Arts Way History
CEO Transition
Carrie Gunnerson announces retirement.
David King is promoted to Chief Executive Officer.
Secured Projects
Art’s Way Manufacturing Farm Equipment introduces the new 8215 Grinder Mixer. The largest tank option in the United States with more efficient feed flow.
American Carbide Tool captures an OEM contract.
Art’s Way Scientific captures a government contract for $8 Million
New Board Member
David White joins the Board of Directors.
New Product Introduction
Art’s Way Manufacturing introduces the Commercial Forage Box to the forage and dairy industry as operation sizes continue to increase.
Chairman Retires
Ward McConnell Jr retires as Chairman of the Board. Marc McConnell assumes the role.
ACT
Art’s Way purchases AgroTrend in Clifford, Ontario. AgroTrend produces and distributes their own line of snow blowers as well as a line of dump carts. They also represent products from other manufactures.
Art’s way diversifies its business with the acquistion of Ohio Metal Co. Inc. in Canton, Ohio. Ohio Metal manufactures carbide cutting tools under the name American Carbide Tools (ACT.)
UHC
The Art’s Way farm equipment division expands its product offering again, with the acquisition of Universal Harvester Company. Universal Harvester by Art’s Way manufactures reels for combines and swathers.
Expansion
The Art’s Way farm equipment division expands its product offering, with the acquisition of Roda manure spreaders and M&W balers, and doubling the product offering within the auger line.
Art’s Way purchases facility in Salem, South Dakota for auger production.
Art’s Way purchases facility in West Union, IA. This new facility allows room for the continued expansion of the Art’s Way farm equipment product offering.
Manufacturing Facilities
Art’s Way Scientific celebrates the opening of its brand new, state of the art manufacturing facility in Monona, Iowa.
Art’s Way Vessels also celebrates the opening of a brand new, state of the art manufacturing facility in Dubuque, Iowa.
Art’s Way founder, Arthur Luscombe, passes away at the age of 86.
Art’s Way is reconized by Fortune Small Business magazine as the 57th best small market cap company in America. Months later, Art’s Way is recongnized by Forbes magazine as the 54th best small company in America.
Art’s Way expands its farm equipment product offering with the found of Art’s Way Auger in Salem, South Dakota for the purpose of entering the grain auger manufacturing business.
Miller Pro
The Art’s Way farm equipment division expands its product offering with the acquistion of the venerated MillerPro and Badger hay and forage equipment product lines. New products include forage boxes, forage blowers, hay rakes, and mergers, among others.
The Board of Directors names Carrie Majeski President and CEO of Art’s Way after several years as CFO of the company.
50 Years
Art’s Way celebrates its 50th anniversary with a special celebration in Armstrong, Iowa honoring the company’s long time employees and its special guest, founder Arthur Luscombe.
Art’s Way diversifies its business by creating the new Art’s Way Scientific division in Monona, Iowa. This division manufactures modular laboratories for research and other purposes.
Art’s Way embarks on its first campaign to actively export its products by exhibiting at farm equipment expositions in Europe.
Vessels Venture
The Art’s Way farm equipment division introduces a new industry leading grinder mixer, the 5165, featuring the largest capacity and greatest efficiency of any grinder mixer in the marketplace.
Art’s Way diversifies by creating the new Art’s Way Vessels division in Dubuque, Iowa, to manufacture pressure vessels and other customer steel products.
6812 Update
Art’s Way introduces its newly developed, state of the art 12 row sugar beet harvester, the 6812, featuring unprecedented capacity and efficiency. Its performance remains unparalleled and makes the 6812 the market leader.
McConnell Family
J. Ward McConnell, Jr. becomes Chairman of the Board and sets the course for a new era at Art’s Way that will include a new focus on growth and diversification via acquisition as well as a renewed concentration in the area of research and development for Art’s Way products.
Graders
Art’s Way begins producing the Landstar/KanAm pull type grader, which complements the Eversman land preparation product line. A 9, 12, and 14 foot model is introduced into the marketplace.
1990’s
Art’s Way acquires the Peerless line, and begins offering a roller mill in feed processing products. Stationary feed processing/mixing equipment is also added.
The Eversman product line is purchased, bringing land preparation equipment (planes, levelers, ditchers, scrapers) to the product offerings as well the PreSeeder, a minimum tillage tool.
The SupRaMix TMR vertical mixer is added to target the dairy and beef markets, and the SSP 150 is introduced, adding a portable roller mixer designed exclusively for the hog producer.
Art’s Way acquires the Logan Company line, and expands potato offerings to include a planter, windrower, and additional harvester, as well as a line of bulk boxes.
The DMI design grain wagon is incorporated into the product line, along with several lines purchased form United Farm Tool. They inlclude the no till grain drill, the “Speedy” bean cutter, the multi crop shredder and the high dump wagon.
Acquisitions and Spin-Offs
During the 1980’s, Art’s Way acquires the Sunmaster line from Rotech. This move adds mowers, cutters, and shredders to the company’s product offerings. The Heath Farm Equipment line is also purchased, allowing Art’s Way to begin manufacturing sugar beet harvesters and defoliators.
The company secures the patent rights tot he John Deere design “wheel” harvester, and soon becomes the industry leader in that market. A potato harvester, previously available only in the Red River Valley, North Carolina, and Canada, is also introduced to the product line.
The WeighTronix division, created to build scales for Art’s Way grinder mixers, is spun off from Art’s Way.
The Armstrong Rim & Wheel division, created to build wheels for Art’s Way grinder mixers, is spun off from Art’s Way.
Publicly Traded
Art’s Way becomes a publicly traded entity upon its initial public offering under ARTW.
Silamix and WeighTronix
Art’s Way acquires the Silamix product line, a chain mix feed wagon. A line of scales is added to the product offerings, allowing livestock producers to accurately measure feed ingredients. This new venture is organized under the brand name WeighTronix, and scale systems are designed to adapt to grinder mixers and Silamixes, as well as platform and industrial applications.
Current Location
In 1959, Luscombe moved the company from his original plant in downtown Armstrong to its present location, and the grinder mixer line was expanded to include OEM work for companies such as Massey Ferguson, Owatonna, and Case (IH.)
Founding Story
Iowa farmer Arthur Luscombe founded Art’s Way Manufacturing in 1956, to produce and sell a PTO powered grinder mixer he developed on his farm near Dolliver, Iowa. His first product was a great success that marked the beginning of his amazing career as an inventor and entrepreneur.