building construction trades

Malco Tools, one of the nation’s leading solution developers and manufacturers of a variety of high-quality tools for the HVAC and building construction trades, has been named a 2024 Minnesota Manufacturing Award winner from the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal.

For the second time since 2018, Malco has been named Manufacturer of the Year in the medium-sized business category. The awards celebrate the successes and contributions of leading manufacturers to the region’s economy.

Malco, which employs 150+ associates at its plant in Annandale, is a 100% employee-owned employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) company. Malco aims to be a destination company in central Minnesota and has made many significant positive changes to the business to achieve this goal, including setting new company core values and an internal “Look Good, Feel Good, Do Good” campaign to renovate workspaces, promote employee collaboration and wellbeing, and give back to the community.

Since its last Manufacturer of the Year award win, Malco has welcomed a new leadership team and strategic board members focused on driving measured and strategic growth, and strengthening the brand as it expands its product lines.

“Earning this recognition is such an honor, and an amazing way to celebrate the entire team’s work over the years to strengthen our internal culture, improve processes and bring in strategic experts to help guide our growth, all while maintaining our commitment to developing and manufacturing the highest quality tools for skilled trade pros,” said Rich Benninghoff, president and CEO at Malco. “We are immensely proud to once again be recognized among the leading manufacturers in the state of Minnesota who are doing fantastic work and promoting our local manufacturing industry.”

Malco is also a strong advocate for trade careers, donating significant quantities of in-kind products and apparel annually to national skilled trade education programs, competitions and events. Malco has also reached 85,000+ vocational students through its national “Head of the Class” Student Recognition Program, partnering with educators to recognize high-potential students and entire graduating classes in the trades.

Malco celebrates a safety-first culture, continuously maintaining its OSHA Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (MNSHARP) recognition since 2004, and earning the Minnesota Safety Council’s Governor’s Safety Award 13 times in the last 20 years.

Additionally, Malco is transitioning to environmentally-friendly recyclable packaging materials with significantly less plastic, reducing waste, conserving resources, and lessening its environmental impact.

Malco will be profiled in the July 19 issue of the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, and more information about the award can be found here.

For more information about Malco Tools, visit www.malcotools.com.

Malco Products, one of the nation’s leading solution developers and manufacturers of a variety of high-quality tools for the HVAC and building construction trades, announced that Zach Fellows of Ace Supply Company in Eden Prairie, Minn., won the company’s first-ever Counterperson of the Year Contest.

As Counterperson of the Year, Fellows exemplifies the same values that make Malco great: dedication to superior customer service and going above & beyond to ensure contractors have the Malco tools they need to get the job done. Fellows earned a prize of $500 cash, a Malco golf shirt and hat.

“In the realm of customer service, few shine as brightly as Zach Fellows,” said Michael Dungan, Fellows’ nominator. “His dedication, passion, and commitment to excellence are clear indicators that he is destined for a bright future.”

“We are proud to recognize Zach for providing excellent customer service and setting the bar high for our industry,” said Rebecca Talbot, vice president of marketing at Malco Products. “Zach’s proactive approach to serving contractors and promoting Malco’s high-quality products is well-deserving of our inaugural Counterperson of the Year title.”

For more information about Malco Products, visit www.malcoproducts.com.

Company expands its breadth of senior leadership experience to focus on critical areas of the business as part of company’s strategic plan 

Malco Products, one of the nation’s leading solution developers and manufacturers of a variety of high-quality tools for the HVAC and building construction trades, has announced several new leadership roles with the organization designed to support the company’s continued growth and to focus on critical areas of the business as part of its overall strategic plan. 

Malco has enjoyed a sharp increase (to nearly 13%) in annual growth since the start of this decade and has added several new strategic leaders throughout the company and at the board level to support and accelerate Malco’s continual development of products to serve current and new markets. The latest organizational leadership changes include: 

Scott Crane has been promoted from Executive Vice President of Finance and Strategy to Chief Strategy Officer (CSO). The CSO is a key leadership position responsible for developing and executing the company’s strategic initiatives and investment strategies. Crane will play a critical role in guiding the organization’s growth and ensuring its competitive advantage in the market. 

Mike Hemmesch has been promoted from Director of Business Intelligence to Chief Financial Officer (CFO), following the retirement of current CFO Carla Hinnenkamp, who has been with Malco for 10 years. In this role, Hemmesch will oversee the finance, accounting and technology/MIS teams and manage all aspects of the company’s financial and cash flow planning as well as guiding the company’s future growth initiatives.  

“As we look ahead to the growth plans we have outlined for Malco, we knew it was important to have the right people in the right seats to ensure that our teams are well-positioned for the future,” said Rich Benninghoff, Malco’s president and CEO. “Over the past several years, we’ve seen tremendous growth as we continue to offer innovative new products that serve our end users and have been very fortunate to have built a strong bench of talent within our organization. These organizational changes will allow us to further embrace our team’s experience, focus on critical areas of the business and provide even better support for the Malco team.”  

For more information about Malco Products, visit www.malcoproducts.com.