Historic Gunite factory to reopen as Rockford Brake Manufacturing after purchase by 4 former employees
150 jobs created, many from former workforce
By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — One of the city’s oldest manufacturing businesses will get new life after four former employees purchased the shuttered factory and restarted operations.
Gunite Corp., 302 Peoples Ave., closed in January while its parent company, Accuride, restructured under Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The closure led to 327 layoffs, according to a WARN layoff report filed with the state in November.
Now, four former employers are taking over ownership of the plant: Brandon Baumann, Mike Brandi Jr., Tim Davis and Scott Henderson.
It will reopen as Rockford Brake Manufacturing and produce Gunite Brake Drums. The goal is for operations to begin in November with some products shipped out to customers before the end of the year.
“When this plant closed in January hundreds of workers were laid off and the site was headed for liquidation,” Baumann said. “We refused to let that happen. We stepped up, secured funding and made it our mission to save the facility and reignite manufacturing pride in Rockford.”
Restarting operations will put 150 people back to work at the Rockford plant, which produces brake drums and other components for heavy-duty trucks, trailers, buses and other commercial vehicles. The average wage is expected to be about $77,000.
The new owners held a news conference Monday with the Greater Rockford Chamber of Commerce, Mayor Tom McNamara, state Sen. Steve Stadelman and state Rep. Maurice West to announce the plans to restart Gunite.
Restarting the company is a $6.6 million investment by Rockford Brake Manufacturing, according to the state Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.
“What you’ve done here is extraordinary and it’s inspiring,” said Angela Kay Larson, CEO of the Greater Rockford Chamber. “It’s what makes this region so special: It’s that grit, that determination, that tenacity, that belief that you can compete right here in Rockford with all the other manufacturers around the world and do it profitably and with really good jobs.”
Rockford Brake Manufacturing has already secured more than $10 million in commitments from major truck manufacturers for its product. The owners said new anti-dumping tariffs on brake drums and Section 232 tariffs on medium- and heavy-duty trucks helped create an opportunity for profitable U.S. production.
The reopening is expected to generate $370 million in economic activity for the region over the next five years.
“Our goal remains to preserve the legacy of this critical American facility while making strategic improvements to drive future growth and efficiency,” said Paul Wright, who will serve as the company’s CEO. “This acquisition represents a critical step in preserving an essential component of the domestic production in the trucking industry supply chain.”
Wright said it is one of the most vertically integrated foundries in the Midwest, with casting, machining and assembly operations all on one site. The plant is 619,000 square feet on a 41-acre campus.
“We’re also deeply committed to sustainability and the environment: 85% of our product is made from recycled material,” Wright said. “One hundred percent of our finished goods are recyclable by us right here.”
Byproducts from the foundry are also recycled by local municipalities and businesses as fill dirt, a deicer for roads and concrete.
“We’re bringing the trusted Gunite name — a brand known for its strength and reliability — back home to Rockford,” Wright said.
The state’s EDGE for Startups program is providing tax incentives to support the project. The program allows companies to reduce their payroll withholding taxes instead of their Illinois corporate income tax liability. That enables companies without corporate income tax liabilities to maximize tax incentives by reinvesting it into their expansion, according to the state.
“Here in Illinois, we strive to support our businesses and strengthen our communities through new economic opportunities – and that’s exactly what we’re doing in Rockford,” Gov. JB Pritzker said in a news release. “I’m proud to see this factory continue its legacy in manufacturing, all while supporting the area and promoting sustainability.”
The city advocated for the new ownership, including Mayor Tom McNamara calling the CEO of Accuride to push for the sale to go through. The mayor said there was a collaborative effort between the city, chamber, state and others to make sure the factory could be saved.
“It’s the story of resilience,” McNamara said. “It’s the story of four individuals who worked here for decades who just said, ‘There’s still something here.’ Not just for the world and manufacturing, but for the employees who called it home.”
The company was founded in 1854 by Duncan and Alexander Forbes as Eagle Foundry. The foundry moved to Peoples Avenue in 1906, and it stood as the oldest continuously operating manufacturing business in Rockford. The Gunite name was adopted in 1932, and the company has gone through a variety of ownership changes over its more than 170-year history.
The new ownership group had been working on buying the business since bankruptcy was announced in October. A purchase price was not disclosed.
Public records show the property was purchased by Gunite USA — an LLC for the new ownership group’s property holding — during bankruptcy liquidation for $100,000, according to an Oct. 21 transaction filed with the Winnebago County Clerk & Recorder’s Office.
When Accuride announced bankruptcy, Brandi said the workers shut down the machines with the belief that they would restart again soon. That proactive approach helped them hit the ground running as they reopen the facility.
“We didn’t want to see it end. We love this,” Brandi said. “There’s something in our blood that makes this the job we want to do. To get it back going and actually hiring these people who we’ve worked with for years – the feeling is ridiculous. It feels great.”
Many of the 150 employees will come from the former workforce, the owners said. The company could eventually grow its employment ranks beyond the initial 150.
“That’s a starting point,” Brandi said. “We have a very slow ramp of production expectations. We want to be the right size for that expectation. …
“I foresee more than that, but time will tell.”
About the owners
- Brandon Baumann, director of operations, worked at Gunite for three years before it closed. He will be the on-site lead at Rockford Brake Manufacturing.
- Scott Henderson, operations manager, worked his way up from the foundry floor to foundry manager. He has a family legacy with Gunite. His father and father-in-law each worked at the plant.
- Mike Brandi, engineering and IT manager, was part of the engineering group for 24 years at Gunite’s facilities in Illinois and Indiana.
- Tim Davis, superintendent, worked at the foundry for 26 years, starting as a material handler and advancing to the role of superintendent. Several of his family members have also worked at the plant.
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas
