Jung retires from Trico

Don Jung will be retiring from Trico Mfg. Corp. of Pewaukee after 52 years of service. He will continue to serve as chairman of the board.
Don Jung’s father, Oscar, founded the company in 1917 and served as president until his sudden death in 1961. Don then stepped into the role of president at the age of 30. Two years after he had assumed leadership, he lost his sales manager, chief engineer and head of printing to unexpected deaths. Joyce and Don Heinrich, two board members at Trico, remember, “Can you imagine as a new president losing three key employees? Don was up to the job and there is no doubt that Trico needed his leadership in those difficult days.”
Jung said he welcomed the challenge of his new role; he subsequently grew the company 12-fold.
Tim Pearson, Trico’s facilities coordinator, recalls his early days at Trico: “What I remember most about Don was how impressed I was with all the innovative ideas he would come up with. Not only would he come up with new ideas, but he would also work right with you, side by side, getting his hands just as dirty as yours to see the project through.”
During his 52-year tenure at Trico, Jung developed a series of innovative products that have helped build Trico’s reputation as one of the key suppliers in the lubrication industry. Those include Spray Coolant Systems and patented Lubrication & Micro Dispensing products. One of the high points of Jung’s presidency came in 1980 when Trico moved from an old, outdated facility in Milwaukee to a newly constructed building in Pewaukee. The current state-of-the-art facility has 50,000 square feet, with 50 employees.
Born in 1931, Don Jung joined the Army Corps of Engineers in 1949 and was stationed in France. Before leaving, he proposed marriage to his girlfriend Carol. He didn’t have the ring at that time, but after Jung left for France he called his father to go over to Carol’s house with a selection of rings for her to choose from. Don and Carol were married on June 5, 1954 and have two children, Bob Jung and Karen Fredrickson.
Bob Jung recalls some of the influences he learned from his dad. “He would take me out of class sometimes when I was in high school to go along with him to trade shows. He instilled in me his philosophy of hard work and hands-on management.” Don Jung’s style of management was not just telling people what to do but also showing them and explaining the reasons why underlying design decisions were made. Lessons of diplomacy and engineering savvy, learned from his father, now come into play as Bob has assumed the role of president.
When not serving as chairman of the board, Don will be spending time hunting, fishing, working his farm and enjoying his grandchildren.
Trico Manufacturing, Corp. markets lubrication solutions for industrial equipment.
July 20, 2001 Small Business Times, Milwaukee