Buechel Stone will celebrate the 20th anniversary of its Chilton Manufacturing Facility on September 19, marking two decades since an investment that transformed its manufacturing operations and improved the working environment for its employees.

To commemorate the milestone, Buechel Stone interviewed former owners Tim and Scott Buechel as well as some employees who have been with the company for more than 20 years for a celebratory video. Their stories revisit the decisions behind the facility, the changes it brought to daily work, and the pride they share in producing natural stone that becomes part of lasting buildings and landscapes.

The 62,000-square-foot facility represented the largest expansion in Buechel Stone’s history at the time. Before it opened in 2006, manufacturing activities were spread across multiple locations, requiring materials to move between quarries and processing areas. Bringing operations together helped employees coordinate production, streamline material handling, and train across different roles.

The expansion drew statewide attention. During a June 23, 2006, visit to Buechel Stone’s Chilton facility, Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle announced a $1 million Community Development Block Grant loan to support the manufacturing expansion. In the company’s September/October 2006 employee newsletter, Tim and Scott thanked employees for their work and dedication as the facility neared completion, acknowledging the effort required to adapt to changes across the business.

Twenty years later, those employees’ experiences are central to the anniversary story. The video captures memories of bringing teams together under one roof, the uncertainty surrounding a major investment, and the satisfaction of seeing the facility become an enduring part of the company.

The returning former owners also reflect on the familiar faces they still see and the care employees continue to take in their workplace. For longtime team members, that pride extends to the finished product. Lamont Martin, a 28 year employee with Buechel Stone and Rolling Rockstar Transit, shared, “My wife used to ask me, ‘Why do you like working there so much?’ One of the biggest things is after I’m long gone, 200 years down the line or something, this stone that I helped process, that I helped put on the pallet, that I cut is still probably going to be on a building somewhere.”