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 The Vietnam Memorial Traveling Wall passes through downtown Wapakoneta Wednesday, September 1. Staff photo/William Laney By CARLA MEYER
Staff Writer
For 45 minutes, the roar of motorcycles could be heard passing under an American flag hanging from two ladder trucks. For 45 minutes, area residents gathered in the shadow of the Auglaize County Courthouse and Wapakoneta Fire Station waved and clapped as motorcyclists rode by.
The smiles and waves turned into clapping and cheers as the Vietnam Memorial Traveling Wall passed down Willipie Street on its way to Custenborder Field in Sidney where it was greeted by a field of American flags.
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Former owner of local firm dies |
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Monday, 08 February 2010 |
By MATT NICHOLS
Staff Writer
The silence lasted for more than 10 seconds as Nancy Fischer struggled to find the right words about her husband.
Then the life and legacy of Dan Fischer spilled out, along with the final months and weeks of his life — days filled with gut-wrenching dilemmas and misconceptions by others in the community.
“The death certificate said Dan died of a stroke,” Nancy Fischer said, “but in reality, he died from a broken heart. There’s no doubt about that.”
The president and CEO of The Wapakoneta Machine Company lost his life Thursday at The Ohio State University Ross Heart Hospital, in Columbus.
He leaves behind his wife, Nancy, and a daughter, Erica.
Fischer took over The Wapakoneta Machine Company in 1997, continuing a line of family ownership that extended nearly 120 years. Fischer’s grandfather, Carl D. Fischer started the company in 1891.
“That company was everything to him,” Nancy Fischer said. “Those employees meant the world to him.”
In 2005, the company was forced into bankruptcy, but emerged in 2008. Despite the emergence, the company struggled to gain footing amid the economic recession. Erica Fischer said the downturn left her father with limited options.
“My father found himself in an untenable situation,” said Erica Fischer, the company’s manger of sales and operations. “Running out of operating capital, and unable to find investors, he had the choice of simply closing doors, or finding a buyer that would continue the product lines and provide service to our customers. He chose to look for a buyer.”
Dan Fischer eventually entered an agreement with the Wisconsin-based Kinetic to purchase the company’s assets. During a bankruptcy hearing in Toledo, Pittsburgh-based ASKO entered a competitive bid. After a bidding war, ASKO was named the successful bidder.
In a news released issued by The Wapakoneta Machine Company, Erica said ASKO’s takeover was good for the company, noting that four former Wapakoneta employees “have accepted job offers from ASKO, and at least six other former employees have been interviewed with some job offers pending.”
As Dan Fischer struggled with the reality of losing the family-owned business, rumors around the community began to swirl about his profiting from the sale.
Nancy Fischer said the hurtful rumors weighed heavily on her husband and could not have been further from the truth.
“People were placing blame over things for which he had no control over,” Nancy Fischer said. “Things about a mystery buyer, and that we were going to profit from this. We were probably going to lose our home.
“We put everything we had into trying to keep the company viable,” she said.
As the business empire began to crumble around him, Nancy Fischer said her husband’s emotions and demeanor changed drastically.
“All the family and all the people who were losing their jobs — it was just more than he could bear,” Nancy Fischer said. “There was nothing he could do about it. He worked so hard to save the company. It was just devastating.”
Before his death, Dan Fischer prepared a news release regarding the company’s sale. In it, he wished to thank the company’s “dedicated employees, shareholders, customers and members of the Wapakoneta community who contributed to the company’s extraordinary success that spanned more than a century.”
Four days removed from the loss of her husband, Nancy Fischer echoed her husband’s thoughts.
“I want to express gratitude for all the kindness we have experienced from the community,” Nancy Fischer said. “Dan had the most wonderful group of dedicated employees. I know he was very proud of them and the great history of the company.”
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 09 February 2010 )
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