Made in Temple: Wilsonart

October is Manufacturing Month, and Meet Temple and the Temple Chamber of Commerce partnered to celebrate the local manufacturing industry. The celebration began with a Job Fair on National Manufacturing Day (MFG Day) and continues as we spotlight our partnering manufacturers throughout the month.

Partnering manufacturers for the 2021 MFG Day initiative include MooreCo, Inc., Palladio Industries, Inc., Reynolds Consumer Products, Sunbelt Transformer, Temple Machine Shop, and Wilsonart. 

Temple is home to 130 manufacturing establishments that support nearly 6,600 jobs locally. One of those establishments, Wilsonart, is the world's leading producer of engineered surfaces. 

Over 65 years ago, Ralph Wilson, Sr., a retired laminate industry executive, founded Wilsonart in Temple, Texas as a producer of High-Pressure Decorative Laminate to “fill his free time.” By the end of the 1970s, Wilsonart® Laminate had become one of the nation’s leading providers of decorative laminate.

Today, Wilsonart is a healthy, global organization with business in more than 90 countries and a product portfolio that boasts a full range of stunningly beautiful, functional and transformative engineered surface options now including Quartz, Coordinated Surfaces, Solid Surface, Adhesives, and more.

Wilsonart continues to display its commitment to Temple through community service, its recent construction of a brand new corporate facility in town, new state-of-of the art Customer Center, increased manufacturing capacity, technological product and web visualization advancements and its preservation of historic landmark and symbol of corporate pride, the Ralph Wilson, Sr. and Sunny Wilson House. Ralph Sr.’s home not only had a profound influence on future uses of laminate, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a significant architectural structure, and stands as one of the best residential examples of mid-century modern style in the state of Texas.

Wilsonart combines a commitment to its customers and its people, and a focus on innovation to make more than just surfaces; they create the places where memories are made. Learn more about Wilsonart Laminate, Quartz, Coordinated Surfaces, Solid Surface, and where to find them at www.wilsonart.com.