Get to know: Bryant Esch
Corporate sustainability manager, Waupaca Foundry
As a recent UW-Stevens Point grad armed with a degree in water resources, Bryant Esch got his first taste of manufacturing at a small plating facility in Racine. His first job post-college introduced him to the excitement and innovation of industry.
“It seemed like [manufacturing] was where the action was,” Esch says. “And the first time I ever walked into Waupaca Foundry I had the same feeling all over again, but times 10.”
That was in 1992. Esch has been leading the gray and ductile iron casting supplier’s energy and decarbonization efforts ever since. In honor of his substantial sustainability achievements over a 30-year career, Esch was recognized by The American Foundry Society with its 2024 Childress-Loebler Lifetime Achievement Award at its annual conference in October.
Esch is especially proud of Waupaca’s success in repurposing foundry byproducts, such as the sand used in the casting process. Today 80% of foundry sand and 74% of all foundry byproducts are beneficially reused. He also notes the company’s significant progress in energy efficiency, which is crucial given the energy demands of melting scrap metal at 2,700 degrees.
Waupaca has reduced its Scope 1 and Scope 2 energy intensity by 21% since 2010, as well as implemented energy conservation programs that include using foundry process waste heat for building and hot water heating.
“Waupaca has really prioritized being more energy efficient,” Esch says. “I’m really proud of a lot of the things that’ve been achieved here in being able to melt iron much more efficiently and working hard to be a benchmark for the industry.”
Collective action yields the greatest impact, Esch says; therefore, initiatives cannot be the responsibility of a lone sustainability manager.
“That person could be the Albert Einstein of the environmental field, but they can’t do it alone,” Esch says. “Making sustainability improvements really has to be integrated into all of the different aspects of the business.”
— Amelia Compton Wolff
Power up
We EmpowHER and the Wisconsin Herd announce the return of Wisconsin HER Day March 14 at Oshkosh Arena. This free event aims to empower Wisconsin women both personally and professionally. This year’s third annual event features two keynote presenters: Carbliss Co-founder Amanda Kroener and New Sage Strategies Founder and President Vicki Updike. Attendees can participate in panel discussions, breakout workshops and networking tailored to foster professional growth and personal empowerment. After the conclusion of HER Day programming, the Herd changes its name to the HER for one game in honor of women’s achievements. Visit weempowher.org for more details.
Cream of the crop
Galloway Company, the number one supplier of cream liqueur bases and sweetened condensed milk in the U.S., debuted its expanded Neenah production facility in January. Galloway specializes in producing unique formulations of condensed dairy blends and beverage bases. The $70 million, 41,000-square-foot expansion includes a second evaporator and nearly doubles the U.S. industrial sweetened condensed milk capacity. It will also allow the company to take on new customers for the first time in four years. The new system will enable greater customization of products, allowing the company to meet the needs of clients of all sizes — from full tanker trucks to smaller batches packaged in totes and 5-gallon pails. The company expects to add about 20 jobs over the next year to meet demand as a result of the expansion.
No check-out required
Consolidated Construction Company in Appleton was awarded the 2024 Project of the Year by Associated Builders and Contractors of Wisconsin. The North Dakota-based project is the Midwest’s first store to feature Amazon’s “Just Walk Out” technology. Designed and built by Consolidated Construction, the facility boasts 233 precision-placed cameras, a multi-payment entry system, modern restrooms, staff offices, storage, and temperature-controlled coolers and freezers. In the past, employees were hired to stand behind a checkout counter, but the new Minot store features technology to perform those mundane tasks. In addition to Project of the Year, the store also took home ABC Wisconsin’s Projects of Distinction Gold award.
