Newark Wire Works Inc. manufactured the stainless steel mesh panels at the Williamsburg Bridge pedestrian walkway in New York.

President and CFO JoAnn Spellman and Executive Vice President JP Spellman review architectural plans.

Newark Wire Works Inc. is a three-generation, family-owned business. Initially formed in 1910, the company has been in operation for an impressive 109 years. JP Spellman and his father, Joe Spellman, both worked for the company’s previous owner. JP recalls his own entry into the business as a high school student: “I drove the truck, I painted, I was on a bench and wove mesh.”

In 1982, JP and his father purchased Newark Wire Works. The management staff consists of six members of the Spellman family: JP and his wife, JoAnn, along with their two sons, Michael and Christopher; and also JP and JoAnn’s son-in-law, Greg, and JoAnn’s sister, Dana.

The company specializes in manufacturing and installing woven and welded wire mesh products. These offerings include wire mesh partitions, stair enclosures, window guards and railing infill panels; stainless steel architectural mesh panels for buildings, garages and facades; tenant storage lockers; bicycle racks; aircraft wheel racks; and miscellaneous custom-fabricated metal products. JP says, “We take pride in our reputation for our ethical standards and the quality of our products and services.”

Skin in the Game

JP, who is Executive Vice President of the company, describes working with family as more upside than downside. “There’s a level of trust that, when you need someone to do something, it gets done and they get it right. The company is theirs, so they take pride in it. They have skin in the game. Most of our office staff have worked in the shop at some point, so they know what it takes to get it done,” he says.

Michael, the eldest of JP and JoAnn’s three children, is Vice President of Sales and joined the company in 2009. JP says, “He has an infectious personality that customers love. He redesigned and rebuilt the company’s website when other firms failed. He brought a new, younger perspective to the company and has been instrumental in its present success.”

Christopher, the couple’s younger son, started in 2013 as Project Manager, and in 2016, at age 27, took on the role of Plant Manager, following in the footsteps of his grandfather, John Emmerich, who served as Plant Manager from 1987 to 2005. During Christopher’s first month in this role, he boosted production by 20% with no increase in staff. JP says, “His hard work ethic is the key to our increased productivity and increases in sales.” The newest family member to join the team is son-in-law Greg Walker, who came on board after working for seven years in sales. He is a project manager, estimator and sales representative.

JP’s wife of 35 years, JoAnn, came on board in 1985 to fill in as bookkeeper—a temporary arrangement that quickly became permanent. Today, JoAnn is President and majority shareholder. She is also head of operations and CFO.

“JoAnn is the one person who is here every day, all day long. She is the center of our company and everything goes through her,” JP says. JoAnn’s sister, Dana, joined the company in 1998 as bookkeeper and Office Manager. “Her upbeat personality is the voice of Newark Wire Works. She keeps the office running smooth every day.”

A turning point for the company came in August 1997, when Papo, one of the company’s workers, was tragically shot outside of the company’s previous location in Newark, New Jersey. The Spellmans began working toward moving the business from the deteriorating neighborhood, where it had resided since its inception in 1910. In 1999, the company relocated to nearby Edison, where it has thrived with better efficiencies, more space and a better plant layout. Papo fully recovered and is still with the company today, advancing from helper to Shop Foreman. He has been with Newark Wire Works for 27 years.

Important Work for Major N.Y. Landmarks

Newark Wire Works is proud of its projects, many of which have been important improvements to major New York landmarks. It is currently manufacturing stainless vent and damper screens for the multibillion-dollar East Side Access subway tunnel project in New York City, which will connect Long Island and Manhattan to Grand Central Terminal, estimated to open in 2022. The company also manufactured the wire mesh safety screens around the top of Yankee Stadium, the stainless steel railing infill panels at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue subway terminal in Brooklyn, and the Williamsburg Bridge stainless steel wire mesh panels on the pedestrian walkway that extends from Brooklyn to Manhattan.

Much of the company’s work in the last decade has involved the construction of tenant storage cages for the basements of apartment buildings and condominiums. Building on this business, eight years ago the Spellmans began selling and installing bicycle storage racks as a complement to resident storage cage units. And several years ago, American Airlines approached the company with a dilemma over storage of spare tires for aircraft. JP designed a rack system for storage of the spare tires that is currently being used in airports all over the country.

JP describes his manufacturing staff’s skills by saying, “It’s a craft. It’s not something just anyone can walk in the door and do. It takes years to develop the skills to perform this work. Some of our guys have been with us for [more than 20] years. One of our recent retirees was with the company for 47 years.”

There are many other applications for the company’s work, including parking garage enclosures for employee safety and security and wire mesh stair enclosures for office buildings, educational institutions and assisted living facilities. While the majority of the company’s projects are in New York and New Jersey, it works with clients all over the United States, many of which include major airlines and large companies such as Merck, Verizon and AT&T.

Reputation and Relationships

JP attributes the company’s success to its reputation. The company has been recognized for its outstanding customer service, professional installation teams, and expedited shipping and installation of products. JP himself is known for his value engineering work and efforts to save customers money. “A lot of my work comes from customers who call and say ‘You’re an idea guy. How do we do this?’ I engineer a solution that ultimately ends up costing them less. In one instance I used similar specified materials but just fabricated them a bit differently, saving the customer $100,000.”

Newark Wire Works’ reputation has resulted in a large base of repeat customers. JP estimates that about 25% of its business comes from new customers by way of recommendation from others. He says, “We have a very loyal following. We don’t lose customers. We value them and they keep coming back. Our product is a specialized product that is not something you buy every day. Sometimes I won’t hear from a client for five or 10 years, but when they need something, they remember Newark Wire Works and call us.”

JP also served as President of the Woven Wire Products Association for eight years.

“I even have good relationships with competitors. I try to get along with people,” he says. “It’s healthy to exchange both good and bad experiences with customers and competitors. A lot of them share similar problems and give you fresh insight into working around the obstacles of everyday business operations.”

An Ever-Evolving Niche Market

JP describes his business as a niche market that is always evolving. When he and his dad took over in 1982, 50% of the business was with one customer, constructing wire partitions and window guards. But the economy was tough. “We’ve had to explore new markets by expanding our product line and expanding our geographic area that we service, specifically New York. Our first big job in New York was the restoration of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island back in 1985 to 1987,” he says.

Also, not a lot of others are doing what Newark Wire Works does. “We create a lot of custom and specialty work simply because no one else wants to do it. It’s just in our wheelhouse,” JP says. “The market keeps changing, and if you don’t perpetually evolve you will become a dinosaur. After completing 109 years of service to our customers, we look forward to the next 109 years and generations of Spellmans to serve them.”