Dreams are easier to achieve when you start working on them. In the entrepreneurial world, every startup or small business dreams of becoming a giant in their industry. However, few make it to the top having been through the rigorous, grinding journey that they must undertake to prove their mettle.
In 1957, John Polacek Sr. started Johnny’s Welding in the back of his pick-up truck in Johnstown, Pennsylvania to make ends meet for his family. In 1987, after acquiring his father’s welding business, William Polacek expanded the company to a two-car garage and named it Johnstown Welding and Fabrication. What started in a two-car garage has quickly expanded into manufacturing products for ground mobility, armor cabs, mobile radar, dirigible launchers, renewable energy, power generation, hydro-electric, oil and gas, nuclear energy, chemical industry, construction, transportation, airline, and rail industries.
Years of diversification led to a company name change, JWF Industries, to better reflect its current diverse capabilities. JWF’s capabilities now include fabricating, welding, machining, coating, processing, assembly, engineering, and project management.
The Company
JWF Industries (JWFI) is a leading provider of innovative, high-quality metal-centric products and solutions. With over 1.2 million square feet of manufacturing space and decades of experience, JWF Industries excels in serving diverse industries such as defense, energy, transportation, and commercial sectors.
As of 2022, JWFI has become the first company in the western Pennsylvania region to fully manufacture a vehicle within its four walls after expanding its manufacturing relationship with Flyer Defense. Its comprehensive capabilities include precision machining, welding, material processing, and advanced coatings, ensuring top-notch quality and durability in every product. JWFI is committed to delivering efficient, tailored solutions through vertical integration and robust project management.
Guided by core values of faith, family, and country, JWFI prioritizes the success of its team, customers, and community. Its dedication to safety, quality, and timely delivery has earned them recognition as a top-rated supplier and employer.
The company now employs over 400 local residents and has annual operating sales of over $120 million with over 1.2 million square feet of manufacturing space in three locations in Pennsylvania, as well as locations in Baltimore, Maryland, and Edenton, North Carolina. JWFI has been named a Top 100 Organization by PA Business Central for eleven consecutive years, and Polacek named one of the Top 100 Business People for thirteen years. JWFI was named Best Place to Work in PA in 2023 and also featured in Forbes Magazine. Won Western PA’s Smart 50 Award – Sustainability. PA Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Governor’s ImPACt Award two years in a row.
Maintaining Stability and Achieving Growth
JWF Industries (JWFI) is a Tier 1 supplier to defense companies, mass transit, rail car manufacturers, and wind energy companies that have a high level of integration that brings their customers to JWFI’s facilities which in turn integrates them with their customers so they have a high level of confidence of what JWFI does for its customers.
For a continually diversified portfolio, the company watches the defense’s overall federal budget with transportation and follows where money is going as well as market conditions. Most customers are publicly traded. They read the tea leaves on where they are going.
Their product lines in Oil and Gas, chemical, airline, highway transportation, metro-rail car industry, and coal industry –just to name a few. William likes to think of it as an 8-cylinder engine that pops at different times and helps the company control its own destiny. They sub-contract so if the economy retracts even further within that diversified market, they bring that business in.
“We have what we call a “GYRO” which is “Green” means we have the purchase order and contract; “Yellow” means we have a letter of intent and an order if imminent; “Red” means programs we bid; and “Orange” means our customers feel confident they are going to get the order and if they get it, we get it. We add those values on a monthly basis, going out two years and that tells us well ahead of time where we see a slow up and if we have to push bid jobs to fruition or if we don’t have enough capacity so that we can level-load projects,” explains William.
The Visionary Leader
William established the company with a vision to create local jobs and drive economic growth. Under his leadership, JWF Industries has grown into a multi-million-dollar enterprise with over 1.2 million square feet of manufacturing space and a diverse clientele.
His journey began with a two-year degree in welding technology, and he has since become a lifelong learner, attending numerous seminars and classes on continuous flow production methods, finance, and best business practices. In 2009, he received an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from St. Francis College in Loretto, PA. His commitment to innovation and excellence has earned him recognition as a 2022 Pittsburgh Smart 50 Honoree, celebrating his ability to lead a successful organization and positively impact the community. In 2016, Mr. William Polacek received the Chapel of the Four Chaplains “Humanitarian Award” of the Legion of Honor.
Known for his strategic vision and dedication to his team, William has built JWF Industries by fostering a culture of growth and development, promoting skilled workers and leaders from within. His leadership style emphasizes curiosity, continuous improvement, and building strong relationships with customers and suppliers.
In a career spanning over 4 decades, William has seen the market and workforce ethics undergo a change. The good difference he observes is that a more sophisticated workforce understands and embraces technology. On the other hand, it has become harder to get blue-collar workers who are willing to do whatever it takes to satisfy the customer. William highly values his employees and considers them the backbone of JWF Industries. His leadership style is centered around creating a supportive and innovative environment where employees can thrive and contribute to the company’s goals. He encourages his team to constantly seek better ways to do their work.
Making an Impact
As the founding member and chairman of Johnstown’s “Vision Together 2025” initiative, William envisions a holistic renewal of the Greater Johnstown area. His strategy focuses on making small, strategic investments in the community to spark renewed hope and commitment. Bill believes that these efforts will help stabilize and rebuild Johnstown as a desirable place to raise a family and offer family-sustaining jobs.
Through the initiative, William hopes to stop the 100-year population loss. “Our City went from near-bankruptcy to seven years in the black. We were transforming from a steel mill town into outdoor recreation activities 220 days a year. We are redoing Main Street as a stroll district,” he says.
The initiative is built on an open, collaborative, and community-driven approach, aiming to address various aspects of community development. This includes mentoring and investing in youth, developing current and future leaders, improving health and wellness, modernizing infrastructure, remediating blight, leveraging natural resources, recruiting and retaining businesses, marketing Johnstown, and improving governance.
William emphasizes the importance of community involvement, encouraging residents to contribute their skills, knowledge, and experience to the initiative. He believes that through small, steady successes, the community can build a new economy and improve the quality of life in Johnstown.
“The University of Pittsburgh is locating classes and has created an entrepreneur eco-system that works with colleges, vo-techs, and high schools. Also, we aim to add local businesses to keep our children and grandchildren local and attract people back to Johnstown or attract new folks to our town because of the low cost of living, no traffic, and a scenic mountain town. We cleaned up the rivers connected to the 911 Trail, cleaned up the blight, and developed housing in the downtown area,” shares William Polacek.
Leveraging Technology
JWF Industries is protecting its and its clients’ information with a highly advanced cybersecurity system. Additionally, they have a rapid prototype team to reduce design cycle times. They use the Paperless Parts software system to generate quotes that previously took three weeks, now take about three hours. By creating opportunities and utilizing AI, they speed up the estimating process and create transparency in production with metrics that analyze the functional manufacturing times and efficiency of 50 major machines.
A Conducive Work Environment
In 2023, JWF was named as one of the best places to work. The mantra behind this success, explains William, is very simple –they promote from within first mentality. The company engages its employees and helps find solutions. They maintain transparency and always show the employees the metrics they need to achieve. They are an open book company so employees see the financials so that all can be part of solutions and JWFI pays through Profit Sharing.
“We have in-house welding and machining apprenticeships. Our Succession Plan builds any and all employees up. We have a tuition reimbursement plan for each employee to further their education of $5,000 per year,” shares William Polacek.
As JWFI successfully integrates new markets, the company has taken advantage of the opportunity to significantly increase its level of onboarding for new hires – providing jobs for even more local residents. Additionally, the company has made it a point to successfully promote from within the company as a strategy to become the Employer of Choice in the region – empowering those who have already committed their efforts to expanding the JWFamily and the company as a whole. They were even featured as the cover story on the national magazine The Fabricator for their five-step process for hiring employees.
For the company, inclusion has always been a part of its culture and that helps foster an innovative workforce that makes everyone successful. They have metrics at each station that gives automatic feedback so we deal in data and that takes the emotions out of the equation.
Plans Ahead
Looking at the future trends in the industry, William observes that customers want more innovation for improving their product, getting new projects off the ground, lowering costs, and doing business with companies like JWFI that are large enough and sophisticated enough to meet the rigid requirements and small enough to be nimble and creative.
“Our future plans for JWFI include becoming NAVSEA qualified and achieving self-funded growth. We aim to fortify the next generation of leadership and continually move up the food chain in turn-key manufacturing. We are committed to maintaining world-class manufacturing facilities and embracing AI technology to run a smart factory. This approach will allow us to develop capable people while staying competitive in a diversified marketplace,” concludes William Polacek.
Quote: “The first step in every major decision I make is to pray about it, which leads to my values that are founded by my faith.”
Quote: “Good things may come to those who wait, but only what is left from those who hustle.” – Abraham Lincoln
Quote: “My mantra is “In God We Trust – Everyone Else Bring Data.”
Quote: “I work out in the middle of the day and that makes me feel like the day is half a day. I have the ability to compartmentalize and don’t sweat the small stuff! This helps me balance life with the things I like to do – personally, business, family, and faith.”
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