R&L Spring Celebrates 50 Years in Business

The R&L Spring Company is celebrating their 50th anniversary this year. The Lake Geneva, Wisconsin based company is a leading manufacturer of precision springs and wireforms used in a variety of industries such as powersports, automotive, and medical. To celebrate the momentous achievement, the company hosted an event for employees, retirees, and business partners that included raffles, games, food trucks, and a photo booth.

This anniversary not only marks a historic milestone for R&L Spring, but also represents the transition in leadership to the next generation of Forsythe. In 1972, Royden Forsythe co-founded R&L Tool, in Ridgefield, IL which would later be re-named R&L Spring. Royden’s son, Scott, began working for the company while in high school and became president in 1984 at the age of 24. R&L Spring continued to grow under Scott’s leadership leading to the construction of a new facility and move to Lake Geneva, WI.

Over the years, R&L Spring has continued to grow and in 1992 founded Medicoil to provide a specific product focus for the medical device market. The companies’ combined employ over 200 employees. Scott credits much of the success of R&L Spring to the core values he learned from his father, including appreciation for employees, dedication to quality, and efficient processes.

“My father pressed upon me the value of the people that work for you. We benefit from their talents, and we are honored to share those benefits with them. I expect that we’ll be doing things very differently in the next 20 years, but we will always remain grateful to our employees, Lake Geneva, and everyone that has helped R&L Spring achieve this milestone.”

~ Scott Forsythe, Owner and President

The legacy continues at R&L Spring with Scott’s daughter, Julie Arenz, who joined the team in September of 2016. Currently, Julie is the Vice President of R&L Spring and third generation working in the company. She shares the same core values and dedication to providing innovative solutions for customers as her father.

“Celebrating our 50th anniversary alongside my Dad and all of our employees was a very special moment that I was honored to be a part of. This milestone allowed us to reflect on our past and to gain a greater appreciation for our company’s success. I’m excited to see where the next 50 years take us as we continue to build upon our successes in order to shape our future.”

~ Julie Arenz, Vice President

Statement about the Coronavirus

March 18, 2020

Message to our valued Stakeholders:

R & L Spring Company is monitoring closely the coronavirus (COVID-19) situation around the world and following guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (www.cdc.gov), World Health Organization (WHO) (www.who.int), and federal and local governments.  The situation is very fluid, and this message reflects the current situation as of this date.

We are taking the necessary precautions to ensure the health and safety of our employees, suppliers and Customers.  We are also implementing policies and practices to sustain our manufacturing operations through these challenging times and will continue to meet customer requirements in a safe manner while doing our part to reduce the spread of this virus.

In response to the COVID-19 situation, we have stepped up our cleaning protocols further to afford even greater protection from airborne and surface contaminants.  We have also implemented workplace practices for our personnel to minimize exposure to communicable diseases in both office and manufacturing environments.  R & L Spring has cancelled and restricted all non-essential travel, making greater use of telephone or video conference. We have also restricted admittance to our buildings to employees and essential service providers.  We are in regular communication with critical suppliers to ensure continuity of critical raw materials and components.

This is very dynamic and unfamiliar territory for us all.  Should anything change that could impact our ability to fulfill our Customers’ orders in a timely manner we will be proactive and communicate directly with our customer contacts to discuss options to mitigate those risks.  We are sure we share your hopes for a safe and early end to this crisis.

With Regards,
R & L Spring Company