About Lester

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Lester's original office also housed its warehouse and production. Employees are shown here laying out gothic arch trusses in front of the facility.

Formed in 1947 to take over a steel building franchise, Lester's of Minnesota Inc., as it was originally known, has seen many changes in the non-residential building construction industry. Now known as Lester Building Systems, LLC, the company is ready to move forward into another 50 years of construction progress.

I was never sold on steel, so I really put my energy behind the lumber side of the business. Art Schwichtenberg

"When I was approached to run the Stran-Steel franchise, I told them okay if I could open a lumber yard as well," explains Art Schwichtenberg, the first general manager of Lester's. "I was never sold on steel, so I really put my energy behind the lumber side of the business." Known as "The Builders Store," Lester's sold building materials and gothic arches out of a 2,400 square foot Stran-Steel structure.

In 1954, Schwichtenberg was ready to take the company to the next level in wood frame construction. "The original stockholders didn't completely agree with where I wanted to go," he says. "So they suggested I buy them out. I didn't have any money, but with a little creative financing, it was done. I don't think any of my backers realized the risk they were taking. That part of it was a lot of fun... most days!"

Schwichtenberg personally designed an automated line for Gothic (arched rafter dairy barn) construction - the company's primary product in the early years. "The guys who hand-nailed the arches said it would never work," he recalls. "For a while, it looked like they were right. But the line was running when we built the shop."

Initially the company sold only the gothic arches, but quickly went to complete building packages. "If it rained in the Dakotas on Tuesday, we'd have a shop full of people on Wednesday," he recalls. "They wanted complete packages, not just the arches. That was the key reason we got into building packages."

From 1955 to 1968, Lester's did much to build the core business. The wood shop was built and added onto several times. Employees were added and markets expanded. The Insl-Wall™ stress-skin panel was developed in 1960, and is still popular today. This product put Lester's in the expanded polystyrene business, which resulted in the formation of Poly Foam.

Lester's success is due in large part to the leadership of these men (bottom photo, left to right): Larry Hayes, president from 1988 to 1996; Art Schwichtenberg, general manager then president from 1947 to 1986; Marc Hafer, president from 1996 to 2000; and John Hill (top photo), current president. Not pictured is Werner Eugster, president from 1986 to 1988.

Around 1965, Lester's became a Plywood Fabrication Service (PFS) licensee. PFS focused on the introduction of engineered structural plywood components to architects. Products like stress-skin panels, folded plate roof systems, curved panels, box beams, etc. were professionally designed and marketed. Lester's employed its first real "engineer" to service this product line.

Lester's introduced the Wingspan product line in 1968. It was described as the square post version of the pole barn concept. These buildings were also the first available with a choice of permanent baked-on enamel colors including aqua, white, red or tan.

These products helped boost material and construction sales for Lester's from $1 million in 1960 to more than $5 million in 1968 and more than $10 million in 1972.

Tremendous growth in agricultural markets over the next seven years catapulted the company to record material and construction sales of $60 million by 1979. The 1980s brought tough economic times, but Lester's, through it's reputation for quality, successfully navigated the tides of recession that washed over the farm markets.

"Then the opportunity to sell to Butler Manufacturing Company presented itself," says Schwichtenberg, "it was explored and done because Butler had a proven track record in the marketplace Lester's served and seemed to assure the growth and perpetuation of Lester's."

Lester has been and continues to be an industry leader...

Butler Manufacturing Company purchased Lester's of Minnesota, Inc., in 1986, and began a rapid expansion to the eastern United States through aggressive recruitment of independent dealers to carry the product line.

"Lester's was a natural fit for Butler," because it had a good builder organization selling and constructing steel buildings and grain bins. Lester wood frame products complimented Butler's existing business."

Increased geographic distribution led Lester Building Systems, to open a small plant in New Castle, Ind., in April 1987. In the Fall of 1988, a plant was opened in Clear Brook, Va. To further its growth, the company purchased assets of Bonanza Buildings of Charleston, Ill., in 1990 and moved production from New Castle to Charleston.

Product innovations have been key to the company's long history. Uni-Frame® I, II, III & IV framing systems were introduced in 1991. In 1992, the company introduced its 41'-wide hog finishing design. A bird resistant rafter-style dairy freestall design was introduced in 1994 along with the Dura-Wall™ panel for interior finish. In 1995, the company began to market the R-Control® stress-skin panel for commercial applications.

By 1990, Lester had expanded to the point that it was made a stand-alone division of Butler Manufacturing Company. During the early 90s, Lester had broadened its base well into the commercial sector. It may come as a surprise to people who have an ingrained image of what a Lester building is that the commercial building market represents aroung 40% of Lester's total sales.

The late 90's and early portion of the new millenium have seen Lester undertake massive technology initiatives, including the introduction of the Improv™ building design and pricing software program, an industry exclusive. Recently, Lester's eBuildings online pricing web site continues to be an industry exclusive.

In July 2004, Lester's management team purchased the company from Butler, bringing the company back to its local, private ownership roots.

John Hill, current Lester Building Systems President, says the company is in an excellent position for continued growth and expansion in the 21st century. "We have a strong network of independent builders covering much of the country, a well-respected construction company that continues to operate in the 'home areas' and a dedicated staff of engineers and researchers to ensure product development that keeps up with the changing environment. On top of that, we've initiated a number of modernization projects that strengthen our quest for the best building you can buy - produced in the most efficient manner possible."

R-Control® is a registered trademark of AFM Corporation.