Lt. Gov. Gregg tours Yeoman & Co.

     On Thursday, June 13, Lieutenant Governor Adam Gregg stopped in Monticello as part of his 99-county tour across Iowa.

   Gregg visited Yeoman & Co., owned by Tom Yeoman.

   "We make about 600 different tools," shared Yeoman. "Manufacturing and distribution are based out of here."

   The locally owned business celebrates 95 years this year. It is the largest family-owned manufacturer in the industry.

   "It's impressive to be here 95 years later," praised Gregg.

   "Fifty percent of our products are long-handle tools; 50 percent are winter tools.
 shared Yeoman.

   "The governor and I go to all 99 counties every year," Gregg said. "We mix it up in terms of what our visits look like, a ribbon-cutting here and there, or a townhall meeting. We try to get to some major employers and the manufactures in our state that play such an important role. Your company has been one that's been on my list; I'm happy to be able to check that off."

   Gregg's visit to Yeoman & Co. was arranged by Derek Lumsden, Jones County Economic Development director.

   "A lot of people I talk to, even here in the State of Iowa, ask, 'What do you do?'" Yeoman said. "I tell them and say they probably have one of my snow shovels in their garage; they just never knew where it came from."

   "That's one of the fun things about getting out and seeing all of the businesses," Gregg offered. "You start to make some of those connections, and you realize the impact that Iowa companies have. You realize how interconnected the economy is."

   Yeoman said this time of the year is their slowest.

   "We don't ship our winter tools until after the Fourth of July," Yeoman said.

   Yeoman & Co. tools can be found in stores and farm distribution store chains. The 60,000-square-foot warehouse houses three different tool-assembly stations.

   "We assemble, finish, and distribute out of here," added Yeoman of the Monticello location.

   Within the last year, Yeoman & Co. added a robotic feature to their assembly line.

   "This allows two people to now focus on another job," Yeoman said of how many employees it took to do the job before.

   "That's nice, especially in a tight labor market," commented Gregg. "Sometimes you need to get creative."

   Gregg asked Yeoman if his company continues to experience any challenges since COVID. Yeoman explained that the cost of freight is still five times what it was before 2020.

   "But it's coming back down now."