While a chief engineer for Hesston Corporation, Larry Estes learned of their impending sale to The Toro Company, so he left the organization to begin his own design and manufacturing company. Estes Design and Manufacturing, with two employees and a 1,200 square foot facility, was incorporated on November 1, 1976. The first products made were service parts for the Hesston/Toro line.
Originally, Estes Design and Manufacturing was intended to be a product design and development firm with some manufacturing capabilities. However, demand from Toro and other companies for top-quality manufactured products increased, and Estes responded by adding capacity with a move to a new facility in the fall of 1977.
By early 1979, the facility had expanded again to 15,000 square feet. Quick reaction time to customer demands and the ability to tackle complex projects resulted in continued growth that gave way to continued expansion. In the spring of 1984, land was purchased and ground was broken for a 32,000 square foot building, which was completed and occupied in May of 1985.
Today, Estes employs a staff of more than 80 associates, and its manufacturing facility is housed in 50,000 square feet to provide even the largest companies with quality products and services. Estes has made it a priority in the past several years to acquire the latest fabricating technology. Using automation when it adds value to the process ensures customers the most cost-effective solutions to the challenges of manufacturing.
