Remembering Edward F. Wozniak

It is our honor to reflect upon the life and times of an outstanding businessman, who was also a loving husband, father, friend, and mentor.

Edward Wozniak will be fondly remembered as an American original by family, friends and a host of others whom he met. Ed was a product of our country’s heartland. He was truly a self-made man, and he never forgot the hardships he overcame and the lessons they taught him.

Born into a steel worker’s family, he developed a lifelong passion for making and creating things. But while his father labored in the steel mills of Gary, Indiana, Ed worked the ore boats that sailed from Indiana’s harbors. Those adventurous roots spawned his vision to travel to the banks, the boardrooms, the water coolers, and the dinner tables of Chicago, and other great world cities, where he honed his skills in developing business relationships. He saw these relationships as the pathway to building something that would have a lasting effect on his world and the future of his growing family.

Ed learned from experience that relationships would always outlast stone and steel. He firmly believed that looking a person in the eye and listening to his stories and experiences was the foundation upon which you could build a company and a legacy…and build he did!

As a family and as a company, we will always remember what Ed taught us —

that genuine human relationships are the most important thing in life. Today we consider it an honor to follow in his footsteps, to do our very best to always be honest, compassionate and professional in our dealings with others. And most importantly, to remain humble.

So we say, “Thank you,” to this husband, father, brother, and friend for the good times we had with him and the stories and adventures we shared. We will never forget the lessons learned. We will go forward with the tools given and entrusted to us. We will not forget where we have been, where we grew up, and what we have heard and seen.

In his honor, we acknowledge our responsibility to pass on the learning we received, and carry the torch of his legacy to future business owners. May we never forget his encouragement to always think big, be generous, maintain your integrity, and most important of all – to always be present for our families, friends, and those we work with daily.

Thank you Ed!