Photo above: (L-R) Mark Foster-president, Baylor Drago-grandson, Mike Feigner-plant manager; (you can see Mark’s wife, Michele over Mike’s shoulder); Shane Henning-parts distribution/flooring manager, Jan van Orsow-administrative assistant
KEITH Mfg. Co. held a groundbreaking ceremony to kick off construction of the company’s new 12,000 square foot office building. Located in the Madras Industrial Park, KEITH Mfg. Co. has occupied the site since the mid-1960s. The groundbreaking was held in conjunction with the company’s Founder’s Day celebration. Founder’s Day recognizes the birthday of company founder Keith Foster, who passed away in 2006.
While the company has updated and expanded its manufacturing facilities through the years, administrative and engineering staff currently operates out of several satellite offices. The new building, which is projected to be completed during the summer of 2017, is an exciting opportunity to unite team members under one roof. Architect for the new building is David Waldron Architect & Associates, builder R&H Construction—Project Manager Duane Francis & Supervisor Vance Kotal, interior design supervised by Casa Drago Lindsay Foster-Drago-owner and interior layout/furnishings-SmithCFI-Bend Showroom, Carol Gregg.
Madras can be proud of its history, especially when it comes to agriculture. Now more than fifty years ago the company that Keith Foster started in the heart of Jefferson County building farm equipment continues into the new age building innovative products that are used internationally in transfer and handling of large bulk materials.
Foster moved to Madras and started designing and building specialized farm equipment in a small workshop with only a few employees. By the ’60s Foster was designing systems to unload various farm crops efficiently and with minimum manpower. These early innovations eventually lead him to developing The Keith Walking Floor System in the early ’70s. This innovative design has become the standard in the industry for bulk transfer systems and are now used worldwide in agricultural and large volume materials applications.
By the 1970s, Keith had developed the WALKING FLOOR bulk handling and conveying system. The system has become an industry standard in unloading municipal solid waste from transfer trailers and is used in a multitude of other industries.
Today, KEITH Mfg. Co. is led by president Mark Foster, Keith’s son and ranks as one of the top manufacturing companies in Oregon. It continues to be a family business, with the third generation involved in company operations. KEITH Mfg. Co. employs nearly 200 team members at its Madras facility and includes international operations in Canada, Europe, Australia and Mexico.
KEITH Mfg. Co.
Keith Manufacturing
Location: USA, Canada, Mexico, The Netherlands, UK,Spain, Australia
KEITH Mfg. Co. sales@keithwalkingfloor.com
World Headquarters
401 NW Adler St. Madras, OR 97741
800-547-6161 • 541-475-3802
www.keithwalkingfloor.com/contact
CEO/Owner: President Mark Foster
No. Employees: 220
Year Established: 1950
Product/Service: solutions for a variety of material handling challenges with its trailer applications and stationary bin systems. Custom engineered systems have moved loads from several tons to over 1,400 tons.
Hot News: success with a new product designed to unload aggregate and asphalt, which is safer than traditional dump trailers used for road work called a V-FLOOR system which efficiently unloads most rock-related products, including gravel, asphalt, sand and dirt.
Outlook for Growth: excited about 2017 and looking forward to continued growth internationally, particularly inroads made in the Brazil and Korea markets.
