Peterson Industries Purchases Brenner Tank

Oct. 1, 2001
Brenner Tank Inc, a Fond du Lac WI-based manufacturer of transportation tank trailers, has been purchased by Peterson Industries LLC of Sturgeon Bay WI.

Brenner Tank Inc, a Fond du Lac WI-based manufacturer of transportation tank trailers, has been purchased by Peterson Industries LLC of Sturgeon Bay WI. The company will conduct business under these new names: Brenner Tank LLC and Brenner Tank Services LLC.

David Brenner, chairman of Brenner Tank, and his brothers Ted Brenner Jr and John Brenner, who had served on the board of directors of Brenner, plan to retire. They have been active in the company since the late 1950s.

Bruce Wadman was recently promoted to president and chief executive officer from his previous position as executive vice-president and general manager at Brenner. Wadman will continue as president under the new ownership.

The rest of Brenner's management team will continue in their positions, including: Thomas Ballon, vice-president of manufacturing; Jeff Bucher, vice-president of purchasing; John Cannon, vice-president of engineering; Oscar Reyes, director — human resources; and Joe Collien, director of trailer sales. Bill Stone will continue as president of Houston TX-based Brenner Tank Services.

Brenner Tank was founded in 1900 as the Jacob Brenner Co. Today the company employs more than 300 people, operating facilities in Fond du Lac, Houston, Mauston WI, Memphis TN, and Ashland KY.

Peterson Builders Inc, founded in Sturgeon Bay in 1933, owns Peterson Industries. For much of its history, the company's core business was producing military vessels for the United States Navy and Army, until the 1990s, when consolidation in the industry made the shipbuilding business less attractive and the shipbuilding portion of the business was closed. Since then Peterson has focused its attention on its real estate business, and more recently on the acquisition of companies like Brenner.