Vermeer '1948–pr.

In 1948, young inventor and entrepreneur Gary Vermeer founded a new company in a one room cement block building to produce a hoist device for lifting grain wagon boxes to make them easier to empty.

Today the Vermeer Corp. employs more than 2,000 people in the United States and overseas. The Pella, IA, headquarters and manufacturing facilities cover 110 of the 336 acres owned by the company. In addition, there are manufacturing facilities in Goes, The Netherlands, and Beijing, China.

Vermeer still produces agricultural equipment, but over the years has expanded its line of equipment to include utility construction, energy pipeline, landscape and environmental markets.