Uecker named Merillat manager

| Sunday, August 08, 2004

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RAPID CITY -- Two decades ago, Merillat Industries hired Jeffrey "Jeff" Uecker as a laborer at its Rapid City particleboard plant. Today, he is running the entire operation.

On Aug. 1, Uecker became the Rapid City plant's manager, succeeding longtime manager Richard Krull. Krull retired July 31.

Uecker was hired as a laborer nearly 20 years ago. He moved up to supervisor, department manager and now plant manager. Also, he recently earned a master's degree in technology management from South Dakota School of Mines & Technology.

"With Jeff's practical, hands-on experience, proven leadership ability and management skills, he presents a perfect fit for the plant manager position," company officials wrote in announcing Uecker's appointment.

The Rapid City plant - Merillat's largest manufacturing facility - employs 258 workers, including 24 managers and supervisors. It produces nearly 80 percent of the parts used by Merillat to assemble as many as 20,000 kitchen and bath cabinets per day. The parts are shipped to other Merillat assembly plants throughout the United States.

Krull, who until Uecker was the only manager the Rapid City plant ever had, retired after more than 40 years in the industry. He joined Merillat in 1982 to work on feasibility studies, design, construction and startup of the company's new particleboard plant in Rapid City. When the plant started up in 1983, Krull stayed on to manage its operations.

In his career, Krull has been responsible for construction and startup of five particleboard plants. He brought a number of innovations to the Rapid City facility, including a system that recycles 100 percent of the sander dust back into the particleboard. Previously, this dust was burned to fuel the boiler.

The Rapid City facility is actually two plants: a particleboard manufacturer and a large cut-to-size operation. Both run 24 hours a day. Merillat also contracted with D.B. Western to construct its Intermountain Adhesives plant next door to the Rapid City plant. Intermountain Adhesives supplies resin to the plant.

Based in Adrian, Mich., Merillat has been in business since 1946. With 11 manufacturing plants and 4,200 employees, it is a leading maker of kitchen and bath cabinetry.