About Us
La Crosse Brush Works was established by George Wittenberg who started the business in his basement in 1926. His first brushes were hand made for local Industries. As the business grew it was first moved to his garage and then to an offsite property.
A partnership was formed with a brother, E.H. Wittenberg in 1946 and in1949, the business was incorporated as La Crosse Brush, Inc. Business was on the increase until the night of January 25, 1972, when the entire plant was destroyed by fire. The company records were able to be saved and the brush making machines were found to be repairable. A unanimous decision was made to continue business. Temporary quarters were rented until late 1972 when a 26,000 square foot block building was purchased along with 4 acres of ground. The company still is housed in this building.
In 1982, the company purchased Metal Tech Incorporated, which was renting space at the time and changed its name to MTI Mfg., Inc. This business was started in 1978 and has become a Precision Machine Shop specializing in the manufacturer of Hydraulic Valve Bodies and Manifolds. MTI Mfg. now employs over 20 employees and houses 12 CNC Machining Centers working two shifts.
The Wittenberg family ran the business until early 2000, the company was purchased by its current ownership.
In February 2006, the Company purchased the assets of Ridgeview Products LLC, La Crosse, WI. They were a manufacturer of Broom and Brush Products primarily for the Food Processing and Food Service Markets. The product lines use plastic blocks and color coded bristle material for hygienic applications. The machinery and inventory were moved to the La Crosse Brush Building at the time of purchase. Ridgeview’s name and logo are currently used as the brand name for our Food Industry brushes.
In May, 2007, the company purchased the assets of Excel Brush Works located in Prairie du Chien, WI. They were a manufacturer of Consumer and Industrial brooms and brushes since 1982. This put the company into the Retail Market that La Crosse Brush did very little of before this acquisition. The Inventory and machinery & equipment were eventually moved to La Crosse, WI. Excel’s name and logo are currently used as the brand name for our Retail brushes.
The addition of Ridgeview Products and Excel Brush Works has given La Crosse Brush the needed Increased Volume and Modern state of the art equipment which has reduced our piece cost and enables us to compete in the Broom and Brush Industry.
La Crosse Brush, Inc. has a reputation for high quality at reasonable prices and will continue to stride toward building on that reputation in the future.