Milco

In 1976, Wausau Metals purchased the operating assets of the Michigan-based Milco Specialties Inc. The Rochester/Mount Clemens-based company had gone through several changes in owners over the years, and some of those new owners butted heads with the local 1452 of the Carpenters Union, including a spirited strike in 1961.

^ Logo for Milco Specialties when it was located in Rochester, MN.

But with Apogee's purchase of Milco Specialties by Wausau Metals in 1976, the new owners decided to relocate the company to a new facility in the Wausau West Industrial Park.

^ Building at 7555 Stewart Ave, Wausau, was home to Milco facilities from the late 1970s to the mid 2000s. It has become home to the sheet metal fabrication company Southern Stretch Forming. 

While Wausau Metals had focused on the design and fabrication of window wall systems, Milco took over the production of sliding and double-hung windows, primarily for “commercial and monumental buildings.”

^ A graphic from an advertisement for Milco Acoustical Windows from late 1980s. On the subject of their acoustical window, the brochure notes, "The sounds of growth and progress aren't all so sweet. When noise from factories, airports, trains and traffic interfere with daily activities in businesses, schools and other institutions, it's time for Milco Acoustical Windows."

By the 1980s, one of the things that set Milco apart from its competition in the metal architectural windows was their expertise in engineering. Insulating glass had become a necessary feature for modern windows, and Milco windows incorporated many of these elements to increase energy efficiency. Additionally Milco developed a line of "acoustic" windows that were designed to further noise.

^ Part of an advertisement for Milco windows featuring the rigorous testing conducted for their products. The accompanying text urged the reader to call or write to learn about Milco windows, which were prided as being "built to be pleasantly uneventful."

In 1993, Milco was merged into its sister company, Wausau Metals, as part of a wider streamlining of Apogee in the early 1990s.