During the month of October and into November, the Press Times will highlight several of our local manufacturers doing great things.
DE PERE – Fytertech, a company started right here in Green Bay, now distributes to over 60 countries in six continents and has manufacturing operations across the Atlantic.
“Who knew that a little company that started in Green Bay, Wisconsin in 1996 would be so global at this point,” said Christin Wam, vice president of marketing and new market development.
Fytertech was started by Andy Hetzel, who is the current chairman on the board.
They manufacture premium nonwoven sorbents used in chemical spills from the ocean to the chemistry classroom.
The company has expanded to include five facilities, two in Wisconsin, one in Tennessee, one in Alaska and one in the United Kingdom.
Tennessee’s facility focuses mainly on wipers and rags while Alaska’s location works with the government to manage oil spills in the ocean.
One of their specialty products is able to clean up oil spills in the ocean using hydrophobic technology; however, they do have products that are able to pick up water based spills.
“If there is a chemical spill, like an oil spill, in a body of water, we make products that can absorb oil on the surface of the water but not the water itself,” Wam explains.
Fytertech products were used in the past for an Exxon oil spill, more specifically their sorbent Booms.
Their environmental concern doesn’t stop with the products they produce, they are very conscious of the effects from their facilities.
Wam shared, “We’re able to keep our sourcing more domestically and have less of an impact on our planet.”
Additionally, they are committed to using recycled materials in their products.
They released a project on Earth Day 2025 called Sustayne which is made from 90% recycled materials.
Wam described another recycled product, “We have entire lines of rags, like shop rags, which are essentially cut up t-shirts, blankets, towels and sheets that we keep out of landfills and give them second lives.”
Recycling waste is another way Fytertech stays environmentally friendly.
Fytertech’s manufactured products are also seen in the medical field, mainly in operating rooms.
“We have a lot of our products that are used now in those operating rooms to keep the floors clean and safe,” said Wam.
During knee or shoulder replacements, saline solutions used often end up getting messy.
Previously simple rags would have been used which slows down the cleaning process.
However, with Fytertech’s products, they are able to speed up the after surgery cleaning, streamlining the operating rooms.
In the classroom or chemistry labs, spill kits are manufactured for formaldehyde or mercury spills.
Acid base spills are also manageable by their products by turning the acid into safe to handle gel which reduces major health risks to those exposed.
Fytertech is the largest vertical manufacturer in the industry, allowing for supply chain and pricing control, and 80% of the manufacturing process is handled by Fytertech at their facilities, rather than being outsourced.
“That gives us a really nice value to our customers because we control the manufacturing process,” Wam explained.
An effect of owning a majority of the manufacturing is that they are able to custom make products.
“The thing about Fytertech is that we are really flexible for our customers,” Wam shared.
A new product that they will be releasing in November of 2025 is called the Biohazard Response Kit.
This product’s intended use is for bodily fluids in any environment, such as school, factories, amusement parks and buses.
Wam announced, “That’s what makes us special in the marketplace, we are like ‘yeah you want to do that? Let’s do that’ and we roll up our sleeves and figure it out.”
Fytertech is active in the community by sponsoring UW-Green Bay Athletics and other organizations within the city.
Across the globe, they gave supplies to Ukrainian refugees and translated the supplies directions into Ukrainian.
“We really do value giving back to the community and we really do value our employees and that culture of the work life family balance. Culture is incredibly important to our organization,” Wam explains while discussing the free meals they supply to employees every quarter.
In November, they will be collecting food for the food drive to donate locally.
Fytertech is dedicated to making a positive impact on the environment and keeping chemicals out of nature.
“If there is an oil spill, if there is an emergency and there’s a phone call on Saturday night at 10 o’clock, someone will pick it up and we’ll respond to an emergency,” said Wam.
The Pass it Forward™ internship program is sponsored by the Packers Give Back and Nicolet National Bank.
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