Mervis Industries

Driving through Danville you may see the large M on the signs for Mervis Industries. If you are traveling east on Main Street, you’ll see Mervis Innovation Park and even travel down Mervis Parkway. If you stay long enough and strike up a conversation with a local, you’ll most likely hear the name Lou Mervis mentioned. While I was familiar with the name and the business, it wasn’t until I started working at Vermilion Advantage that I realized what a large impact the Mervis family has had on Vermilion County, not only as the founder of Vermilion Advantage, but also on the community. A name often mentioned when speaking of industry, the more I researched, I learned that the Mervis family is intertwined throughout our community.

I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Mrs. Mervis to talk about the legacy her husband has left behind, the one that she and her family carry on yet today. I left feeling overwhelmed, because I wasn’t sure that I could write a story on Mervis Industries without also writing about the family.

She loaned me the book that had been written about her late husband, titled Open Mind, Heart & Hand: The Biography of Louis Mervis. The book relates the story of his immigrant grandfather starting out in the junk business and his father expanding the business into Mervis Iron & Metal. As the first family member to graduate from college, Lou grew the business into Mervis Industries, marrying Sybil, raising children, and helping make Danville what it is today.

While I was inspired by his business acumen, I was even more inspired by who Lou was as a person. From his involvement in the State Board of Education, his enormous push for economic development and civic progress to his strong interest in education at our local public schools, when he noticed that something needed to be accomplished, he did it.

The last query in the book asks him how he’d like to be remembered and he offered “just for being a good person”. Anyone who knew Lou will tell you that he accomplished just that.

Founded over 100 years ago, Mervis Iron & Metal Co. began as a small scrap business and has since expanded its operations to 14 locations encompassing a diverse range of services. With its initial location in Danville, IL, Mervis Industries stands as a prominent player in the local industrial landscape. They are recognized for their comprehensive range of services including recycling services, scrap management, recycling audits and scrap brokerage, customized processing, tolling and railcar dismantling, and transportation using custom-boxes and trailers.

Each of those services has grown over the 100 years Mervis has been in the scrap recycling business. Mervis Recycling has become a regional leader in the recycling industry. Mervis Plastics, with locations in both Danville and Indianapolis, can assist businesses with challenging plastic recycling issues. Illini Castings, also located in Danville, is an affiliate of Mervis Industries and has over 75 years of experience producing remanufactured railroad parts. This past summer, Mervis Industries acquired Levitated Metals in Houston, Texas, which is a heavy-media flotation plant strengthening their position as a leader in the recycled metal industry.

Wanting to learn more about the day-to-day operations of Mervis Industries, I sat down and talked to Michael Mervis, Chief Administrative Officer, and Matt Grandone, Human Resources Director. Currently, Mervis Industries has 274 employees, 130 whom work at the Vermilion County sites. They have over a dozen employees who have been employed there for more than 30 years and a loader/operator who has been there over 40 years! The commitment and longevity of their employees’ tenure emphasizes the value the organization sees in its workforce and the opportunities they provide for professional growth. Mr. Mervis stated that they love to promote their employees from within and see them succeed. Mervis Industries takes pride in not only properly processing items they bring in but also that they are using best practices to ensure safety for the environment and the marketplace with the items they put back out.

In a speech from June of 2016, president of Vermilion Advantage Vicki Haugen spoke about the commitment and contributions that the Mervis family had made to Vermilion County. It was at that time that Eastgate and Southgate were renamed as the Mervis Innovation Park, and Lynch Road became known as honorary Mervis Parkway. By this time, Lou Mervis had gained the nickname of ‘Mr. Danville’ and his commitment to the community was unwavering. With his vision of joining the Economic Development Corporation and the Chamber of Commerce in 2002 to form Vermilion Advantage, he was steadfast in his devotion to bringing and keeping business in Danville.

Over the past month, I’ve learned a great deal about the recycling industries, but more importantly, I learned about hard work and the drive to see our community prosper. The Mervis family has been involved with improving Vermilion County in multiple ways, but they don’t like to focus on their philanthropic contributions, they just do what needs to be done to make their community a great place for those around them.

Thank you to the Mervis family for their continued efforts throughout our county.