Badger Common’Tater December 2020 Issue
Interview with Sly Krautkramer
By Joe Kertzman, managing editor, Badger Common’Tater
Sly Krautkramer
From humble beginnings training and selling workhorses to farmers in the area until today, Swiderski Equipment Inc. has been a fixture in the Central Wisconsin agricultural community.
In 1925, the Swiderski family opened a horse dealing business on their Mosinee homestead, and by the late 1930’s, Swiderski Implement was proudly selling New Holland and Minneapolis Moline tractors and implements.
The 1940’s saw expansion into agricultural equipment, and by the 1950’s and ’60s, several of the Swiderski sons were involved in the family business. They expanded to two dealership locations, one in Mosinee and one in Bonduel.
In 1959, the youngest son, Alex, joined the family business, and in 1964, became sole proprietor at the Mosinee location.
“The Swiderski family has always been made up of entrepreneurs and innovators,” says company COO Sly Krautkramer. “Through the years, the family adapted to changes and advancements in the equipment industry.”
“Alex and his wife, Dianne, are still sole proprietors of the business and take great pride in caring for their employees,” Krautkramer states.
Swiderski Equipment expanded in the late ’80s with the acquisition of Marathon Implement, just north of Wausau, and saw significant expansion in the ’90s with the addition of locations in Thorp (1992), Antigo (1995) and Waupaca (1997).
“Alex worked tirelessly to build the business up through the years,” Krautkramer stresses, “and our success today is based on many of his core principals—his aggressive yet fair approach to business and his willingness to take a risk here and there.”
