Sukup Manufacturing loses its founder
JOE GARDYASZ Jul 12, 2018 | 10:20 pm
1 min read time
311 wordsAg and Environment, All Latest News, Arts and Culture, Manufacturing
Eugene Sukup, founder of innovative ag company Sukup Manufacturing in Sheffield, died earlier today, the company said in an announcement.“Eugene will be remembered by his family and many friends, colleagues and members of the agriculture community as a leader, innovator, and exceptionally caring and generous person,” the release said.
Sukup Manufacturing is now a three-generation Iowa company that has grown into an international leader in grain bins, grain dryers and steel buildings. Its products are sold in the U.S. and in more than 80 other countries, according to the company website.
In 1962, Eugene Sukup sought to find a way to improve the drying process after he purchased his first drying bin and found the process too lengthy. After some trial and error, he developed a fix. “He patented the idea and the Stirway stirring machine and Sukup Manufacturing Company were born,” according to the company’s history.
Sukup’s innovative thinking has led him to be awarded 80 U.S. patents. He was inducted into the Iowa Inventors Hall of Fame in 2006 and received the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers’ Outstanding Innovation Award in 2007. He was inducted into the Iowa Business Hall of Fame in 2011, and in 2015 was honored as a Legend of Manufacturing by the Iowa Association of Business and Industry.
Sukup’s family members now lead the company. It has been recognized for its advancements in technology, including being recognized with the 2018 Technology Association of Iowa’s Prometheus Award as the Manufacturing Technology Company of the Year. It also has won more than 18 AE50 Awards, more than any other grain dryer manufacturer. It was also the recipient of the Corteva Agriscience, Agriculture Division of DowDuPont innovationLEADER award.
Sukup employs nearly 600 workers from north-central Iowa.
Details on funeral services and other details will be available later, said Rachel Geilenfeld, the company’s external relations manager.
Trending News
