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Leroy Wurst: The American Dream (Video)

Chelsea Dickens

Sat, 26 May 2018 18:07:27 EDT

Wurst was raised in the town of Berne where his father started Berne Enterprises Incorporated just north of, now, Pigeon.

Wurst stated, "I grew up there, and I loved going into the shop. I learned to weld. The way I got into the foundry was, back in the day, my dad made these thrash machines, and he converted them so that they could pick up the beans and thrash them. Then the big companies, John Deere International, they came out and he didn't have the money to go into that way so we went into tile ditching."

Much like his father, Leroy was very innovative. In creating Huron Castings he knew it was a worthy venture, though his wife was not so sure. They risked everything, their home and all, in order to make the company function. Parts were bought used and rebuilt and some machinery bought for its unique qualities, but his prospects for the company were not working initially.

He added, "We weren't successful at first, it took, probably, a year to figure out how to make steel. There was no help, so we kind of just figured it out on our own."

Leroy is not a college graduate. Most of his knowledge comes from learning on the job and reading books he could find on steel casting production. He spends much of his time in the pattern shop and works eight hours on the floor, doing work like anyone else. Though he has found, even with the work environment he created, there are not many people willing to do trade work.

"There's no passion to work, and it's one of the tougher things we are going through right now, " he said.

When asking him to explain what could be done to bring more of an interest into trade jobs he said, "not everyone can go to college, not everyone wants to go to college. If they go to trade school they can do as good or better than some college graduates."

Asking Leroy to explain his success in achieving the ideal "American Dream" was tough. There was no exact answer he could give.

"Sometimes you create your own luck, but you have to work at it...As long as you've got the desire and the ambition you can go from the bottom to the top."

A video of Leroy Wurst's interview can be viewed as part of the article.