Jun 1, 2024 By Rick Shrum 3 min read

Scott Wilshire’s first impression of his new workplace is a lasting impression.

“We came here five and a half years ago, and when we walked in, every square inch of the floor was stuffed with pallets,” said the president of United Industrial Group.

That can happen inside a building that is, essentially, a large, busy electronics repair shop. Yet today, UIG does not have an overabundance of pallets storing heavy machinery awaiting repair and/or servicing. And the company is much more than a repair shop.

United Industrial Group is regarded as an industry leader in fixing and servicing electric motors, pumps, generators, power transmission equipment, crane components and more. UIG operates in the Meadow Lands section of North Strabane Township, an area that has developed into an industrial haven.

“There was not a lot up here when the company built,” Wilshire said. UIG launched in 1953 as United Electric Motors Co. in Pittsburgh’s East Liberty neighborhood. It later morphed into UIG and relocated to Meadow Lands in 1992. The one-story facility there has nearly 40,000 square feet of operating space.

Wilshire and his firm recently hosted a public tour of the expansive facility, organized by the Washington County Manufacturers Association. About 20 guests coursed through the building, checking out machinery that was in disrepair and arranged in large rooms. They saw motors, pumps and more, including a testing area.

Wilshire conducted the tour at 290 Meadowlands Boulevard. “We repair about 50% motors, 30% pumps plus other things,” he said. “We can get almost every kind of motor. Anything we fix, we sell. We also do field services.”

He said the company has “well over 600 customers,” most of which are in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio. Clients, he said, include “steel mills, power plants, water treatment (firms). Steel mills use a lot of blowers. We’d like to get more blowers.”

United Industrial Group has a smallish workforce of technicians and other employees, but is growing. It added a 17th staffer last week and an 18th will come on board in mid-June. Wilshire, like many employers, has difficulty finding candidates. Yet his quandary differs from that of many of his peers, who lament they cannot find anyone who is seeking a job.

“It’s hard to get people who are familiar with this type of work,” Wilshire said. “No schools, no vocational-technical schools teach this kind of work.”

Participants on the tour got a generous sampling of machinery pieces that were in line for servicing and repair. Many were stacked neatly in a series of pallets in one spacious room. The company, Wilshire said, determined over time that it had to cut back on the quantity of items it should accept.

“We once had $1 million in inventory. With all of the improvements we made, a lot of what we used to take in is gone. We don’t keep as much here now.”

Wilcher, a Mt. Lebanon resident, also is busy beyond the walls of 290 Meadowlands Boulevard. He is a father of three and grandfather of five, with a sixth due. He also has been a longtime USA Swimming official.

The president of United Industrial Group is making a splash in many facets of life.