Badger Common’Tater September 2023 Issue
Interview with Eugene Mancl and Greg Johnson
By Joe Kertzman, managing editor, Badger Common’Tater
Eugene Mancl and Greg Johnson
Founded in 1973 by Ron and Bonnie Mancl, this year marks the 50th anniversary of Ron’s Refrigeration and Air Conditioning in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin.
The company name and family behind it are familiar to Wisconsin potato and vegetable growers and those in neighboring states, with the owners and employees of Ron’s Refrigeration having worked alongside area farmers for five decades.
From a time when Ron was running service, bidding projects, and building a customer base alone, the company has steadily progressed until today, when Ron’s Refrigeration employs over 40 people and provides engineering, design, service, and installation to customers throughout Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, and Michigan.
Though Ron and Bonnie are no longer active in the company, their children, Tammy Salewski and Timothy and Eugene Mancl, continue to run the day-to-day operations.
After careful consideration, in 2018, the second generation of Ron’s Refrigeration felt it was best to join forces with CoolSys, a nationally known company, to increase the family business’s strength and stability into the future.
By joining forces, not only was the second generation of Ron’s Refrigeration able to continue running the company, but to also add technicians and gain a larger customer base throughout the United States.
As senior project manager of the company, Eugene has been heavily involved in the agricultural industry, serving two terms as president of the WPVGA Associate Division Board of Directors, in 2013 and 2014, and staying involved in many committees.
He opted to share the spotlight this issue with Greg Johnson, regional service manager for Ron’s Refrigeration, who answered interview questions with Eugene.
