At Edmunds Metal Works, ‘Made in America’ is workplace ethic
By James A. Jones Jr.
January 07, 2018 08:30 AM
Updated January 07, 2018 08:30 AM
Manatee
If not for the 18-foot statue of a woman in a bright red, white and blue bikini standing out front, Edmunds Metal Works would be one of those businesses that drivers pass without much notice.
Even with the statue, Edmunds Metal Works, 6111 15th St. E. in Bradenton, fits right into its blue-collar, working-class neighborhood.
The fiberglass statue, an iconic roadside advertising sign from the 1950s known as Miss Uniroyal, gives little hint of the business inside
Tom Edmunds started his business in his backyard 40 years ago with $2,500 of working capital, accepting whatever jobs he could find, including welding, fabricating and manufacturing.
Tom Edmunds stands with Miss Uniroyal in front of Edmunds Metal Works at 6111 15th St. E. The company is marking its 40th year in the Bradenton area.
James A. Jones Jr. jajones1@bradenton.com
“I started out doing a lot of stick welding for boat companies,” he said. “I grew up in an Ohio steel town and liked working with metal. I went back to school on the G.I. Bill to learn the trade.”
Over the years, Edmunds and his son, Matt, and daughter-in-law, Nina, grew the business into a manufacturing company employing 29 workers on four acres in 45,000 square feet of space.
Today, the company manufactures cab enclosures, food service boxes, housekeeping/room service boxes, tool/ammo boxes and van boxes.
Those are Edmunds Metal Works’ bread and butter.
This is American made. That’s what we’re all about.
Tom Edmunds, of Edmunds Metal Works
“We are a sheet-metal fabricating company. We make after-market accessory attachments for the utility vehicle industry,” Edmunds said.
But the company also makes or has made a staggering array of other products: information signs for Lakewood Ranch, oil tank reservoirs for big engines, patio furniture, metal pizza delivery boxes, structural pieces, metal staircases, copper street lights and more.
Donnie Gorse, shop foreman, left, talks about a project at Edmunds Metal Works with Matt Edmunds. Edmunds is the second generation of his family to lead the company.
James A. Jones Jr. jajones1@bradenton.com
Among its clients are Crunch Fitness, Fit2Run, Yamaha Golf Carts, Feld Entertainment, Tropitone Outdoor Patio Furniture, Club Car, Cushman and EZGO.
A few years ago, Edmunds turned over operation and management of the company to Matt and Nina Edmunds, but he still spends a lot of time on the property. Particularly in the quonset hut that he calls his man cave and where he works on his vintage cars, such as a 1929 Model A Ford and a 1932 Ford.
“Matt and Nina have done a spectacular job,” Tom Edmunds said of the new generation now running the company.
A measure of the company’s success is that it is bursting at the seams, Matt Edmunds said.
A worker prepares patio table tops at Edmunds Metal Works. The company manufactures a wide variety of metal products.
James A. Jones Jr. jajones1@bradenton.com
“I have been working with my dad for 20 years through a lot of ups and downs. The last four years have been all up,” Matt Edmunds said.
While he wants to keep it a family business, he says he could use another 20,000 square feet of space and more skilled workers.
“Do we take that leap of faith?” he asks.
Recent leaps of faith, such as adding $500,000 of forklifts and new manufacturing equipment, paid off, and the company was able to pay bonuses to all of its staff, Matt Edmunds said.
Matt Edmunds, left, stands with his father Tom Edmunds at Edmunds Metal Works. The company has been in business 40 years in the Bradenton area.
James A. Jones Jr. jajones1@bradenton.com
The company is both old school and cutting edge in what it tackles, Matt Edmunds said.
“This is American made. That’s what we’re all about,” Tom Edmunds said.
The same might also go for Miss Uniroyal, originally designed in the 1950s for the tire company.
A worker stamps out brass components for engine oil reservoirs at Edmunds Metal Works. The company manufactures a wide variety of products.
James A. Jones Jr. jajones1@bradenton.com
Tom Edmunds lowered his Miss Uniroyal statue to the ground with the approach of Hurricane Irma in September to keep her out of harm’s way.
Noting that she and her polka dot bikini were faded by the Florida sun after standing in front of his business for more than two decades, he had her restored and repainted in patriotic colors.
A Vietnam War-era Air Force veteran, Edmunds wanted Miss Uniroyal to serve as a salute to veterans, and a not-so-subtle reminder that at Edmunds Metal Works, “Made in America” is more than a relic of the past.
For more information about the company, visit edmundsmetal.com.
edmundsmetal.com.
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