While the venerable factory near 5 Mile Corner on the outskirts of Dowagiac may no longer bear the name “Contech,” the nearly 100 people who packed the inside of the Lion’s Club Saturday afternoon have spent the past 25 years keeping the memories of their old workplace — and friendships — alive.

The group of the die casting company’s former employees and their guests braved the elements that afternoon to gather at the Dowagiac clubhouse for the annual Contech Reunion Luncheon. Nearly 100 people were invited to the annual dinner and gathering, with guests traveling from as far as Syracuse, Indiana, to Traverse City to attend, said organizer Sue Wilder.

The event was open to anyone who worked at the factory — now owned by Michigan Die Casting — which opened in 1942 under the name Consolidated Die Cast, Wilder said. Over the years, the space was owned by several other corporations, including the Sealed Power Corporation, Sealed Power Technologies, SPX Corporation and finally Contech, which closed its Dowagiac factory, located at 51241 M-51 N., in 2009.

Employees with the factory started the reunion luncheon around 25 years ago, intended for retirees to gather and share stories about “the good old days,” Wilder said. Wilder has helped organize the luncheon for the past five years, with the assistance of around 20 other volunteers, she said.

The Dowagiac woman herself is a former employee of the facility, working in the company’s purchasing and payables departments for around 25 years before her job was downsized in 1996, she said.

“It was a huge family out there,” Wilder said about the factory. “We knew everyone’s kids, everyone’s grandkids, their aunts, uncles.”

Back then, employees would often work alongside their siblings, children and spouses at the factory, Wilder said. For many, the factory was a lifetime job, she added.

Among those in attendance Saturday was Dowagiac’s Mike Wiggins, who worked at the Contech facility for around 24 years in the company’s shipping and receiving department. Wiggins has been coming to the luncheon for around seven years, using the event to connect with old friends that he would rarely a chance to speak to otherwise, he said.

“It’s like going back to an old class reunion,” Wiggins said.

Another old hand at the reunion was Dowagiac’s Pren Dollins, who continues to work at the factory. He has been there for almost four decades now — and has worked under three different owners, he said.

Dollins said Saturday was the first reunion he has attended. The event gave him a chance to meet with old coworkers, many of whom he had not seen since Contech left in 2009.

Like Wilder, Dollins said that employees at the factory developed a strong unity during their time together.

“We worked six, seven days a week out there,” Dollins said. “We spent more time there than at home.”

When asked why she and other former factory employees were so committed to keeping the reunion going year after year, Wilder simply gestured to the people gathered at the tables, sharing photos of grandchildren on their smartphones, guffawing at old stories and greeting one another with sturdy handshakes and warm hugs.

“Someone needs to keep this going,” Wilder said. “They all love it.”