Industry: Manufacturing
Led by: Kevin Ignacio, president
Headquarters: Marion
Number of Employees: 400
marionbody.com
Since launching as a blacksmith shop in 1905, Marion Body Works has become an industry leader in fire and emergency vehicles, aluminum cabs and commercial truck bodies.
That latter segment has become the manufacturer’s primary growth driver, says Cal Kanowitz, vice president of sales and marketing. “Marion will continue to be laser-focused on the commercial market space,” he says. “The transportation industry has a history of growth year over year.”
In 2022, Marion Body Works opened a second location in Shawano dedicated to its commercial line, allowing the company to expand its market presence and reach a new workforce, Kanowitz says. “Going from one to two locations brings about many challenges … Listening to our employees has been the most important thing we have gleaned through our growth.”
The company also is investing $3 million in automation at its Shawano plant and $6 million in fab equipment, he says. Now, finding skilled workers to accommodate growth is Marion’s biggest challenge.
“We want to make this the destination workplace … growth is hard if you don’t have the employee base to support the business,” Kanowitz says.
The Marion Body Works team is dedicated to community outreach, career fairs and a youth apprenticeship program to help build its workforce. In 2023, the company was named Manufacturer of the Year by the Shawano Country Chamber of Commerce.
