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Drawing on his keen ability to identify critical needs and to find engineered solutions, he grew United Alloy from a startup with eight employees to a company that today has a national presence, with its headquarters still in Janesville and operations in several other states.

When he passed away unexpectedly in early 2025, Baer’s daughter Vanessa Dubick carried on as CEO, a role she had been working in alongside her father.

Baer’s business presence in Janesville began with the founding of the metal fabrication firm Newco Welding and Engineering in Janesville in 1982, according to his obituary published in the 69���� in January 2025. By the mid-1980s, Newco Welding and Engineering had branched into making children's swing set kits. Soon, the company was rebranded as Swing-N-Slide.

Jim Grafft, the owner and CEO of Certified Parts Corporation in Edgerton and a long-time friend of Baer’s, remembers him undeterred by complexity. He recalls how, in his development of Swing-N-Slide products, Baer developed hardware kits for treated lumber and developed a thermoformed slide, which he patented in 1990. That, Grafft said "obsoleted the metal slides immediately."

"Tom was one of the most innovative and forward-thinking people I know," Grafft said, recalling how Baer once even built a fully functioning "nice electric boat from scratch."

“He was never intimidated by the difficulty of trying to do something.”

Duffy Dillon, Baer’s personal and business attorney for over 20 years and a close confidant, said Baer was first and foremost "a maker" whose genius ideas drove his business success.

Dillon said Baer's intellect and curiosity were legendary.

“Almost any conversation with him would be fascinating. Even while we would be attending to a business thing here or there, there would always be another part of the conversation. He would find something to be interested about in your field and make you think differently,” Dillon said.

Baer sold Swing-N-Slide to another company, PlayCore, in 1992. Its assets were later acquired by yet another firm, Backyard Products.

His motivation for then founding United Alloy in 1999, Grafft said, was to address a crucial manufacturing problem: the substandard integrity of industrial fuel tanks for large equipment manufacturers.

If fuel tanks leak “it’s a huge problem," Grafft said.

Baer solved that problem by setting the bar, committing to the highest standard of quality in United Alloy’s manufacturing of its double-lined metal fuel tanks for power generation and standby power plants.

“He basically wrote the spec book on how to build a fuel tank,” Grafft said.

Baer himself once articulated this founding mission: “I started this place with a vision of providing high-quality metal fabrication at the lowest cost, and being a partner that our customers could rely on.”

Baer’s philosophy was rooted in a "no compromise" approach, his friend said.

"He was a stickler for making sure that it was right. No one was going to cut a corner on his watch,” Grafft said, and on this point he recalls his friend was "ruthless.”

United Alloy became an early adopter of advanced automation, heavily investing in specialized machinery including precise welding positioning equipment and clean-room powder coat systems, to ensure a perfectly finished product.

It became known for specializing in the "hardest jobs," producing complex weldments, skids, frames, and chassis for Fortune 500 OEMs.

The company rapidly expanded, growing from its original eight employees in Janesville to more than 900 today at facilities in Janesville, in Seguin, Texas, and in Union, Ohio. A fourth site in Quincy, Ill., is scheduled to close in March 2026.

Baer’s daughter, Vanessa Dubick, joined the company in 2014 and became CEO a decade later.

"I always liked working with numbers, so I knew I'd be pursuing some level of financial management," Dubick said, recalling that "when I started with the company in 2014 and saw the impact the business has on our employees and the community, it fired up a passion in me. That sense of responsibility and opportunity really put things into motion.”

She has carried on her father’s core commitment to quality.

“She’s a stickler for that, too," Grafft said. "She knows that there’s no money in skipping a process and saving a dime and costing you a dollar.”

Dubick attributes the firm’s enduring success to three pillars.

“We are passionate about what we do, we prioritize high quality work in everything we do and we like to take on the hardest jobs and deliver exceptional results. Ultimately, we’re measured by one benchmark: our contributions to our customers’ success,” Dubick said.

United Alloy is under Dubick’s leadership a certified Woman/Minority Owned Business. She has formalized the company’s commitment to its workforce through yet another set of core values: perseverance, dedication, innovation, respect, 100% responsibility, growth, and integrity.

Dillon confirmed that Baer centered on his workers “in what he thought about doing with his businesses.” Baer knew the inner workings of his facilities as a “shop guy,” Dillon said.

This dedication was evident in the company’s “Dream Coach” program. Dillon said Baer wanted to pay employees a healthy wage, but also recognized that working on the floor “might not be your ultimate dream.” The program helps employees set long-term goals and learn how to achieve them.

"The consistent factor that has shaped our business is our highly skilled workforce," Dubick said, noting that of its 1,000 employees in Wisconsin, Texas and Ohio, 340 are AWS D1.1 certified welders.

The company has also made a significant investment in training, averaging 126 hours of training per employee in 2024, far above the industry standard of 13.7 hours.

“Investing in great people is a key to making sure the company is poised for growth over time,” Dubick said.

And Dubick said United Alloy is proud of the relationships it has built in the Janesville community.

“We strive to be an employer of choice,” she said, noting that the company has developed internship programs and partnerships with local schools to "create a pipeline of future skilled workers” and is "grateful to the community" for providing a strong base of skilled workers.

At the company's 25th anniversary celebration in late 2024, held just before Thomas Baer’s sudden passing, he held up its workers.

"Each person that has joined the team since those first eight employees has contributed to something truly special,” he said.

“The success we celebrate today is truly the result of collective efforts. No matter how long you have been here, each of you have left a mark on this company. You have helped us grow, innovate and move forward,” Dubick added, standing beside him that day.

Dubick is eager to push forward into the company’s next quarter century.

“The manufacturing industry is ever-evolving and we are ready to lead the way. I know the next year, 5 years, and 10 years will be exciting here at UA,” she said.

Tom Baer is also remembered by friends and family for his warmth and wit.

“He was innovative, not afraid to take risks and he had a great sense of humor. Working beside him was incredibly fun,” Dubick said. Grafft noted that despite his professional intensity, "family was always first."

Dillon added that Baer “always had a twinkle in his eye too. He's always looking for a joke or something to be funny about and always good to share a laugh with.”

Thomas “Tom” Robert Baer was born on August 3, 1953 in Milwaukee, to Robert and Elaine Baer. One of five children, he attended the University of Wisconsin-Stout, where he met his wife, Michele. He graduated from UW-Stout in 1976. He and Michele married in 1977 and raised three children in Janesville.

He passed away unexpectedly on Jan. 22, 2025. In a statement upon his death, United Alloy called its founder “a man of ideas and integrity, and his United Alloy family will miss him greatly. We are confident his legacy will continue to inspire and his memory will be a source of comfort to all who knew him.”