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Member, Beacon International Group, Ltd.
Published Sept. 17, 2007
By JERRY GEISEL
WAUKESHA, Wis.--From a modest beginning, Generac Power Systems Inc. has grown into a major manufacturer of commercial and residential standby generators.
Generac was incorporated in 1959 and began operations with a work force of five employees with manufacturing done out of a garage in Wales, Wis. In 1965, the company moved to Waukesha, Wis.
As demand burgeoned for backup generators to protect businesses and homeowners during power outages, Generac has grown to meet that demand, significantly increasing in size over the last few years. It currently has about 1,500 employees.
Corporate headquarters are in Waukesha, where it also has a 265,000-square-foot manufacturing facility. Additional manufacturing facilities are in two other Wisconsin communities--Eagle and Whitewater--while its newest manufacturing facility is in Maquoketa, Iowa.
In September 2006, affiliates of CCMP Capital Advisors L.L.C., a New York-based private equity firm, acquired Generac from Robert Kern, Generac's founder, and other Generac shareholders.