Meet Austin Simanson
About to celebrate his one year “workiversary,” Austin Simanson, has felt like part of the Fratco family since the moment he was hired last summer. He assumed he would feel like an outlier, like previous jobs he had, but little did he know, this job would be his dream job come true–not just because of the fulfilling work, but also because of the family-like culture and welcoming nature of his fellow employees.
Meet Stephen Cole
Starting out as a single guy working in the yard getting customers loaded, Stephen feels like Fratco has been there every step of his growth. He is married with two children and now carries the title of Plant Manager at the St. Anne, Illinois location. Stephen humbly accepted the position never thinking he would make it that far up in the company.
Meet Jerry Weiland
Fratco always has an eye on the horizon for what’s next, and one person on the front lines of the company’s careful expansion is Jerry Weiland: a Fratco sales rep of two years serving customers across the country from North Dakota to Texas.
Meet Steve Overmyer
When Steve Overmyer stepped into his leadership role in 1978, the company was still known by most as Francesville Drain Tile—named after the small Indiana town where the original facility still resides. For the duration of Steve’s near 30-year tenure, that location remained the company’s only facility. And while Steve’s down-to-earth leadership style, natural business acumen and focus on quality service set the stage for later expansion, his heart and focus always stayed rooted in his beloved hometown.
Meet Chris Overmyer
Many things about Chris Overmyer make him a unique CEO—both in the water management sector specifically and in the business world overall. Few companies, for example, can boast that their CEO is the fourth generation of family ownership. Nor do many companies have a CEO who’s also their head of engineering.
Meet Derek Overmyer
It’s a family tradition for Overmyers to begin their careers at Fratco in the same way as any other new employee, and Derek is no exception to that custom. After six months working on the line, he’s recently graduated to making custom-fabricated fittings for dual-wall pipe. After mastering that, he’ll likely move on to driving one of Fratco’s one-ton trucks.
Meet Jose Requena
In the four years since he started at Fratco, Jose Requeña has seen the pipe industry from three distinct perspectives. He first began at the plant in manufacturing, moved on to assisting with dispatch in the yard, then became an asset in the sales department. Now, his well-rounded experience in the Fratco supply chain allows him to serve customers’ needs on all fronts.
Meet John Danford
A lot can happen in 24 years —that’s enough time for a newborn to grow into adulthood, for technology to progress leaps and bounds or for an entire world order to be shaken up by changing norms and circumstances. In John Danford’s case, 24 years is more than enough time to become a respected and valuable member of the ever-growing Fratco family.
Meet Jade Crum
Meeting with customers, attending trade shows and working conventions have kept Jade Crum busy. With only a few months under his belt, Crum is acclimating to his new Fratco sales position by jumping in at full speed: an immersive way to introduce oneself to the four generation-strong company’s top-tier placement in the pipe industry.
Meet Brandon Herron
Coworkers that feel more like family than business associates are a common theme among Fratco employees. Brandon Herron echoes that sentiment, proudly serving as the Mount Pleasant location’s plant manager.