HomeMy WebLinkAboutBill No. 22-47 General Stamping and Metal Works Special ResolutionSharon L. McBride
Pres id e nt
She il a N ie zgo d s ki
V ice Pres id e nt
C ume lh Le e
C hairpe rson, Commillee
of th e vVh o lc
Canne th Lee
Firs t Dis trict
H e nry D a vi s ,Jr.
Second Distric t
Sharo n L. M c Bride
Thir d Dis trict
Troy W ;m1 e r
Fo urth Di s tri ct
Eli W ax
FiliJ1 Dis tri<'L
She il a N iezgocl s ki
S ixth Dis t..r ict
Ka re n L. \Vhit e
AL Large
Rache l T omas M organ
AL La rge
Lo ri K H ama1m
At Large
City of South Bend
Common Council
1j.,1,l C o unty-C ity Building • 227 vV. J e ffe rson Bl\'Cl
So uth B e ll([, India na 4660 1
October 18, 2022
South Bend Common Council
4th Floor, County-City Building
South Bend, IN 46601
Filed in Clerk's Office
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CllY CLER K. SOUT r-i m:ND, IN
Re: A SPECIAL RESOLUTION OF THE COMMON COUNCIL
OF THE CITY OF SOUTH BEND, INDIANA CELEBRATING THE
ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF GENERAL STAMPING &
METALWORKS
Dear Council Members:
This year marks the 100th birthday of General Stamping & Metal~orks. Few
businesses are able to surviv e as long. Even fewer m anage to grow and
evolve to meet changing needs. This South Bend business has managed to do
both. I am therefore submitting this Special Resolution to celebrate General
Stamping & Metalworks 100th birthday.
Please file this special resolution and include it on the agenda for the Council
meeting on October 24 , 2022 , under "Special Business".
Thank you for your consideration.
Canneth Lee, South Bend Common Council
First District
(.'i7 0 2:-15 -932 I • Fax (57 (.) 2:-Vi-9 173 • T DD (57 (.) 235 -5567 • hLLp://www .souLhbe n d in.gO\'
Filed in Clerk's Office
BILL NO. 22-47 [ OCT 1 ~ 20;2 I
SPECIAL RESOLUTION NO. 4981-22 DAWN M. JONES
CITY CLERK, SOUTH BEND, IN
A SPECIAL RESOLUTION OF THE COMMON COUNCIL
OF THE CITY OF SOUTH BEND, INDIANA CELEBRATING THE ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF GENERAL
STAMPING & METALWORKS
~ it all began in 1923 , when H.P . Axelberg, the son of a Norwegian immigrant, recognized
opportunities with the growth of the Studebaker Organization and the University of Notre Dame; and
~ those opportunities included serving industrial sheet metal needs by designing and building paint
booths , dust collectors, and air handling systems for the Studebaker automotive plants and building ventilation
systems and metal roofing for Notre Dame, eventually including replacing the gold leaf on the iconic Golden
Dome ; and
~ originally named General Sheet Metal Works and located on South Main Street, the company
joined many other South Bend Industries in the early 20th century , including the Birdsell Manufacturing
Company, Bendix Corporation , Honeywell , South Bend Lathe Works , the O 'Brien Paint Corp., the South Bend
Toy Company , South Bend Range and the South Bend Watch Company as an important member of the South
Bend business community ; and
~ many industries suffered or failed during the Great Depression, GSMW was sustained by
municipal construction projects ; and
~ by the 1940's and the United States' entry into World War II , GSMW took on several projects
for Studebaker, as assembly lines were reconfigured to produce equipment for the war effort ; and
~ after the war, residential construction products boomed , creating new metal fabrication
opportunities; and
~ as these opportunities increased and demand for sheet metal contracting decreased , metal
fabrication became GSMW 's primary focus and it became the principal supplier to Wheel Horse Products ,
another strong South Bend Company; and
~ customer demand led to the building of a new , dedicated facility in Tomah, Wisconsin, to
simplify a major customer 's logistics; and
~ by 2010, the company 's rapid response in producing mounting infrastructure for the secondary
energy market led to significant expansion of its stamping, welding and assembly capacities; and
~ now known as General Stamping & Metalworks , the company employs over 250 people in South
Bend and approximately 70 in Tomah and is located in a new 190 ,000 square foot factory , strategically located
less than a mile from the Indiana Toll Road and U .S. Highway 31 ; and
~ much has changed over the past 100 years , but much has stayed the same with the company
continuing to be a valued member of the South Bend busines s community with an Axelberg (John) succeeding
his father , Jim , as the owner and operator of the family business.
Now, Therefore, be it resolved, by the Common Council of the City of South Bend, Indiana, as follows:
Section I. The South Bend Common Council congratulates General Stamping & Metalworks for its
growth and evolution over the past one hundred years.
Section II The South Bend Common Council thanks General Stamping & Metalworks for its
commitment to its workers and the South Bend community.
Section III. The Common Council looks forward to the next one hundred years with the company as a
valued business in the community.
Section IV. This Resolution shall be in full force and effect from and after its adoption by the Common
Council and approval by the Mayor.
Approved this 24th day of October 2022
Sharon McBride, President
South Bend Common Council
Sheila Niezgodski, 6th District Council
Member
Canneth Lee, 1st District Council Member
Karen L. White, At Large Council Member
Henry Davis, Jr., 2nd District Council Member
Lori K. Hamann, At Large Council Member
Troy Warner, 4th District Council Member
Rachel Tomas Morgan, At Large Council
Member
Eli Wax, 5th District Council Member