Our History

How many times do we hear people say “It is amazing how time flies and how things turned out”? Little did we know back in 1972 when I first started in this industry the course that would be taken and that one day we would own our own business. Although in those early years I started as a mechanical engineer with a leading laboratory casework manufacturer. What I remember about the first years is that what I enjoyed most were the opportunities to interact with our customers and spending time out in the field. In 1976 my wife Lynn and I had the chance to move to Milwaukee into my first real sales role and our life has moved at warp speed ever since. 

We were very fortunate that for the next 42 years we would be aligned with a few of the top healthcare furniture companies in the industry. Working for both the companies directly or with their dealers provided the experience, respect for our customers and the importance of the “Relationship” in whatever it was we did. It also laid the groundwork for us owning our own family business. The biggest blessing was when our daughter Becky and son Ryan were born. They fueled the love and the fire for us to be successful. 

In January of 2003 Lynn and I started the Petska Group, an independent rep group. We represented a number of manufacturers in the states of Nebraska, Iowa, Wisconsin and Upper Michigan. Our earlier years taught us how to best serve our end-users, dealers, specifiers and manufacturers. One of many highlights over the years was when our son Ryan joined our organization in 2004. Ryan graduated from the University of Wisconsin Whitewater and moved to Phoenix, AZ to work for a major food distribution company. Like most college graduates after several years in Phoenix Ryan decided that he wanted to get into sales. Although he visited several other job opportunities the discussions turned to him coming to work for us. We saw a great opportunity in the future for the Petska Group and needed someone to help manage that opportunity and be the future of the company. I asked him why he wanted to get into sales and into this business. His response was not what I expected when he said “Dad, I saw all of the friends you have made, customers you developed, quality products you sold and the financial stability built on the success it offered. That is what I want!” That was very special!

Our success was even larger than we could have expected. We worked diligently day to day, always keeping an eye towards the future. In April of 2017, Ryan assumed full ownership of the Petska Group. I knew he earned his stripes when he stopped being Jerry’s son and I became known as Ryan’s father. I am very proud of that. In the past two years, we have added Heather, Danene and Kari to his team and they have been doing an outstanding job transitioning into growing the company. We hope that some of the past DNA is supportive to Ryan and his team bringing fresh ideas into our functionality. 

Hard to believe that at the end of 2018 Lynn and I retired from the business. We reflect back at the past 48 years and as stated earlier are amazed at how fast it went and what we have accomplished. The healthcare furniture world and the healthcare industry is undergoing significant changes. We are energized by this, understanding it will require us to be innovative in tasks, along with continually growing and strengthening our valuable relationships. I look forward to supporting the team however I can in the future.

~Jerry Petska