Jimmy Williams works on the “A” assembly line Tuesday in the Sherman & Reilly manufacturing plant on 33rd Street in Chattanooga.PROFILE• Name: Sherman & Reilly Inc.• Started: 1927• Factory site: 55,000 square feet on 13 acres• Employees: 110• 2012 sales projection: About $30 millionSource: Sherman & Reilly
Gerry Burchard, of Dayton, Tenn., has worked at Sherman & Reilly in Chattanooga for nine years.
His father had put in 48 years at the company before him, and now his son has hired on, marking the third generation to work for the business that makes equipment for the power installation industry.
At 85 years old, Chattanooga-based Sherman & Reilly is undergoing a transformation aimed at recharging the company, said Mike Dunn, its chairman and chief executive.
Dunn, who with a partner bought the business about two years ago from its longtime owners, said there was a big concern about what would be next for the venture and its workforce.