HFI History

HFI History

By Bryan McCusker

1965

Walter L. Howler founds HFI, under the name of Custom Welding, as a part-time venture.

1967

The company becomes H & H Welding

1970

A company is renamed, Howler-Rice Welding

1972

Company name changed to "Howler Welding Inc." Walter learned quickly that service and quality are the keys required to build a solid foundation for a growing company. These business practices allowed his customers to request Howler Welding to expand into different aspects of the manufacturing industry. To conquer that challenge, Walter started researching the field of sheet metal fabrication. He hired experts and began expansion. Shortly after this expansion, he renamed the company Howler Fabrication & Welding, Inc.

1978

The '70s were a time for experimentation of all kinds - Howler Fabrication & Welding got into the spirit of the times by experimenting with some new logo designs!

1988

By the mid-1980s, Howler Fabrication had outgrown its building of 12,000 square feet located in Addison, Illinois.
In 1988, Walter relocated to a 30,000 square foot building located in West Chicago, Illinois. Most of the equipment was upgraded and the company name was changed to HFI.

1995

HFI again outgrew capacity and an additional 18,000 square feet were added to the West Chicago location, making it a total of 48,000 square feet for manufacturing.

2018

HFI undergoes a change in ownership. Under the management of Bryan McCusker, HFI updates its public image with new business presence and branding, moving forward into a new era as HFI Manufacturing, while still maintaining a strong connection to the company's deep-rooted history. Currently, HFI employs 58 people. The rate of turnover has been extremely low for the past decade and more than a third of the employees have been employed by HFI for 10 or more years. Many of these employees are cross-trained in different departments and can act as a backup.

HFI Celebrates Fifty years in business and looks forward to many more to come

Innovation in Stainless Steel Fabrication

HFI is a full-service sheet metal fabricator, specializing in stainless steel innovation for fifty years. Our 63,000 square foot facility is home to the latest and most updated fabrication and welding equipment built to service the restaurant, medical, telecommunications, display, and other sheet metal markets.

Our Mission

HFI is dedicated to making the highest quality parts from the prototype stage through production runs. We have prioritized and dedicated our quality department and software programs to provide customers with parts that meet their exact specifications and allow for complete traceability throughout the fabrication process at our facility.

We look forward to building a positive tradition of success with your organization.

Our Products

HFI currently makes parts for the Food Industry, Coffee and Drink Industry, Telecommunications, Temperature Control Solutions, Air Control, Energy, Medical, Display, Electronics, Cabinets, and other industries needing parts fabricated using stainless steel or other hot rolled materials. Some examples of fabricated parts include enclosures, chassis, tanks, brackets, cabinets, or other specialty items per blueprint.

Full-Service Metal Fabrication Near Chicago

We are a full-service metal fabricator with a 63,000 sq. ft. facility. Our niche is in the restaurant equipment, medical equipment, and telecommunications markets. We specialize in stainless steel but have experience in cold-roll, aluminum, galvanized, aluminized, copper, brass, and other hot-rolled products. Our specialty includes 14 to 22 gage materials, but we have capabilities up to ¼ inch. 

Abstract (Summary)

When an event occurs causing a change to the environment that is deemed excessive, individuals in that society will react. Distress or uneasiness can be formulated by fear, which can ignite conflict especially if that organization or society has previously experienced such behavior. Diagnosis of the organizational climate along with the emotions of the individuals in that society should determine whether the society has adequate capacity for change or whether the society will be resistant to change. This diagnosis also helps ensure that safety precautions are in place and a better understanding of conflict involving group dynamics and the psychological factors that relate to whole-system change. This study presents a theoretical and analytical framework for identifying demographics and traits pertaining to society after a vote from which most of that society’s population differed. Also presented our findings and suggestions for organization development opportunities to advance future positive change.

Bryan McCusker has over 20 years of experience in sales, marketing and consulting. He has been featured in the press in a number of articles. 

Please visit Bryan McCusker’s websites:

aboutbryanmccusker.com

bryanmccuskerinfo.com

bryanmccuskerblog.com