Sur-Seal® is a second generation family owned business with a rich history. Edward Wilz started the business in 1965 while he was a college Professor at Xavier University and created the business model with two students.
The model was a very customer focused gasket manufacturing business to support the maintenance side of the thriving manufacturing base in Cincinnati. During the 1960’s and 1970’s the company experienced tremendous growth and began expanding our product range and service area. The 1970’s were also when Edward’s son, Marty, joined the company.
The 1980’s were a very transitional period for Sur-Seal®, the company expanded its capabilities to include molded & machined components as well as domestic sourcing to meet customer needs. As well as expanding to meet customer demand, opening new facilities in Cincinnati and Louisville, Kentucky.
Edward Wilz took over as President of Sur-Seal® in 1984, and it was in the 1980’s that his sons Jim and Mick joined the company. Two of the original partners transitioned out of Sur-Seal® in the 1980’s and 1990’s and by 1992 the Wilz family finished buying out the other two original owners.
The Wilz Family formulated a strategic plan to move Sur-Seal® from a local supplier to a high quality regional supplier focused on the OEM markets. The company became ISO Certified, invested in modern manufacturing methods and consolidated the Cincinnati and Louisville facilities to a 80,000 square foot facility in Green Township, just west of downtown Cincinnati, all in 1991.
The plan fueled quadruple growth during the 1990’s as Sur-Seal® landed contracts with several large publically traded companies in the HVAC, Lighting, Food and Medical markets. It was our knowledge of materials and design that fueled the growth. We had transitioned to a leading provider of highly engineered solutions in Rubber and Plastics.
During the first decade of the new millennia Sur-Seal® intensified its focus on customer satisfaction and reduced its customer base to better align with the company’s strengths and core markets. This truly started Sur-Seal®’s world class journey. The transition has continued as the company has expanded its engineering solutions capabilities; Sur-Seal® now sources and supplies products globally. Sur-Seal® has become a “Proven Productivity Partners®” to its customers.