Our History
75 Years in the Making
For more than 75 years, we have been innovating products that not only enable people to perform their jobs more efficiently and effectively, but also enable businesses to increase profitability.
Ollie Henderson founds Henderson Manufacturing in Cedar Rapids, IA to manufacture agricultural attachments and spreading equipment.
Dean L. Fisher founds Fisher Engineering to manufacture snowplows designed for Willys jeep vehicles, the iconic pre-cursors to the Jeep brand.
Douglas Seaman purchases Western Welding and Manufacturing in 1950 and officially changes the name to Western Products. At the time, the primary business was small, one-off welding jobs for large manufacturers.
As a way to diversify his business, Douglas Seaman begins manufacturing snowplows for light trucks.
Pete Dejana opens a three-bay service station in Huntington, Long Island and Dejana Truck & Utility Equipment was born.
As the demand for suburban areas, light trucks, and snowplows continued to grow through the 1960s, Western Products’ sales doubled between 1961 and 1968.
The 1970s brought significant market share growth, and in 1977 Douglas Seaman creates Douglas Dynamics, which became the parent company for Western Products.
Dean Fisher sells Fisher Engineering to Douglas Dynamics, uniting the two premier brands in the snow and ice control industry.
Armco Inc. buys Douglas Dynamics, Inc., now the nation’s largest manufacturer of snowplows for four-wheel-drive pickup trucks and utility vehicles.
TrynEx International is established with the SnowEx® and SweepEx® brands, eventually adding the TurfEx® brand in 2009.
AK Steel acquires Armco, making it one of the largest steelmakers in the United States at the time.
In April 2004, private equity firms Aurora Capital Group and Ares Private Equity Group acquire Douglas Dynamics from AK Steel.
Seeing an opportunity to be part of an important advancement in the snowplow industry, Douglas Dynamics acquires the Blizzard Corporation, gaining access to industry-changing patents, including the revolutionary “adjustable-wing snowplow.”
Douglas Dynamics completes an initial public offering (IPO) in May 2010 and today trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “PLOW” (NYSE:PLOW).
Douglas Dynamics acquires TrynEx International, adding a comprehensive line of highly regarded ice control equipment under the SnowEx brand, as well as turf application equipment (TurfEx) and industrial attachment products (SweepEx).
Douglas Dynamics diversifies its offering and expands into the municipal snow and ice control market with the acquisition of Henderson Products.
Douglas Dynamics purchases Dejana Truck and Utility Equipment as part of the strategy to diversify its business outside of snow and ice control.
Douglas Dynamics’ products are manufactured across the Midwest and Eastern seaboard and sold throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. The company employs approximately 1,800 people across 21 different locations.