Rick Wilson is set to retire on Jan. 31
Rick Wilson, left, and his father Earle leave legacy in Brewton
On Thursday, Jan. 31, 2024, history will be made at Brewton Iron Works, LLC., as the last Wilson to run the company since 1903 will retire.
Rick Wilson is the fourth generation to be president of Brewton Iron Works, Inc., a foundry and machine shop located here in Brewton. Brewton Iron Works was established in 1898 by the Lovelace Lumber Co., forebears of the current Brewton Mayor Yank Lovelace, for overhauling and maintaining steam locomotives at the various sawmills in Brewton and Century, as well as locomotives for the rail lines.
Rick Wilson's great grandfather, W.F. Wilson, a steam engineer from Bornholm, Denmark, came to manage the company in 1903, and was offered a partnership in the business seven years later. His son, Earle Wilson Sr., came to work there after graduating from Alabama Polytechnic, now Auburn University, in the 1920's. In 1959, his son, Earle Wilson Jr., graduated from Auburn University and began his tenure at Brewton Iron Works that lasted 64 years until Sept. 21, 2023, when he officially retired from the company.
Rick Wilson started in Earle Wilson Jr.'s machine shop, Precision Manufacturing Inc. as a janitor and gopher in 1969. In 1971 he was moved over to the Brewton Iron Works' foundry division. There he developed his love for the process of making molds and pouring them. He worked there until he left for college at Auburn University in 1975. A 1977 graduate of Auburn University with a degree in industrial management and a minor in finance, he returned to Brewton to once again work with his father at the former Brewton Iron Works, then Allied Foundry and Machining, which is now Grede.
In April 1978 the Wilsons parted ways with Allied Foundry and Machining. Then on Dec. 4, 1978, the same day Rick's son Erick was born, they once again owned Brewton Iron Works, Inc., where Rick stayed until the end of this month.
"Life has come and gone very quickly," Rick Wilson said. "I have had the privilege of working with and meeting some great individuals both at Brewton Iron Works and here in Brewton. Now, all my foundry friends are retired or dead. But I have things to do with my son and his family, as well as Deb's family, and places to go with my wife while I still can because life can change in an instant, especially at my age. Also, I'm starting a new tradition in my golf group where they buy the newly retired person a drink. So, I will be playing a lot of golf."
Wilson is past president of the Greater Brewton Area Chamber of Commerce, the Alabama Cast Metals Association and the Gulf Coast Chapter of the American Society for Metals. He is currently chairman of the Escambia County Industrial Development Authority.
He is married to Debbie Wilson and together they have five children from previous marriages, four grandchildren and one great grandchild on the way.
