Third Fastest Growing Private Company in NH: Wakefield-Vette

Three-Year Avg. Growth: 55%

Rank on Private 100: 22

Headquarters: 33 Bridge St., Pelham

Product/Service: Designs and manufactures thermal management products and aluminum extrusion

President/CEO: Kevin Kreger

Founded: 1957

Total Number of Employees: 1,041

Website: www.wakefield.com, www.vettecorp.com, www.coolcentric.com

There have been some big changes at this company since it appeared as the fourth-fastest growing company on the Private 100 list last year. The Heico Companies LLC, a parent holding company based in Chicago with assets of over $2 billion and a portfolio of more than 35 businesses, acquired Wakefield Solutions in March, followed by Vette Corp. in April, a manufacturer of cooling technology that ranked 52nd on the Private 100 in 2011.

Heico then combined the two companies, forming Wakefield-Vette Thermal Solutions. Vette's Portsmouth operations were moved to Wakefield's Pelham headquarters, but it kept Vette's manufacturing facilities in New York and China. Wakefield-Vette has facilities in North Carolina, Wisconsin and California as well. Heico also owns Ohmite Manufacturing, which makes resistors and decided to move into the heat sink market (components that cool a device by dissipating heat into the surrounding air), says Kevin Kreger, former president of Ohmite and now president and CEO of Wakefield-Vette Thermal Solutions. We decided joining these two companies would give us a stronger presence in the [thermal management] market, Kreger says.

Wakefield had been expanding its capacity. In July 2010, it acquired Midwest Aluminum Inc. in Wisconsin and launched a new engineering group. In March 2011, it added a fifth aluminum extrusion press. Kreger says green power initiatives provide strong growth opportunities. There's a lot of new products we want to introduce in the next three to five years that will allow us to grow at the same rate or faster, Kreger says. 

To meet the CEOs and presidents of the Top 100 Private Companies in NH, join us at the Private 100 reception on Monday October 15 in Concord. Details at www.EventsNH.com or call Amanda at 603.626.6354.