Tucked away in the far southwest corner of the Upper Peninsula is a small company, quietly making some of the best helicopters in the world for international clients--and it relies on the skilled and hard-working workforce found in the U.P. to do it.
Enstrom Helicopter Corporation, of Menominee, manufacturers and sells quality helicopters to every continent in the world, except Antarctica, says Dennis Martin, international sales and program manager for Enstrom.
Enstrom is one of a dozen manufacturers of light helicopters for individuals, the military, law enforcement and the like. It may be the smallest manufacturer of light helicopters, but also perhaps one of the best, according to Martin.
"When I go to trade shows I see that the finish and quality is better than most," says Martin.
Martin credits a skilled and dedicated workforce for the quality of the 20 to 30 helicopters churned out each year. The company employs more than 125 workers, including 10 engineers and several skilled workers: machinists, painters and mechanics. Martin says they've been fortunate to be able to acquire and keep such a skilled workforce. But it's more than their technical skills he appreciates.
"When we bring customers through the factory, many of them from large cities and foreign countries, the employees smile, look them in the eye. This just blows them away--it makes my job easier," he says with a chuckle.
Private individuals make up the bulk of Enstrom's helicopter sales. However, during recessionary times sales to individuals drop off, and the company targets groups like the military and law enforcement to pick up the slack. Martin says the market has picked up considerably for helicopters for training purposes lately. In fact, the market has picked up considerably for all helicopter sales.
"We can't build them fast enough," says Martin. This has caused an increase in recruiting the skilled workers they need at Enstrom over the last few years, drawing workers from all over the U.P. and Wisconsin to Menominee.
The Enstrom helicopter company has an interesting history. Rudy Enstrom, of Crystal Falls, was a mechanic at the local iron ore mines, with a dream of building a helicopter. Enstrom didn't have any prior experience building such an aircraft. Taking his cues from photographs, Enstrom realized his dream in the late 50s and patented three different designs that were used to build his helicopter.
In the early 60s, while Enstrom was out testing his craft at a nearby airport, business leaders over in Menominee were meeting to figure out what they could do to spark the local economy. Someone mentioned Enstrom and his helicopters and the idea was born to try to get a helicopter manufacturing plant off the ground. The business leaders canvassed the Upper Peninsula and other parts of the Midwest to see if they could sell stock in their visionary company.
By the late 60s, production was in full swing and their reputation was forming, such as in 1967, when one of their helicopters went to France for the Le Mans 24-hour race, one of the most famous motorsports race in the world.
More than 90 percent of the production of the helicopters takes place in the 85,000-square-foot facility located right in Menominee. And nearly all (99.9 percent, to be exact) of the components for the helicopters are made by American parts suppliers, making Enstrom Helicopters a true American success story.
Neil Moran is a copywriter and owner of Haylake Business Communications.
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