Wednesday, Nov. 19, the territory and district managers of Lennox came to Prairie du Chien to present Mezera with an award. The inscription etched into the glass reads, "John Norris, Sr. Award, 2007, celebrating 75 years as a Quality Lennox Dealer." It is the 16th oldest Lennox dealership in the country. There will most likely be another award 25 years from now, for Mezera says 99 percent of his sales are Lennox. He says, "I work on all brands, but I’m glad I sell Lennox."

Cuts at MPC deepen Company trying to remain solvent

MPC of Prairie du Chien has had to make job cuts because of the failing auto industry. More job cuts are expected to be forthcoming.

Miniature Precision Components (MPC) of Prairie du Chien has announced that it will be eliminating up to 94 more jobs by Jan. 20, 2009. The company filed a notice with the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development Tuesday.

"Some jobs will be eliminated, possibly up to 94," said Plant Manager Joe Faust. Faust said that the jobs will be eliminated due to the current situation of the failing auto industry.

"There has been no bailout yet," said Faust. "We have to do what we have to do in order to keep the company solvent."

MPC makes plastic components for all of the major automakers from around the world. MPC, located at 63095 Vineyard Road, has been in Prairie du Chien for 22 years.

Due to the global economic downturn and the failing auto industry, MPC had previously eliminated more than 100 jobs since the beginning of 2008. In addition, 30 employees are constantly laid off on a rotating basis. Thirty are laid off for two weeks and when they go back to work, a different group of 30 are laid off. About 288 employees are currently working at the plant.

MPC’s assembly department is running four days per week and the molding department is running five days per week.

Faust has said that the outlook for 2009 looks tough and that there is no telling when the situation might begin to turn around.

Mezera Heating one of oldest Lennox dealers in U.S.

Seventy five years ago, George Konichek opened a Lennox dealership in Prairie du Chien. That company, now Mezera Heating and Air Conditioning, is the 16th oldest Lennox dealership in the United States.

Present owner Mike Mezera did not know much of the company’s early history, except that Konichek did carpentry and construction and started the heating business as a supplement. Konichek’s partner in construction was George Polodna, and his son, Carroll Polodna, doesn’t know if George was also involved in the heating business, but thinks he may have been part of discussions with Lennox about obtaining a dealership.

The business was operated out of a couple of garages on Marquette Road, near where Carpets To Go is presently located.

Mike’s father, Frank Mezera, started working for Konichek in 1946, followed by Don Fischer in 1947. They worked for Konichek until he retired, and they then took over, renaming the company Mezera and Fischer. They, too, were in construction, building homes and businesses. One of the first large projects they did was the Prairie Medicine Building, then known as the Desloch Medical Clinic.

The business was relocated to its present address at 123 N. Ohio in 1978. The building they moved into had been a feed mill owned and run by Charlie Foran. After that it had been use as a warehouse by Bob Bouska.

Mike had worked part time and summers until he finished high school; then he started full time at the business. In 1980, Frank and Don split up the partnership. Don took the construction part and Frank kept the heating and air conditioning.

Mike took over the business in 1993, and Frank continue to work for about seven more years. In June, 2000, a fire totally destroyed the building, and Mezera set up a temporary shop at the former Dagnon Motors bodyshop (now Small Engine Doctors) on Michigan until the new building was completed.

Over the years, Mezera has seen a great deal of change in the heating and air-conditioning industry. Most furnaces originally burned wood or coal before the switch to fuel oil and then to LP or natural gas. The equipment has become much smaller; safety has increased with the elimination of liquid mercury switches and the new systems are much cleaner. "Now,’ says Mezera, "you can have clean heat and humidity and clean air all at once."

Energy efficiency has seen a big change. Back n the 50s and 60s, wood and coal furnaces were converted to gas or oil by "slapping a fuel burner into them," he said. The efficiency, he estimate was probably about 50 percent. That means, he explained, that of a gallon of oil burned, supposing it cost a dollar, the homeowner got 50 cents worth of heat out of it.

The industry then started to make furnaces specific for each particular fuel, and the efficiency increased to 60 to 70 percent in the next decade. Today, he said, fuel efficiency ranges from 92 to 95 percent for high efficiency furnaces. Lennox was the first to develop a high-efficiency furnace, and that was introduced in 1982.

In the 50s, air conditioning was a real luxury. The first air conditioners the company installed were in businesses and some of the more affluent residences. The air conditioning boom for the average residential home came in the 70s and 80s. Now, said Mezera, almost 100 percent of new homes have air conditioning, and about 70 percent of all homes in the area.

Mezera Heating sells, installs and services forced air furnaces, air ducts and central air, and offers accessories such as air cleaners, humidifiers, digital programmable thermostats and seasonal servicing for the equipment.

Because they service the equipment, that has meant some middle-of-the-night calls, especially in winter, from people whose furnaces quit. "Sometimes," he says, "they have an alternative heating source, and tell me to wait until morning, but if that’s their only source of heat, we need to fix it right away."

He has also been called out to rescue cats which have fallen into the duct work. "They’re usually a different color by the time we locates them," he said.

Mezera also shared some energy-saving tips. Anyone with a 30 year old furnace should consider purchasing a new one, he said. The energy efficiency would most likely jump from 60 percent to 90 percent or more. He estimated the owner would recover the cost in five years or less.

Cleaning air filters and have regular tune-ups also makes a difference. "Equipment will operate at peak efficiency much longer if it has a little attention," he said. Programmable thermostats can also save money, but only if they’re programmed and consistently used.

Mezera believes natural gas will remain a "big player" because of its abundance, but he also envisions solar power as a growing energy source once industry learns how to better harness it.

The business is run by Mezera and employee Bruce Waller, who has worked for the company since 1991. Merzera’s wife, Kayla, a teacher in the Prairie du Chien School District, is the secretary for the business. Their oldest son, Craig, a senior at UW Platteville, has worked for him summers and during vacation time. Daughter Kelsey, a second year pre-pharmacy student at UW La Crosse, and Nathan, the youngest son and a junior at Prairie du Chien High School, also help out when needed.