A tour of Uniserv LLC’s Brookfield metal-processing plant showed busy production, ISO 9001 certification enabling aerospace and automotive work, and ongoing efforts to recruit and train local high school students for manufacturing careers.
Uniserv operates multiple active production lines and performs precision slit-to-width processing for guardrails and heavy-industry customers, backed by ISO 9001 certification.
Demand is supported by reshoring and regional industrial projects, but filling skilled positions remains the primary challenge.
Uniserv partners with nearby high schools and regional education programs to teach basic math, work ethic, and soft skills and to funnel students into blue-collar roles.
# What happened Uniserv LLC in Brookfield, Ohio, opened its plant for a Free Enterprise Express Opportunity Tour organized by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce with state and local chambers. The plant was running multiple lines and processing large coils of customer-owned metal into slit-to-width products used in guardrails and in the oil and gas, automotive, and aerospace sectors.
# Why production can handle higher-spec work Uniserv holds an ISO 9001 designation. That certification allows it to work with automotive- and aerospace-grade materials and gives customers confidence in the company's quality controls for precision parts.
Jeremy Kerola, Uniserv vice president, said several forces drive order volume: a push to reshore manufacturing and multiple major industrial projects in the region. The plant ships both finished slit coils and material that then goes to the next manufacturing step.
# Workforce is the bottleneck
# Local sourcing and talent strategy Uniserv prioritizes domestic sourcing: first the Lake to River region, then Ohio, then the U.S. Kerola emphasized sourcing materials and talent close to home to keep economic activity regional.
U.S. Rep. Dave Joyce attended the tour and stressed the importance of training young workers for high-paying manufacturing jobs. He urged continued tax incentives to help manufacturers buy equipment and reinvest profits into growth and education. The U.S. Chamber's Kevin Courtois highlighted CNBC's ranking of Ohio as the top state for business and noted a record 2,154 new business formation filings in Trumbull County in 2025. The event included an endorsement of Rep. Joyce by the U.S. Chamber.
# Ownership and leadership notes Kerola Co., led by Joe Kerola Sr., purchased Uniserv in 2023. Present at the tour were Uniserv leadership including Jeremy J. Kerola (vice president) and Charlie Pitts (president), as well as regional chamber representatives and business leaders.
# What this means for readers For regional manufacturers and community leaders, the Uniserv tour illustrates a common pattern: strong underlying demand tied to reshoring and infrastructure projects, technical capability to serve higher-spec markets, and a persistent need for local workforce development. For students and jobseekers in the area, the company signals concrete entry points into skilled trades and maintenance roles with possible education support.
# Concrete takeaways
It's hard to resist the lure of a good photo opportunity, but all these press events show politicians know manufacturing matters.
New York, Illinois, New Mexico and Ohio officials have passed laws and formed industry partnerships with local schools to boost workforce development in their respective states.
Novelis VP Edgar Acosta Chaparro explains how global experts and local colleges are helping train workers at the company's Alabama plant.
The United States continues to see renewed manufacturing investment and output growth, but sustaining reindustrialization depends on accelerating productivity.
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