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MINNEAPOLIS ST. PAUL BUSINESS JOURNAL

FEBRUARY 3, 2017

CAME FOR HOLIDAYS. HE STAYED 20 YEARS. Engineer and inventor Casimir Sienkiewicz is still building companies CASIMIR SIENKIEWICZ 1975

1996 1997

2000

2002

2004

Born in Westfield, Mass.

Graduated from Springfield Tech Community College in Springfield, Mass.

Moved to Minneapolis, accepts position at Kurt Manufacturing Creates idea for Caztek Engineering Accepts position at Filtration Products Corp.

Moves Caztek Engineering into office space in St. Paul

2010

Creates Pedalbiz

BY NICK WILLIAMS nwilliams@bizjournals.com 612-288-2103, @ MSPBJWilliams

T

wenty years ago, Casimir Sienkiewicz visited the Twin Cities for a casual stay with friends, unaware his short trip to Minnesota would set him on a journey to create not one, but two successful companies in the metro area.

Sienkiewicz is the founder and president of Caztek Engineering and Pedalbiz.

C a zte k E ngi ne er i ng, coined after Sienkiewicz’s nickname “Caz,” is an engineering and design firm.

Some of his clients include Honeywell, 3M Co., Boston Scientific Corp. and Medtronic. Pedalbiz, Sienkiewicz’s latest venture, manufactures MegaCycles for businesses in the beerbike and party-bike industry.

Caztek, which started as a solo operation inside a 300-square-foot garage in South Minneapolis, now generates $3 million per year in revenue.

A head start in manufacturing While growing up in Massachusetts, Sienkiewicz always had a knack for engineering. In high school, he was fascinated with aerospace technology and enjoyed tinkering with rocketry. As a student at Springfield Tech Community College in Springfield, Mass., Sienkiewicz was a parts manufacturer at a machine shop. While still attending Springfield Tech, he later accepted a position doing engine quality con-

trol and inspecting parts for aerospace companies.

After earning his associate degree in mechanical engineering technology in 1996, Sienkiewicz enrolled at Embry RiddleAeronautical University in Daytona, Fla. After one year, he dropped out, feeling as though he would better learn mechanical engineering through hands-on experiences.

In winter 1997, Sienkiewicz visited friends in the Twin Cities for the holidays.

While leisurely perusing the job classifieds, he saw an

This article appeared in the Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal on February 3, 2017 on pages 1, 16 & 17. It has been reprinted by the Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal and further reproduction by any other party is strictly prohibited. Copyright ©2017 Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal, 333 South Seventh Street, Suite 350, Minneapolis MN 55402

MINNEAPOLIS ST. PAUL BUSINESS JOURNAL

opening at Minneapolis-based Kurt Manufacturing. He applied and was immediately hired. Minnesota was not a part of Sienkiewicz’s plans at the time.

“I was thinking about going to California and traveling,” he said.

Rather than chance falling into one interim position after another, Sienkiewicz committed himself to working in Minnesota, focused on developing his craft. In two years, that commitment paid off when he was promoted to program manager for Kurt’s Boeing Co. aircraft account.

In 2000, Sienkiewicz was hired as the director of engineering at Filtration Products Corp. in Maple Grove. It was around this time he also incorporated Caztek Inc. and began doing contract engineering and prototyping inside his garage in South Minneapolis.

Out on his own After four years of balancing a fulltime job and the contract work, Sienkiewicz quit his full-time job and set up Caztek Engineering headquarters in 250 square feet of shared office space in St. Paul.

His first major client was Texasbased XCOR Aerospace. The contract called for designing, engineering and testing prototypes that went into the rocket-development company’s flight vehicles.

“That boosted me to seek out customers to work for,” Sienkiewicz said. “That was my first big customer.”

Soon, Caztek Engineering built a reputation for working with startup companies and acting as a subcontractor for larger companies that needed to outsource projects.

Projects included working with Maple Grove-based Inspire Medical Systems Inc., a spinoff of Medtronic, to make an implantable medical device for people who have sleep

FEBRUARY 3, 2017

PHOTOS BY NANCY KUEHN

Clockwise from top: Casimir Sienkiewicz in his workshop; a component he designed for client XCOR Aerospace; one of his MegaCycle designs, headed for a tour company in Panama

apnea; redesigning the HurryCane, a foldable walking cane that stands alone; and working on a mobile satellite dish for Bloomington-based King, a manufacturer of satellite and antenna systems.

With added revenue, Caztek expanded into 2,500 square feet and added fabrication equipment and computer-aided design machines.

Recently, his firm built a machine for Escape MSP, an attraction in Minneapolis where people must solve a variety of problems to free themselves from a designated room.

Caztek’s creation will force participants to find the correct mixture for a potion.

“We always look for [innovative] diversity,” Sienkiewicz said.

“It’s good as an engineer to be well-rounded.”

In 2010, Sienkiewicz was approached by a customer who wanted a MegaCycle for a beerbike operation that would compete with Pedal Pub. The customer didn’t have enough funds to complete the design, but Sienkiewicz, who believed his design was far better than party bikes on the market, self-funded the remaining balance.

In six years, he’s sold 30 MegaCycles worth $2 million to businesses

in California, Florida, Mexico, Texas and Panama.

The Pedalbiz MegaCycles, built to order, are equipped with stereo equipment, pedal-assist motors for uphill travel, hydraulic brakes, adjustable seats, grab rails, turn signals, disco lights, Wi-Fi capabilities and USB ports.

Sienkiewicz is now attracting investors to grow Pedalbiz into a large manufacturer for his MegaCycles.

“We see untapped potential,” Sienkiewicz said. “We haven’t gotten anywhere near the saturation point.”

By February, Sienkiewicz hopes to move both companies into 5,000 square feet of office space in St. Paul.

This year, Sienkiewicz said his goal is to recruit and hire “the very best talents” in mechanical engineering while working with more innovative companies.

“I’m on a mission to run the business and tighten up,” Sienkiewicz said. “I owe it to my employees so they have a place to work and apply their trade, be interested in work and have a good time.

I’m always trying to improve what we’re doing.”

This article appeared in the Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal on February 3, 2017 on pages 1, 16 & 17. It has been reprinted by the Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal and further reproduction by any other party is strictly prohibited. Copyright ©2017 Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal, 333 South Seventh Street, Suite 350, Minneapolis MN 55402