Chryspac

The Milwaukee Region’s proximity to Chicago, its large manufacturing sector and its available pool of non-skilled workers have proven to be the perfect ingredients for William Beckett to grow his business.

“The services we provide are hand-type work that you can’t automate or don’t want to automate,” he says of Chryspac, a contract packaging firm that provides packaging, light assembly, quality inspections, sorting and fulfillment services. “Milwaukee has a very large and underutilized low-skilled workforce that is ideal for our work.”

Since purchasing the Milwaukee business in 2001, Beckett has quadrupled the number of employees and opened a facility in Chicago. “Milwaukee’s central location allows us to serve customers in Wisconsin and northern Illinois, and its proximity to Chicago has helped us grow,” he says.

Milwaukee’s economic makeup has been important as well. “Manufacturers need the services we provide,” Beckett says. “Being in an area where there is a high percentage of manufacturing jobs has allowed us to expand our business.”