3M Wausau Plant

Greetings from 3M Wausau

3M is a global innovation company that never stops inventing. Over the years, we have worked to improve daily life for hundreds of millions of people all over the world. We have made driving at night easier, made buildings safer, and made consumer electronics lighter, less energy-intensive and less harmful to the environment.

Every day at 3M, one idea always leads to the next, igniting momentum to make progress possible around the world.

3M Wausau, Wisconsin

3M Wausau Facts

Plant Age: 3M acquired the 3M Wausau site in 1929 from the Wausau Abrasives Company

Plant Size: 173,449 sq. ft. downtown, 91,844 sq. ft. quarry

Area: 13 acres downtown, 1,400 acres quarry

History of 3M Wausau

The 3M Wausau facility was purchased from Wausau Abrasives in 1929. It was the first 3M manufacturing facility purchased outside of Minnesota and is the oldest, currently operating, manufacturing facility for 3M in the world. The original manufacturing facility was located where the existing one still stands in downtown Wausau. The original quarry was located on the west end of Rib Mountain. Initially the facility manufactured grit for sandpaper.

In the 1930’s, 3M was approached by a shingle manufacturer to mine and color rock for the shingle industry which led to the production of roofing granules. It was determined after a few years that the rock used for roofing granules from the Rib Mountain Quarry was not suitable for asphalt shingles. 3M Geologists searched for a more suitable rock to be used for roofing granules and found the site known today as the Greystone Quarry, which has been operating since the 1930’s. Construction of the Greystone Crushing Facility began in 1952 and was finished in 1954.

Today rock continues to be mined from the Greystone Quarry which is sent through a series of crushers and screeners until each rock is the right particle size for roofing granules. It is then sent through a coloring process to add colored pigments to meet the customer’s needs. Granules are loaded in railroad cars or semi-trucks for delivery our customers.

Read more about plant history

In the Plant

Technologies
As a Fortune 500 company, 3M is recognized for our worldwide research and development expertise. Our innovations spring from more than 40 technology platforms that have made us the global leader in major markets. At the Wausau plant, we specialize in these core technologies:

Sustainable Design (Sd)

Ceramic Coating (Ce)

Process Design and Control (Pr)
3M Wausau Products & Services
3M™ Classic Roofing Granules

3M™ Copper Roofing Granules

3M™ Natural Pozzolan

In the Community

Community Involvement
The 3M Community Relations philosophy is to positively impact communities and prepare individuals and families for success. 3M does this through focusing on five main focus areas of support: Education, Health & Human Services, Arts & Culture, Environment, and Volunteerism.

3M supports several different non-profit organizations listed below through volunteerism, monetary donations, and product donations.

3M Employee Participation
- Big Brothers/Big Sisters
- Monk Botanical Garden
- Junior Achievement
- Elementary Leadership Conference
- Mobile Meals
- Boy Scouts
- Women’s Shelter
- Habitat for Humanity
- Marathon County Humane Society
3M Support for the Community
- United Way Campaign
- Junior Achievement
- Big Brothers/Big Sisters
- Monk Botanical Garden
- Boys and Girls Club
- Coats for Kids (Kiwanis)
- Various product donations to local agencies and schools
- Various grants to other non-profit organizations
- Mobile Meals
- Boy Scouts
- WI Historical Society
- 3M Product School Supplies Donation to Local Schools
- YMCA
- Marathon County Humane Society
3M Wausau Community Life
Wausau, Wis., is a great community with a lot to offer. It is located in central Wisconsin, the heart of Green Bay Packer and University of Wisconsin Badger Country. Here are some of the area highlights:
- Granite Peaks Ski Resort
- Rib Mountain State Park and many other natural park areas
- Wisconsin River world class white water canoe/kayak area
- Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum
- Aspirus Hospital
- Marshfield Clinic
- North Central Technical College
- University of Wisconsin Marathon County
- Grand Theater
Larger cities close to Wausau are St. Paul, Minn. (approximately 200 miles away), Green Bay, Wisc. (approximately 100 miles away), and Madison, Wisc. (approximately 130 miles away).

Contact 3M Wausau Plant

Phone

(715) 845-7241

Address

Downtown Location

144 Rosecrans Street
P.O. Box 1207
Wausau, WI 54401

Greystone Location

410 Decator Drive
Wausau, WI 54401

3M Wausau Plant

In the Plant

In the Community

Community Involvement

3M Wausau Community Life

Contact 3M Wausau Plant