We produce custom springs and wireforms. We do not stock standard parts.
We produce custom springs and wireforms. We do not stock standard parts.
Ace Wire Spring & Form Co. CEO Linda Froehlich on finding family, passion, and purpose in springs.
Ace Wire Spring & Form Co. CEO Linda Froehlich reflects on the past, present, and future of their family business. Where it’s always SPRINGTIME!
By, Sara Scullin
Springs have always been a part of Linda Froehlich’s world.
Froehlich’s father, Joseph Vodvarka, started the business in 1939. Over the years, the attic shop moved to a 3-story building beside the home where they lived. A few years later, a larger building was built a few miles down the road. In 1976, Froehlich and her husband, Richard, purchased Ace from her father. In 1986 they built their 3rd building and moved to an industrial site in McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania, where it operates today out of a 55,000-square-foot facility. When Richard passed in March of 2022, Froehlich, with her son Ritch, continued moving the business forward. Recently her granddaughter Tresslyn and grandson RJ joined the company, after graduating from college.
Still today “A lot of buyers…. like dealing with family-owned companies,” she says. “They like knowing us and [working] with us because of our excellent reputation in the industry. I think that’s one of our niches. We’ve also been blessed with the greatest employees; many whom have been with us for 30, 40, 50 years.”
Froehlich’s always seen women at work. Her mother and grandmother supplied parts to Rockwell International while her father served in the Air Force as an airplane mechanic during World War II. Early on, two of her aunts worked in the office with her dad. They were a great inspiration to her. Froehlich herself started working at the company at the age of 14 by helped with filing and other tasks. As a young wife and mom, she continued working at the company.
Even back then, Froehlich says, to be a woman in the industry required extra coordination and tenacity.
“For a short time, my mom watched our son while we worked many long hours. Then when our daughter was born, 6 years later, we hired a full time Nanny who was great with the children.
“I don’t know how some [women] do it today. They [and their partners] drop the dog off in the morning at a doggie day care facility, then drop the kids off at day care or school, then they do it all in reverse after a long day at work. Not to mention driving them to practice, making dinner helping with homework and getting then ready for bed.
For a long time, it was uncommon to see a woman in a manufacturing leadership role, especially in a male dominated industry like ours. This has begun to change in the last ten or so years, and Froehlich says, “That’s a good thing.”
“I think it was an advantage for me to be in the industry, work trade shows and talk with engineers. A lot of times they would look at my Manufacture Rep and want to talk with them about our products or a design question they had, and [the rep] would say ‘Don’t ask me, ask her; she owns the company.’ But fortunately, that’s changing.”
Froehlich and her team stay at the forefront of innovation by keeping a diverse portfolio, investing in new technology and utilizing digital and social media platforms.
From early on she made it a point to learn about new technologies and different industries worth pursuing. She views industry conferences and organizations as invaluable sources of information and community, particularly at a time when many companies grapple with whether to sell, dissolve, or change course.
“You’re still trying to keep those connections in the search for new technology,” Froehlich says, “and do business with forward-thinking companies and vendors.” Plus, she’s made lifelong friends at organizations like the Springs Manufacturers Institute (SMI).
These days Ace’s biggest challenge is not keeping pace with technology but hiring and retaining employees. It’s a big reason why Froehlich takes an active role in bringing up the new generation of spring makers, like partnering with local trade and technical schools to educate students about a rewarding career in the spring manufacturing industry.
“A lot of people think of springs as a commodity,” she says, “But they are an integral part of whatever product [a company] makes.”
Looking ahead, Froehlich is excited to see the establishment of SMI’s first Women’s Business Committee. If you’re reading this article and work in a spring/wire form company, please reach out to us and get involved. We WANT to hear from you.
To fellow women in manufacturing, she offers this: “Be prepared to work a lot harder. And don’t give up.”
“It’s been my life,” Froehlich says of Ace, springs, and industry friends. “It’s been a rewarding and meaningful career, and you really can’t ask for more than that. You have to love what you do and have the passion to keep it going, and then pass that passion on to your family and your employees.”
"Where it’s always SPRINGTIME!"
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