


He came back and made another one. The word got out that farmers could bring food to dairy animals instead of sending them out to graze which saved time and money. More orders came, a nearby facility was rented, and a couple of hard-working fellows were hired.
Dad made friends with farmers and found out what they needed. The M-C Grain Dryer was “born”! Farming has always been one of the toughest jobs, and dad never stopped thinking about how to make the job easier! Remember the doodling…his doodle pad was never far away. The doodling earned him 17 patents over his lifetime.
All endeavors cost money…luckily our mom knew how to stretch a dollar like the best of them! We’d have breakfast for dinner at least once a week, and it didn’t hurt us a bit! The local bank cooperated with short-term loans because they knew the money would be paid back! As the company grew, more employes were needed. In the 1960’s, the company moved to its present location. Dad’s dream of acquiring a “train set” happened with the purchase of the Baldwin Locomotive “31” and the Great Northern Observation Car.
Both were restored to their original splendor by company employees… after hours and when plant duties were caught up! And the logo “Iron Horse Quality” was adopted to signify strength, endurance and quality.

Fast forward to today, I have seen hundreds of talented people walk through our door, some making it their career dream job and others making it a steppingstone. We have encouraged and helped employees to advance their education at the local college and have funded the “Bernard C. Mathews Agricultural Engineering Scholarship” given yearly at the University of Illinois (Champaign). For seventy-plus years, it has been and continues to be our goal to provide opportunities in a beautiful and well-equipped factory.
It is important to recognize the people who make all of this possible; a vast and effective dealer organization, a superior product, our leadership and management teams and all of the men and women who make up the Mathews Company Family.