Local business owners buy Manitowoc glass company

By Jake Phillips, Valders Journal

A half century-old business in Manitowoc got a fresh start last fall under new ownership and has a crystal clear plan for the future.

Brothers Mark and Dave Pekarske of Cato, along with Mark’s wife, Tammy, purchased the well-established Ellerman Glass in Manitowoc in September and are planning too cover the niche market in the area, while working to develop new aspects of the glass business as well.

“No job is too small,” said General Manager Brian Schermetzler, who has 23 years of experience in the glass business.

Ellerman Glass provides a wide range of services, including commercial, residential and auto glass repairs.  Schermetzler said there is an increased emphasis on custom shower doors, picture framing and framed mirrors as well, with the company maintaining its position as one of the leading providers in the area.

The business was started in 1951 and is at its fourth location in Manitowoc, 2507 Marshall St.

Whether it is replacement of all the window in a house or just a piece of glass for a 5-by-7 picture frame, Schermetzler said that one of the huge advantages to the shop is how versatile it is in the type of orders taken.

A lot of Ellerman’s work is thermal pane window replacement and Schermetzler is handling a lot of acrylic materials as well, more commonly referred to as Plexiglas.  The company prides itself on being able to offer a wide range of services, as well as being able to travel to anywhere in a 30-mile radius to perform a job.

“It’s a big market,” Mark Pekarske said, “Everyone’s got glass.”

Pekarske, who also owns, Pekarske Home Builders in Cato with his brother, said that he had come to the store in the past to purchase glass mirrors and saw it was a great opportunity when Fred Ellerman was looking to sell.  Talks went from there and Pekarske said the two companies make for a nice match and expect to work well together.

“It’s a perfect fit,” he said.

He said the companies will work together for project needs, like shower doors and mirrors, but his intent wasn’t necessarily to merge the two or even change the name.  Pekarske said that Ellerman Glass has its own well-established name, which carries some benefits, but the synergy with Pekarske Home Builders is an added bonus.

Additions to some aspects of the business are starting to turn out a little better than Pekarske had expected.  In what is considered to be a “down” time of year, Ellerman Glass is seeing an increase in business and is looking to add another employee earlier than expected.

Schermetzler said it’s a fairly big misconception that when a thermal pane window fogs up, the unit is bad and the whole window needs to be replaced.  But being able to fix something instead of a replacement is a common theme at Ellerman Glass.

He added that for picture frames, glass tabletops or even cabinet doors, a whole purchase is hardly ever needed and people find they can avoid a trip to the store to pick out something new.

Something else Schermetzler said he sees fairly often is glass breaking on farm equipment and they are able to drive out to the farm and handle the situation quickly without the farmer needing to go straight to the manufacturer.

“We want to be able to take care of everyone,” Pekarske said.

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