By Signature Bank for Milwaukee Business Journal

Benz Metal Products, Inc. understands a thing or two about seizing opportunities to build new relationships. The 53-year-old Menomonee Falls company sparked one of its most meaningful partnerships while standing on the sidelines at a children's football game.

Back in 1972, Anthonie van der Kooy bought Benz Metal after selling his own metal fabrication facility. Now, Benz Metal is run by Anthonie’s three grandsons, Jake, Joe and Jason. The more than 50-person strong company specializes in fabrication, machining, cutting, welding and finishing of metal products for the food-processing, bottling, printing, machine-building and material-handling industries.

Benz Metal CEO Jake van der Kooy recently talked with Signature Bank’s Brad Kranich about how Benz Metal has evolved its business over three generations and what it looks for in its partners.

How does Benz Metal differentiate itself from others in the metal fabrication industry?

One of our big differentiators is our wide array of equipment and services allowing us to be a complete in-house supply chain, making us a one-stop shop for our customers’ metal fabrication needs. We also can do short-run and long-run production. Everything's done under one roof with us, so it reduces customers’ supply chain reach. The combination of these differentiators always keeps us quite competitive.

How does Benz Metal approach its partnerships with vendors?

We're always looking for strategic vendor relationships that allow us to change as our business ebbs and flows, and ones that will work on a custom policy for us. It'll often start out transactional, and if the transaction works, you delve deeper into the partnership.

How has Benz Metal evolved its business over time to meet technology and customer demands?

As the customers’ needs change, we change with them. We've made a commitment to grow with them. The technology shifts, too, are based on customer and workplace demands. That's where you see a lot of equipment and software upgrades. Artificial intelligence also has come into play on some tasks, which helps us get more throughput with the same headcount — whether for quoting projects or even programming machines.

After 50-plus years in business, Benz must have a solid sales team. What is Benz’s sales approach?

We’ve built our business without a dedicated sales team, relying instead on referrals. We take the approach of “sell the relationship, negotiate the order” mentality. So, the customer owns the relationship, not the salesperson — that's our motto.

With some businesses you might feel like, “I'm just a transaction.” Once a salesperson got their sale, I might never hear from them again. Our customers get to know our whole staff. Everyone on our team plays a role in the sales process in our customer relationships.

The recent nationwide shifts in the banking landscape have left some businesses and consumers wary. What has your relationship with banks been like throughout your 53-year history?

Prior to Signature Bank, Benz Metal had only changed banks twice in our history. We didn’t step into the decision to switch to Signature Bank lightly. We wanted to be sure we made the right choice for our business needs. Once we've established a trusted relationship, like we’ve done with Signature Bank, we don't change that relationship if everyone's doing their part.

What was Benz Metal looking for in a new bank?

Dealing with a bank can often feel purely transactional. Some banks talk about partnership, but at the end of the day, it’s usually just about the numbers.

We initially chose Wisconsin’s Signature Bank in 2023 to finance our facility expansion and new equipment purchases. We had outgrown our community bank, and we were drawn to Signature Bank’s industry expertise and relationship-based approach.

Signature Bank was the first to go beyond the figures — to truly see our story and invest in it. Of course, the numbers still had to make sense, but they also considered the bigger picture and different perspectives.

How did Benz Metal first get introduced to Signature Bank?

I first connected with Signature Bank through one of their bankers — our kids played on the same football team, and we started talking casually. Later, we ran into each other at a networking group, realized the connection, and continued our conversations. That friendship came first, which is one of the things I truly value about the bank. The professional relationship with Signature Bank came a couple of years later.

What has stood out to you about Signature Bank?

A game-changer for me was how stress-free it has been to work with Signature Bank. Sure, there are reports and numbers to go over, but so much of it is handled through real conversations rather than endless emails and text messages. There was no back-and-forth overload, just a straightforward, get-it-done approach. That efficiency has allowed me to focus on the business without unnecessary stress, which has been incredibly valuable.

Signature Bank also gives us complete control over our financial decisions, allowing us to invest in our business without unnecessary hurdles. With other banks, even a simple equipment purchase can feel like a dissertation. Signature Bank, though, trusts that we know what we need to grow. Their approach — investing in the family — is incredibly innovative.

Achieve your business vision with personalized commercial banking. Contact Brad Kranich at 414-539-5694 or bkranich@signaturebank.bank.

Bradley Kranich is senior vice president, division head – Commercial Banking for the Wisconsin Market for Signature Bank. Kranich brings 20+ years of experience in commercial banking and privately held industrial businesses. He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin, Graduate School of Banking.

Founded in 2006, Signature Bank is a privately held state-chartered bank in Illinois and Wisconsin. As a relationship-based commercial bank, we provide unmatched customer service while operating our business carefully and conservatively. Technology-driven and well-capitalized, Signature Bank is one of the fastest-growing independently owned business banks in the Midwest and has been named on American Banker’s list of "Best Banks to Work For" for seven consecutive years. Reach out to info@signaturebank.bank to learn more.