Toolrite’s History
Toolrite Manufacturing Company, Inc. is a Wisconsin Corporation, established in May of 1967, by John and Bernhard Schreib. It was first housed at 3014 W. Cawker Place in Milwaukee, moved to 2465 S. 170th Street, New Berlin, in August of 1973 and has been located at 16400 W. Lincoln Avenue, New Berlin since January of 1987.
John and Bernhard were both born in Berlin, Germany and came to the United States with their parents in August of 1956. At that time, John was already a Master Tailor, having served an apprenticeship in Germany. Bernie was just 14 at the time and in fall of that year, began freshman classes at Milwaukee Lutheran High School. After graduation, Bernie decided to pursue his dream of becoming a Tool & Die Maker, following in the footsteps of his father. It was while Bernie was working as a Tool & Die Trainee that John decided that he too would begin to study the trade. Bernie began an apprenticeship at AAA Tool & Die and John was soon serving his there as well. The brothers had discussed the possibility of forming their own business one day, and with both of them in the trade, their dream started to develop.
In the early part of 1967, John and Bernie’s parents were planning a move, which was indirectly the thing that made the brothers decide it was time to strike out on their own. They had a small used lathe stored in the garage at their parent’s home and it had to go! So, it was that small incident that started things rolling.
From a small commercial area on the 2nd floor of a very old building, Toolrite has grown into a 57,000 square foot building. The facilities include offices, factory facilities, employee lunchroom, workout room, and racquetball court. The employees at Toolrite include Tool & Die Makers, Carbide Grinders, Machinists, Production Workers and Tool Designers. The services they offer include everything from designing a new machine to building it, carbide tools and the manufacturing of production pieces.
This is a family business and the 2nd generation is already stepping in to ensure that Toolrite continues to fulfill their motto “Our Product Displays our Pride”. It is apparent this is a family business, and we like to extend that family to include all of our employees. This is a company that does the best job possible for the customer, while providing an enjoyable environment for their employees.
JD & Connie Schreib
2nd Generation Owners