Central States Manufacturing Inc.

General information

We began production in a small plant in Rogers, Arkansas in April 1988, but quickly outgrew the space. In January 1990, the sales and production facilities were moved to their current location in Lowell, Arkansas. At that time the facility was 15,000 square feet. We have since expanded to 123,000 square feet plus additional office space.

In 1991, we were set up as an ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan) company, and are currently 100% employee owned. Our company, employees, and customers all benefit from our employee ownership and involvement.

Implementing a business plan that was completed in August 1995, Central States opened a retail operation called Metal Express (changed to “Metal Central” in 2008) at the Lowell facility to serve the retail sector of the market in the area.

In 1997, we opened a manufacturing facility in Michigan City, Indiana. The plant was opened with 20,400 square feet plus office space. Since then the production facility has more than doubled in size.

In 2000, we opened our third manufacturing facility in Cedar Hill, Texas. This plant was opened with 40,000 square feet plus office space.

Then in January 2003, we launched a new self-storage division called Central Storage Works. Based in the Lowell facility, Central Storage Works offers complete building systems for mini-storage, boat storage and RV storage buildings.

Our fourth manufacturing facility opened October 2006 in Jasper, Alabama. The plant has 40,000 square feet plus office space and will shorten lead times for customers in Alabama and Mississippi.

In 2010, we opened our fifth manufacturing facility in Mount Airy, North Carolina. It is equipped with the machinery and staff to service predominantly light gauge customers within roughly a 200-mile radius.

In 2011, Central States became 100% Employee Owned. Our employee owners make the difference in servicing customer needs, and we are committed to being the service leader in our industry. The benefits of dealing with an employee owned company are apparent in all aspects of our business including product quality, accurate order processing, reliable delivery, and customer service. All members of our team are empowered to make decisions and are expected to provide you with the highest level of customer service. We welcome the opportunity to show you our facilities and introduce you to the members of our team.

In February 2013, we opened our sixth manufacturing facility in Hartford, South Dakota to serve our customers in the upper midwest.