Humble Beginnings

Zorn Compressor & Equipment is a true family business that has been operating with a Zorn family member since the 1970’s. Before Zorn Compressor & Equipment came to be known as such, it was known as Cochrane Compressor located in Milwaukee, WI. In 1974, John Zorn joined the Cochrane team as a Sales Representative. John actually found out about Cochrane Compressor from his wife, Donna, who was the receptionist at the time!

Through attending work events and visiting Donna, John started to develop a relationship with Cochrane Compressor’s team members. While he started as a salesman in 1974, he gradually worked his way up the ladder and became very involved in the world of compressed air. He helped with the expansion of the company, opening our Madison branch in 1979. John eventually bought the company in 2001, renaming the business Zorn-Cochrane Compressor & Equipment. Donna Zorn remained involved in the business and officially retired from the company in 2005. Just a year later, in 2006, our company officially became Zorn Compressor & Equipment, Inc.

A True Family Business 

During this time, John & Donna’s son & daughter also started taking an interest in the family business. Both Matt Zorn and Katie Marks (Zorn) worked miscellaneous roles throughout middle school, high school, and college getting to know the family business from all different roles including everything from clerical, shipping & receiving, service calls, and many other areas.

Matt Zorn began officially working at Zorn in the service department at our Madison branch part-time in the summer of 1994 and 1995, when he was still in college. He eventually started full-time, after graduating from UW-Madison, in 1996 as a salesperson out of the Madison branch. In 1999 he moved to the Milwaukee branch for a short period, before the Milwaukee branch moved to Pewaukee, Wisconsin to become our corporate location. Matt worked his way up the ladder as an Account Representative, to Vice President of Sales & Marketing, to eventually becoming President in 2009, and now operating as President and CEO since 2022. Throughout these years, Matt has met and surpassed numerous substantial goals, continued to cultivate a fantastic company culture, and expanded the business in so many ways.

In this time, both John & Matt were involved in expanding Zorn Compressor & Equipment into Illinois, opening both our Gurnee branch in 2011 and Woodridge branch in 2018.

Following a few years behind Matt, Katie Marks (Zorn), began working at Zorn Compressor in 2001 after also graduating from UW-Madison. She worked full-time in Parts Sales out of our Pewaukee Corporate location. Katie then worked her way up to Assistant Secretary and Treasurer in 2003 to Secretary and Treasurer in 2004, to currently serving as our Vice President- Secretary Treasurer since 2015. Katie has sat alongside both Matt and John and assisted in big decisions that have paved the way for our company today.

Now, Matt’s kids are also part of the family business. His oldest daughter, Emma Larrabee (Zorn), started at Zorn Compressor & Equipment in 2021 after graduating from UW-Madison. She started working in the Marketing department, which was a new department for Zorn Compressor! Now, Emma serves as the Marketing Manager out of our corporate Pewaukee location.

Matt’s son, Pat Zorn, started working part-time summers in the shipping & receiving and service departments in 2019, while he was in college. He began working full-time at Zorn Compressor & Equipment in 2025, after graduating from UW-Platteville, as our Rental Manager in the service department out of our Pewaukee Branch.

Where We Are Now

Today, John Zorn still serves behind the scenes as Executive Chairman. John’s son, Matt is our President and CEO with Matt’s sister, Katie, serving as Vice President- Secretary Treasurer. Matt’s oldest daughter, Emma, operates as our Marketing Manager, with Emma’s younger brother Pat, being the newest full-time family member at the company, working as our Rental Manager in our Pewaukee Service Department. John, Matt, & Katie are currently working together on an exciting project to expand our Green Bay branch into a larger building that should be completed mid-2025.

With three strong generations of Zorn family members actively working at our company, we pride ourselves on upholding family values and creating lasting relationships with our customers, partners, and team members!

We are proud to boast a long tenure here at Zorn, and we attribute that to the culture that has been created and consistently maintained by the Zorn family, our executives, and our hardworking team members. If you are interested in learning more about Zorn or are looking for a trustworthy compressed air supplier and servicer with family values, reach out to us today! One of our amazing team members would be happy to assist you.

ZORN'S PROMISE

Zorn is the Midwest leader of custom, engineered compressed air and vacuum solutions. We provide the best customer experience by understanding your applications and needs and offering an unparalleled commitment to customer satisfaction. 

Our comprehensive product and service solutions keep you running 24/7.

• Reliable equipment
• Trusted brands
• Seamless, easy installation
• Post-sales support
• Local, 24/7 service

Our compressed air experts look forward to meeting you to discuss your equipment and support needs. Please contact us directly at (262) 695-7000 with any questions or to schedule service for your system moving forward.

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