Joliet vault company employs 4 generations of family

At 13, many kids are concentrating on schoolwork and fun with their friends.

At 13, Robert Knauer of Shorewood was coordinating graveside services.

“I’d get dropped off with the equipment and the casket and perform the whole service,” Robert said. “And then I’d get picked back up.”

Today, Robert still is working for Knauer Industries, a burial vault manufacturing plant in Joliet that employs four generations of family. Robert said it’s the only place he’s ever worked and he’s thankful for it.

“We take a lot of pride in making sure everything is good for the customer,” Robert said. “[The burial] is the very last thing you do for your loved one and you don’t want anything going wrong.”

A cousin bought the one-man operation in 1952, when the company was several years old. Twenty years later, the cousin offered the company to Conrad Knauer Sr. – Robert’s father, who yearned to own a family business – because the cousin wanted to move to Florida, Robert said.

When the offer came, Conrad said he was six months away from a pension. Stick it out at Chicago Gravel Company or mortgage his house for the dream?

“I walked out the door,” Conrad said of the gravel company.

A family legacy

Today, of the 30 full-time employees at Knauer Industries, eight are family members, said Chrissy Knauer-Fisk of Joliet, who also works for the business. They include two of Conrad’s three sons, as well as two granddaughters, one grandson, two grandsons-in-law and one great-grandson, she added.

Family who are employees are Conrad Knauer Jr., of Wilmington; Josh Fisk, of Joliet; Nick Rudman, of Joliet; Robert C. Knauer, of Plainfield, and Tammy Smith, of Channahon.

One son, Louis Knauer of Arizona, recently retired, Robert said. But it’s not just family dedicated to the company: Many employees have worked at Knauer Industries for 30 years.

In the company’s early years, Conrad’s mother, Lucille Knauer (deceased), also was an employee.

“Even my mother [Arlene] worked there for 10 years doing anything that needed to be done, from paperwork to pouring concrete,” Robert said.

Robert said Knauer Industries makes every component of the vaults, including mixing the concrete. The only difference today from when the family bought the business is that the process is computerized. Another modern feature is personalized vaults, which are done after the vaults are sprayed with water repellent.

“We paint it the color the customer chooses: gold, copper, silver, blue, pink, white – any color,” Robert said. “We’ve painted vaults in Bears colors and the Cubs colors; John Deere green is popular because the farmers have John Deere tractors.”

Robert said Knauer Industries manufactures two brands of vaults. One is Trigard and the other is Wilbert. Knauer Industries also produces cultured marble urns, he added.

Chrissy, Robert’s daughter, who previously worked in child development, joined Knauer Industries two years ago when the company had an opening in the sales department. She’s thrilled to be part of it.

“Everything I’ve ever achieved and accomplished has come from the hard work of my father and grandfather,” Chrissy said. “I’m proud to be involved in the business. It’s my way of paying them back.”

Customers first

Although Knauer Industries is customer-driven, employees never interact with the customers; they sell only to funeral homes, Robert said.

Nevertheless, customer satisfaction is the main priority, even though the vault company never gets the credit.

“I always tell the guys: ‘If you do a good job or a bad job, it’s a reflection on the funeral home,’” Robert said. “The family doesn’t know us. We never meet with the family directly.”

Robert said he’s worked holidays, evenings and weekends to ensure products are ready when needed, because that need is unpredictable.

“Our customers tell us when and where to be,” Robert said. “We never say, ‘Oh, we can’t do it on that day.’ We get the order and we’re there.”

At 82, Conrad is on the job every day, gets dirty with the guys (“There’s nobody here with suits on,” Conrad said) and continually seeks ways to remain competitive and profitable.

“If you sit still, everybody passes you by,” Conrad said. “We’re not a company that sits still. We’re always doing something.”