A new father-son business is now thriving just outside of La Monte.

Bradley and Nicole Brockman, and Bart and Brenda Brockman formed LAG Industries, LLC in January 2016. They named the company after Bradley and Nicole’s three children, Lane, August, and Gracie, thus forming the business name, LAG. In April they opened LAG Industries at 19601 North Hwy. 127, just north of La Monte.

Bart Brockman, of Concordia, said he was very pleased with the location. “We were just looking for a location that was reasonably close to home with blacktop access for both delivery as well as customer pickup, easy in and out. It was just a good fit,” Brockman said.

Brockman said he currently employs four people, plus himself and his son. In the future, he may hire three or four more people in the next year or so.

The former grocery warehouse is now a manufacturing facility, thanks in part to Roy Hunter, EDSPC (Economic Development Sedalia-Pettis County) consultant. It had set vacant for a long time and was in disrepair, Hunter said, noting that the Bradleys put a lot of effort into renovating the facility with an estimated 10,000-11,000 square feet of space. “The owner was anxious to market it and happened to be a neighbor of these folks from Lafayette County,” Hunter said on Wednesday during a grand opening ceremony and open house. The two families were presented by a plaque from EDSPC by Rusty Kahrs.

“They started manufacturing almost from day one. They started out with a small client base and it's been growing,” Hunter added.

Bart and Bradley have both been involved in raising cattle of their own for many years, giving them a great working knowledge of the equipment they manufacture for the agriculture industry, including continuous fence panels, portable panels, gates, feed bunks and cradle style hay feeders.  Also, they manufacture livestock equipment such as alleyways, tubs, chutes, calving pens along with creep pens.

They also manufacture livestock equipment for sheep, goats, horses and all other types of animals. Other products like smokers, grills and fire pits are designed on site.

LAG Industries was the very first presenter at the Sedalia 1 Million Cups. which is a part of the Kaufmann Foundation and is a product from a recent Economic Development Strategic Planning Session. The 1 Million Cups is a program to seek entrepreneurs in Pettis County, then help them through nurturing and mentoring them to be successful, said EDSPC Executive Director Linda Christle.

Currently, the business is mainly retail, but LAG is working with a couple of dealers, Brockman noted. The company's website is www.lagind.com.

Lunch was provided by the Cattleman’s Association and served by Smith-Cotton FBLA students.

 

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