Celebrating Frank Sr. And 50 Years of Zwack Inc.
By Amy Modesti
Sunday afternoon, January 5, Stephentown residents gathered at the Stephentown Heritage Center to witness a short presentation on the life of the late Frank Zwack Sr. Zwack founded Zwack Incorporated and was a long time community leader. This presentation also marked the 50th Anniversary of Zwack Inc.
Frank Zwack Sr. was born and raised in the village of Buckhardstein, Germany, located in the Bavarian woods near the Czech border. He was the second eldest son and one of eight brothers and sisters. Frank Sr. learned tailoring from his Uncle Conrad and later studied engineering and machine building during the conclusion of World War II.
While enlisted as a special police officer for the U.S. Constabulary, a security force in the United States occupation zone in West Germany and Austria, he met his future wife, Maria, a Hungarian whose family was displaced from their home during the war. After marrying Maria, Frank Sr. and Maria’s family received their visas to live in the United States and moved to New York City. Mr. Zwack’s first job was with an iron works company in Long Island City, Queens. He was responsible for the re-building of the staircase of the Empire State Building.
A weekend deer-hunting trip to Stephentown with his friends made Frank Sr. fall in love with the quaint town that reminded him of his small hometown village. From there, Frank Sr. and his family moved from the Bronx in the Spring of 1956 to Stephentown, purchased a farm from Joe Mans, built a home in 1967, and Frank Sr. became employed at McKinney Steel in Albany and Avery Tractor in West Lebanon. In September 1970, he developed his own company, Zwack Incorporated.
For 50 years Zwack Incorporated has remained in the heart of Stephentown and the company continues its successful partnership with G.E. in secured machinery, manufacturing and the creation of starter frames for G.E.’s generator turbine business. Zwack Incorporated continues its partnership with Everest Equipment from Canada to develop Bengal Zwack, a company that creates sander spreaders that are sold in many nearby states. Zwack Inc. also teamed up with Darley and Company in Illinois to manufacture fire pumps, fire apparatuses, and water systems for fire pumpers, ambulances and other emergency vehicles.
Aside from founding a successful business, Frank Sr. remained dedicated to giving back to his local community, as he volunteered at St. Joseph’s Church and Cemetery and served as a fire director and commissioner for the Town of Stephentown Volunteer Fire Dept. Frank Sr. also teamed up with minimalist sculpture artist and Hunter College professor, Antoni Milkowski, in the creation of the sculpture, “1971 A.D.” at Milkowski’s New Lebanon summer home. The sculpture was given to Hudson Valley Community College as a gift in celebration of the community college’s 25th anniversary. The sculpture remains on permanent view outside the Siek Campus Center of H.V.C.C.
Zwack Incorporated currently has forty employees and is looking for more. It is still in the turbine generator industry and continues to serve local, national and international customers and suppliers to this day. Although Frank Sr. passed away in May 2019 just before his 89th birthday, his legacy continues to live on through his family and business, employees and the Town of Stephentown that he was proud to call his home.
The program was presented by Frank Sr.’s grandson, Michael Zwack.