Efco in Monett acquired by Pella

August 30, 2007 10:16 pm

— By Joe Hadsall
jhadsall@joplinglobe.com
MONETT, Mo. — Employees of Efco Corp.’s plant in Monett will go into the Labor Day weekend confident that their jobs will be safe despite a transfer of corporate ownership.
Longtime owner Chris Fuldner sold the company, which manufactures commercial windows, to Pella Corp. for an undisclosed amount, it was announced Thursday. The plant is now a subsidiary of Pella Corp. and will be known as Efco, a Pella Company.
“We were interested in becoming a bigger player in the commercial market,” said Mel Haught, president and chief executive officer of Pella. “Efco is a terrific brand and has a similar community culture. This is a great marriage of two great companies.”
Pella intends to keep all 1,600 of Efco’s employees on the job. Public relations manager Kathy Krafka Harkema said employee benefits will remain unchanged, and no management personnel will be replaced.
“Everything is staying the same,” Harkema said. “Our goal is for business to continue uninterrupted through this transition.”
The company’s method of sales will not change either, Harkema said. The plant will continue to produce Efco-brand products for commercial enterprises and sold by independent retailers.
Employees started their shifts Thursday in informational meetings under a tent pitched across the street from Efco’s plant. They were told about the acquisition while being served ice cream and cold drinks.
Kenny Pryor, a manager who has worked for Efco for 20 years, said employees are looking forward to the transition but will miss the former owner.
“We’ll hate to see (Fuldner) retire,” he said. “But it’s a positive thing to go from one privately owned company to another.”
Pella is a family-owned, privately held company based in Pella, Iowa. It employs more than 9,000 people in 14 states.
It has acquired one of Monett’s top employers and businesses, said Suzy McElmurry, director of the Monett Chamber of Commerce.
“Efco has been a tremendous asset to Monett,” she said. “Its employees have been considered some of the leaders in the community. When the community has a need, Efco has come up with a solution.”
Efco is one of the chamber’s corporate sponsors, and employees have served on the chamber’s board of directors.
Before news of the sale was official, rumors had spread through the town of more than 7,000. One resident said Pella airplanes had been seen arriving regularly at Monett Municipal Airport.
McElmurry said the news of the acquisition was exciting.
“Everything I have heard about Pella has been positive,” she said. “I look forward to working with them.”
Pella has been recognized by Fortune magazine as one of the nation’s “100 Best Companies to Work For.” It also has earned the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Star Partner of the Year designation for manufacturing energy-efficient windows.
It manufactures windows, patio doors and entry-door systems sold through a sales network, which operates showrooms across the country.
The company also has service centers in Chicago and Vernon, Va.
Fuldner did not return calls requesting comment about the sale.


Efco windows

Efco has been manufacturing aluminum-frame windows for commercial enterprises since the 1970s. Its windows can be found at Bass Pro Shops, Monett High School, many McDonald’s restaurants and elsewhere.

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