What began as a business adventure for six friends in 1974 continues to thrive 51 years later. Brent Johnson, Jim Sorenson, Rick Like, Tim Petersen, Kim Siewert and Curt Herding started Hadley Steel as a labor force responsible for erecting grain bins and installing drying systems on behalf of other dealers. “In 1976, they became dealers and started selling bins and dryers. By the early 80’s, it was owned by Brent and Jim. They had purchased the old hardware store in Hadley and added raw steel sales and had also hired a welder,” said Dan Johnson who bought the business with Tony Sorenson from their dads in 2013.
Both graduates of Murray County Central, Dan and Tony took different pathways to coownership of Hadley Steel. In 1992, Dan began working on the bin crew and ran the install crew. A Slayton native, he graduated from MCC in 1994 and earned a sales diploma from the vo-tech in Granite Falls. Tony, of Lake Wilson, graduated from MCC in 2002 and earned a degree in business management “Over the years, the company has added equipment in the steel shop and on the grain handling side. Selection of steel has greatly increased over the years, adding galvanized, stainless and aluminum,” said Dan. “We have a hardware area with a large selection of bolts and nuts, welding supplies and on the grain handling side, we have a large selection of repair and installation parts for many different brands.”
With a variety of equipment and services, Hadley Steel works to find solutions to problems.
“It’s all about solving problems for customers. I like finding solutions to problems that customers run into,” said Dan, who remembers years with bad storms that brought a lot of damage and working with customers to get them running before harvest. “Sometimes what seems like a small problem to you is not necessarily small for the person that is asking. I’ve learned to always ask a lot of questions and write it down.”
Dan attributes the success of Hadley Steel to a skilled and experienced workforce, along with a knowledgeable sales staff. With nine year-round employees and 16 seasonal employees, strong relationships are an important aspect of the Hadley Steel operation.
“The return of seasonal employees each year factor into the success of Hadley Steel,” said Tony. “I enjoy the relationships that are built with customers and employees.”
