Engineering firms show growth

Olsen Engineering has been an Eldridge fixture since the mid-1970s, but it was sold to Kevin Code and his partners in the last year.

-- Eagle Engineering

They met when they worked together for another company, and soon Jeff Cook and Bryan Purdy became partners in their own company.

In 1989, they founded Eagle Engineering with two employees -- themselves.

"We started with just us two in a small office doing design work," Mr. Cook said. "One year later, we got a shop. We worked with the city of Eldridge.

"A year ago, we built a new 30,000-square-foot building from the ground up. It sits on eight acres, so we can triple the size, if we need to," he said.

In 1999, Eagle employs 60 people.

The shop designs and builds tools, dies, jigs and fixtures for large manufacturers, such as John Deere, Case, Hon, Komatsu and Mitubishi.

"The slowdown in the ag business definitely affects us, but we're diversified enough to get through it," said Mr. Cook.

Many people don't realize, he said, that Eagle has the capabilities and the lifting equipment to do the very large jobs.

"We just finished building a fixture that weighs 30 tons," he said. "But I really think our growth is driven by the customer service we provide."

John Deere agrees, it seems.

For the third year in a row, it named Eagle Engineering a partner with Deere in its "Achieving Excellence" program.

-- Olsen Engineering

Olsen has been operating in Eldridge since the mid-1970s, but nine months ago, Kevin Code and his partners bought the machine shop.

"We didn't change the name, except that now it's Olsen Engineering LP (Limited Partners)," said Mr. Code.

Olsen is a machine shop specializing in bar stock -- all types of large pins that go in John Deere and Case tractors.

The company had grown significantly in the five years before its sale, Mr. Code said.

Three or four months after the sale, Olsen grew to 200 employees, Although the downturn of the agriculture market six months ago slowed the expansion.

Today, they have 190 employees.

"We've still grown certain parts of the business, and even if the ag market doesn't turn in the very near future, we'll still be able to grow," said Mr. Code.

"We have a strategic partnership co-house with a zinc plater (Meminger Metal Finishing) and a heat treater (Tri-City Heat Treat). We've tried to create a one-stop shop," he said.

To round out the one-stop idea, another partner is moving to Eldridge from Davenport.

Earle M. Jorgensen (EMJ) is a distribution center for all types of steel.

"Once their facility is completed," said Mr. Code, "they'll be about 400 yards away. We're trying to integrate all facets of our business as close to each other as possible."

-- By Catherine Guy