau is introduced providing competitively priced, pre-engineered, high performance windows.

2000

Taking customer service to a new level, Wausau creates one the nation’s largest wireless, all-digital phone systems and completes a company-wide, integrated software system that streamlines its ordering, planning and scheduling systems.

2001

As an Apogee Enterprises company, Wausau adopts Six Sigma and Lean Thinking as business strategies. This is the largest business improvement process ever undertaken within the company.

Streamlined, quality processes are essential for consistent growth, and allow Wausau to focus on better serving customers.

2003

Expanding its Advantage by Wausau product offering to accommodate projects of all sizes, schedules and budgets, Wausau also continues to invest in emerging technical innovations for future challenges.

With heightened security considerations following the attacks of September 11, 2001 and tropical storm devastation across the Southeastern states, architects seek Wausau’s proven hurricane-impact resistant and blast mitigating products.

As additional concerns for energy and environmental issues gain momentum with the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Rating System®, Wausau also is frequently sought for its expertise in solar and thermal control and power-generating glazing systems.

2005

Expands Advantage product offering to include all window products, with the exception of pressure wall and security glazing.

2007

Rick Marshall is named President of Wausau Window and Wall Systems.

Wausau’s Stratford plant celebrates 10 years.

2008

Wausau moves into the new Wausau Manufacturing Center, designed and constructed for LEED®-Silver certification.

The new Wausau Manufacturing Center receives LEED¨-Silver certification, joining a number of other prominent building products manufacturers operating in LEED-certified facilities.

Wausau's sibling company Linetec introduces eco-friendly anodizing etch chemistry, reducing aluminum removal, while improving surface quality, especially when finishing recycled "secondary" extrusion billet.

Wausau appoints three market managers to provide architectural support in key educational, health care, and government/military segments.

Two Wausau design engineers achieve National Fenestration Ratings Council (NFRC) Approved Calculation Entity (ACE) status, to support Component Modeling Approach (CMA) certification.

Wausau completes the transition to 100% secondary aluminum billet for framing extrusions, ensuring that all projects utilize a high level of pre- and post-consumer recycled content.

The INventTM Series of projected windows in introduced, certified to AW 100 Performance Class, offering the –XLT option with oversize polyamide thermal barrier, for NFRC U-Factors as low as 0.19 BTU/hr.sqft.°F (R 5.3).