History

THE HISTORY OF GLADWIN MACHINERY

In 1973 Robert Gladwin, Richard King, and Roy Gastuch decided to combine their 60 years of experience in the steel industry to form Gladwin Machinery & Supply Co. Seeing an opportunity to provide quality metal fabricating equipment to an under-represented marketplace, they pooled their resources and opened their first small facility in Minneapolis consisting of 2000 sq. feet of space. The mainstays of their original product lines included Lockformer, Chicago Dreis & Krump, Roper Whitney, Pexto, and WeltyWay (now Iowa Precision Ind.). The founders forged strong relationships with customers and builders, many of which still exist today.

After 10 years of steady growth, the business (still located in Minneapolis), was purchased by the second generation of Thomas Gladwin and Todd King. At the time there were only 5 employees working out of a single facility. Today the business has grown into the largest fabricating equipment supplier in the United States, with multiple locations in the Midwest and over 80 employees. Along the way, several key individuals have been added to the ownership and management team. Stocking locations include Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Chicago and Kansas City, with more site expansions planned. In addition, Gladwin has offices in Iowa, Nebraska, and St. Louis. Gladwin’s uninterrupted pattern of annual growth has been primarily due to the business principals laid down by the original partners, the great employees, and an ongoing commitment to making the customer's satisfaction the number one priority.