Office of the Chancellor

Visiting Wisconsin Manufacturing at Regal Beloit

By Chancellor BlankPosted on

There is a very good possibility that something in your home – from a hot water heater to your HVAC system – could have a part or motor manufactured by Regal Beloit. I recently got a chance to tour their Beloit facility with State Representative Mark Spreitzer and see first-hand how UW-Madison helps support their 1,800 Wisconsin employees.

From left to right: Nicholas Pasquarello, UW-Madison Office of Corporate Relations; State Rep. Mark Spreitzer; Jon Kaupla, Executive Director of the Center for Professional & Executive Development; Mark Gliebe, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer; UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank; Tom Valentyn, Vice President, General Counsel & Secretary; Tammy Randall, VP HR Corporate Learning.
From left to right: Nicholas Pasquarello, UW-Madison Office of Corporate Relations; State Rep. Mark Spreitzer; Jon Kaupla, Executive Director of the Center for Professional & Executive Development; Mark Gliebe, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer; UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank; Tom Valentyn, Vice President, General Counsel & Secretary; Tammy Randall, VP HR Corporate Learning.

Regal Beloit was founded in 1955 as a metal cutting tool company.  They have grown significantly through innovation and acquisitions and now have revenues in excess of $3.5 billion with about 24,000 employees worldwide. Their first location was a roller rink in Beloit and their global headquarters remains in Beloit today.

Innovation is key to Regal Beloit’s continued success.  They are building some really exciting low-energy, high-output motors.  Their partnership with the Wisconsin Electric Machines and Power Electronics Consortium (WEMPEC) supports technological advancements needed for future growth. WEMPEC, a research center here on the UW-Madison campus, does innovative research that forms the technology foundation for future products for our corporate partners like Regal Beloit. WEMPEC’s research consortium has 86 corporate sponsors that support students doing the high-quality, long-term research necessary for products 5-10 years away from being commercially available.

The executive and professional development programs at the Wisconsin School of Business are used extensively by Regal Beloit as well. Employees from their plants all over the world come to our campus for specialized training tailored to the needs of their company. We also bring experts to them for training on site when needed. It was nice to hear that their relationship with our business school helps provide the Regal Beloit team with tools and skills to help their customers be more productive, energy efficient, and competitive.

I also had a good discussion with the Regal Beloit leadership about securing the next generation of employees for their company.

We have strong graduates who they want to attract into their company.

I am confident we will continue to find additional collaborations in the years ahead to help make sure they have the engineers and other professionals they need. Many thanks to the team at Regal Beloit for hosting us.