‘Rozy’ outlook for growing business

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This article was published 29/07/2019 (2477 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

There’s a letter pinned to the wall of Michael Rosumowitsch’s office from last year telling him that’s he has been laid off.

A lot has changed since then. The mechanical engineer has gone from employee to employer, starting SR Industries with the man who wrote his termination letter.

“I keep that as kind of a joke,” Rosumowitsch said. “A bad thing most likely turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to me.”

Rosumowitsch, known as “Rozy” (pronounced “Rosie”) to his colleagues, was born in Kazakhstan when it was still part of the Soviet Union. He moved to Germany at age 13, eventually becoming a mechanic before deciding it wasn’t for him and going back to school for mechanical engineering.

His shirt celebrating Audi’s four-wheel drive “Quattro” cars and one of those cars sitting in the parking lot suggests a lingering fondness for automobiles.

The first time he was in Canada was during a 2005 vacation to Saskatchewan and Manitoba. He fell in love with the area and considered making the Canadian Prairies home when he was looking for a change of scenery.

“Everything’s a little bit simpler, a little bit redneck, and I really love that,” he said.

Wanting to improve his English and aware of the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program, Rosumowitch looked into moving to Canada. He took a family vacation to scout out potential places to live in 2007.

A job offer from manufacturing company Cancade CBI Limited in Brandon came in, so Rosumowitsch, his wife and two daughters pulled up stakes to settle in Westman in 2008. They planned to live in Canada for a few years, intending to eventually return to Europe.

It was a slight shock to Rosumowitsch’s family that Brandon was more than just gas stations and restaurants; they hadn’t left the Trans-Canada Highway on their trip through town.

He left Cancade for a job at JTL Industries in early 2018, but the company soon went under and everyone, including Rosumowitsch, was let go.

It was then that Rosumowitsch decided to go into business for himself, partnering up with his former boss from JTL, Stan Penner. They moved into JTL’s old building and bought much of their former employer’s equipment. Helping out with advice and some financial backing was Rosumowitsch’s former boss at Cancade, Ralph Redfern.

Penner had sales experience and knowledge of JTL’s former customers, while Rosumowitsch had the engineering expertise.

SR Industries (Stan and Rozy) went into business on June 1, 2018. Starting off as just Penner and Rosumowitsch, they now employ 14 full-time staff. They manufacture and paint grain bins based off a design from industrial manufacturer Foremost as well as oilfield and agricultural equipment. They also perform repairs and conduct refurbishing for certain kinds of equipment.

Frequently companies commissioning work from SR will send people to work at their plant to collaborate in their specialized workspace.

An element Rosumowitsch is proud of is the nearly complete paint booth located in a separate building from the main plant. The booth is big enough to accommodate the grain bins the company manufactures and filled with lots of light panels.

When complete, a grain bin can be brought in and painted, with the built-in heating system will being able to dry the paint in an hour. Rosumowitsch said that this is a big advantage over JTL, which could build grain bins but not paint them.

“It’s probably the biggest paint booth between Winnipeg and Regina that can actually do custom stuff,” he said.

The plant is at full capacity with Rosumowitsch running two shifts with frequently overtime. He’s happy with his success but is mindful to not have the business too fast and overextend itself.

Depending on how the economy fares, Rosumowitsch can see SR Industries employing 100 people in five years. One of his daughters was born in Canada, but Rosumowitsch said the rest of the family is looking into getting their Canadian citizenship in the next year.

Not bad for someone that thought they’d only be here for a brief time.

» cslark@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @ColinSlark