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How It All Began

Swenson began in 1937 as the Cherry Valley Pulverizer Company, founded by Eskil Swenson on his family farm on Mulford Road in rural northern Illinois. The first spreader they produced was a twin roller chain drive used primarily for agricultural applications. In 1939, the Company moved to Lindenwood, Illinois, occupying the blacksmith shop of C.B. Strang, just north of our present plant. From 1939 to 1962, our primary product was the Swenson Chain Drive Spreader. In 1962, hydraulic drive systems started to appear on trucks and Swenson introduced their first hydraulic spreader. Over the next few years several new models were launched, with Mr. Swenson holding many of the original patents.

In 1967, the concept of controlled spreading was introduced. Prior to this, the controls in all trucks were manually operated. This innovative idea has saved millions of tons of salt and abrasives during the winter months, and has led to cleaner highways, streams and rivers. After 35 years in the spreader business, Mr. Swenson retired when his company was pur- chased by Dickey-John Corporation in 1974. In 1986, Swenson Spreader was acquired by the Louis Berkman Company, located in Steubenville, Ohio.

In September 2015, Swenson Products, along with sister company Meyer Products, joined the Aebi-Schmidt Holding Group (ASH Group), a leading European-based manufacturer of premium snow plows, spreaders, control systems and related products. The ASH Group is the parent company of European brands Schmidt and Aebi, globally offering a comprehensive and tech-nologically advanced range of products for winter and summer maintenance focused primarily on the industrial, commercial, airport, agricultural and railway sectors. Schmidt is a familiar name in the snow and ice management industry, manufacturing an array of advanced plows, spreaders and related products. Aebi manufactures heavy-duty equipment for agricultural applications.

Swenson continues to manufacture in Lindenwood, Illinois today, using state-of-the-art engineering design software, and applying the latest technologies in manufacturing. For more than 75 years, Swenson has provided the best in snow and ice control equipment for municipal, government,and private markets. From truck bodies to dump bodies, V-box spreaders to tailgate spreaders, hydraulic systems and liquid application systems, Swenson has it all.

Whether your job is winter road maintenance, highway construction and repair, landscaping, or hauling, we at Swenson proudly serve you.