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Home > BizTimes Daily > Archives > January 29, 2009
TAPCO to move to Brown Deer
Published January 29, 2009 - BizTimes Daily
Traffic and Parking Control Co Inc. (TAPCO), an Elm Grove company that is benefiting from an increased desire for traffic safety and energy efficiency in the United States and internationally, is moving to larger headquarters in Brown Deer to accommodate business growth.
TAPCO is doubling its size in its new headquarters and expanding its workforce. The company is renovating a former printing plant at 5100 W. Brown Deer Road., where it expects to move into the 128,000-square-foot building in March.
"We need to give this company the space it needs to grow," said Richard "Rick" Bergholz, chief executive officer.
"We’re just jammed in here now," he added, referring to the TAPCO’s 57,000-square-foot existing facility in Elm Grove.
Berholz is the son of the late Raymond Bergholz, who founded the company in the basement of his Wauwatosa home in 1956. Demand for the company's traffic and parking control products has risen steadily since those early beginnings.
"However, it's not just a heightened concern for traffic safety that has fostered TAPCO's growth," according to John Kugel, president and co-owner of the company. "The growth also can be attributed to the company’s enterprising culture, to its early engagement with green, sustainable products and materials plus its recent entry into the federal government’s marketplace."
BlinkerSigns are perhaps the most noticeable TAPCO innovation.
"The solar-powered traffic signs incorporate LED technology to create a blinking sign that is much more visible than an unlit sign, thus increasing safety for both drivers and pedestrians," Bergholz said. "While the process was a long one to get the federal government and states to approve the signs, they are now widely seen as a preferred way to increase safety in a wide variety of traffic settings."
"Innovation is the No. 1 way to recession-proof yourself," said Andrew Bergholz, a company vice president who is Rick's son. "At the end of the day, what really matters though is that the products work. BlinkerSigns are a great example of innovation that responds to a real need and that works much better than traditional non-lighted signs."
The Wisconsin Department of Commerce, in cooperation with the Village of Brown Deer, helped the company secure a $5.1 million Industrial Revenue Bond allocation to help acquire the Brown Deer building.
The company anticipates its expansion project will lead to creation of 15 new jobs, on top of its current base of 120 employees. TAPCO will invest about $1 million to renovate the building, incorporating green, sustainable building practices as much as possible. Briohn Building Corp. of Brookfield is serving as the general contractor, working off architectural work by Philip Katz Project Development of Milwaukee.
