Why the Name Arise?

Arise implies a "new beginning" which we felt served us well coming from our roots helping the private family business we have helped grow.

What is the Background of Arise?

The owners of Arise, Andy Billman and Zac Guisinger both were members of the Tri-W Group, a family investment firm based in Columbus, Ohio.  Tri-W was formed in August of 2016 after the majority sale of the W. W. Williams Company, who has been in business since 1912.  Tri-W remains owned by the Williams family and seeks to diversify the family's wealth with direct investments in operating companies.  Over the last six years as the firm has continued to grow and diversify it's holdings, Tri-W has continued to evolve, creating the opportunity to support Arise as we focus on value-added metals based companies across the U.S.  Arise has invested in and manages three separate metal manufacturing companies, Olympic Industries in Cordova, TN, FabriFast in Hartford, WI and R&M Manufacturing in Buffalo, MN.

Prior to joining Tri-W Group, both Andy and Zac have spent the last 30 years in and around the metals industry, in the Midwest, including working for Worthington Industries, a large, publicly held and fully integrated steel processor.  Both Andy and Zac bring executive leadership experience including significant roles as President of various, different global units.

Why Partner with Arise?

Like Tri-W before us, we believe in partnering with great companies and teams to help them grow, both personally and professionally.  At the end of the day, we invest in people who have demonstrated the ability to grow their business profitably, and over a reasonable period of time.  It's the goal of Arise to perpetuate the legacy of companies we have the benefit to partner with.  At Arise, we like to invest alongside the teams we work with, and have a long-term focus to any investments we make.  We also seek to help our combined investments by openly sharing data and information for the benefit of the groups we support.

If you are interested to learn more about Arise, you can contact us here:
​
Andy Billman, President
Andy.Billman@ariseindustrial.com

Zac Guisinger, COO
Zac.Guisinger@ariseindustrial.com

Arise Team

Learn more about our team and leadership.

Andrew J. Billman, Chief Executive Officer

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  • Andy is CEO of Arise Industrial Manufacturing and focuses on Operating Company Investments.
  • Prior to starting Arise with his partner, Andy was with Tri-W Group as a Managing Director from December 2016 to January 2022.  Tri-W Group is a private family investment firm based in Columbus, Ohio and continues to be an important partner alongside the Arise group. 
  • Before joining Tri-W, Andy spent twenty years with Worthington Industries, a publicly held company based in Columbus, Ohio.  While at Worthington, Andy had several leadership roles, including Sales Management, Vice President of Purchasing and eventually became the President of Worthington Cylinders, a $1.1 Billion global leader of pressure vessel and related products with 21 manufacturing locations in six countries with over 3,400 employees.
  • In addition to his various roles with Worthington, Andy was also a minority owner for six years with a private manufacturing company based in Michigan. 
  • Andy earned his bachelor's degree from Miami University in business and was team captain and three-year letterman in football.
  • He and his wife have four children and two grandchildren and reside in Beaufort, South Carolina.

Zac Guisinger, Chief Operations Officer

  • Zac's background includes sales, engineering, manufacturing and supply chain experience.
  • Experienced in highly engineered metal products as well as metals fabrication across multiple continents including Europe, South America, North America and Asia.
  • Zac worked for Worthington Industries and had 30 years of increasing responsibilities from managing five different operating facilities, multiple corporate support roles as well as running one of the publicly reported operating segments with approximately 900 employees and revenues approaching $200 million.  Zac was the General Manager and Vice President of Worthington Industries, Engineered Cabs. The Engineered Cabs business supplied fully engineered and designed operator stations to the off-highway market.
  • Zac joined Tri-W Group in June 2021 as Managing Director with operational responsibilities at FabriFast LLC. located in Hartford, Wisconsin and R&M Manufacturing in Buffalo, Minnesota.
  • Zac studied mechanical and industrial engineering at Purdue and Youngstown State Universities and currently serves as lead Board Member and special advisor at the NorthStar Golf Club.  He and his wife have two children and reside in Columbus, Ohio.

Timothy A. Burke, Vice President of Sales

  • Tim joined the Arise team through the R&M Manufacturing Co. division where he led the sales efforts.
  • With over 15 years of sales experience in the metal fabrication industry, Tim has brought teams together to grow revenue with new and existing customers.
  • Tim has promoted the brand across multiple industries including building technologies, agriculture, automotive and electronics.
  • Tim earned a bachelor's degree from St. Norbert College in Business Administration.  He lives with his wife, Lucy and two children in Grafton, Wisconsin.

Melissa Rowe, Vice President of Human Resources

  • Melissa focuses on the optimization of human capital strategy in support of the overall organizational growth and bottom line.
  • Melissa has extensive experience leading HR in multiple industries, but her passion has always been in manufacturing. She joined Arise in March of 2022 and is looking forward to making a positive impact in overall people-centered operations.
  • Melissa also serves as the Chairman of the Board of Directors for a large senior housing community and enjoys volunteering for their activities.
  • Melissa is a Senior Certified Human Resources Professional (SHRM – SCP, SPHR) and has a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice and a master's of Business Administration. 
  • When not busy with work, Melissa enjoys spending time with her family boating, snowmobiling, motorcycling, traveling and gardening.

Chad O'Connor, Chief Financial Officer

  • Chad joined the Arise team through the R&M Manufacturing Co. division where he spent 12 years as the Chief Financial Officer.
  • Prior to R&M Chad worked as financial auditor and did corporate tax for a CPA firm for six years.
  • Chad owned an accounting and financing company for 18 years serving as CFO and Finance Lead for multiple small companies across distribution, professional services and manufacturing industries.
  • Chad earned a bachelor's degree in Accounting from Northern Iowa.  He has also earned his CPA certification.
  • He spends his free time with his wife and four children at their home and in their community in Greenfield, Minnesota.

What We Are Looking For In Partner Companies

We're looking for good long-term partnerships.  Companies that can benefit from being part of a larger portfolio for stability and growth.  Our goal is to support growing what is already in place and help our partners transition what they've built to larger scale.

Testimonials

Chad O'Connor, CFO, Arise 

"We believe in the synergies that can be created within the other business units and we are positive that under the Arise leadership our success will continue and will grow."