When Lawrence Industries was founded in 1976, Raymond “Ray” Weidt did not expect to take on complete ownership. However, within the first three months of business, founder Lawrence “Larry” Ridinger was diagnosed with cancer and died. Ray, who had worked for Larry at a previous heat-treat facility and helped with the opening of Lawrence Industries, took over and continued to build the business.
Ray’s son Robert “Bob” Weidt and son-in-law Dale Kimminau began working for the company in 1987. A second son-in-law, Terry Fitz, began working in 1988. In 1992, Ray began a 10 year transfer of ownership to Bob, Dale and Terry. In 1998, Dale sold his interest in the company to pursue other business ventures. Bob and Terry completed the transfer of ownership in 2002 and continue to run the business today. While Ray is now retired, he still comes to the plant regularly to see the various parts and projects and to offer advice.
In January 2003, Lawrence Industries attained ISO 9001 certification of its quality management system. As of October 2011, Lawrence Industries is the only commercial heat-treat facility in Nebraska that has attained ISO 9001 certification.
Beginning in 2007, Terry began passing his interest in the company to three of his sons, Brian, Kevin and Daniel. This marks the third generation of family ownership of the company.
With over 150 years of combined experience on staff, Lawrence Industries continues to expand and grow its customer base. It now heat-treats parts for companies in Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, Colorado, Wyoming, Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota, Illinois, Oklahoma and Missouri. Some of our customers have included Dutton-Lainson, Dana Corporation, Eaton Corporation, Parker-Hannifin, Case-New Holland, Kurt Manufacturing, Stein Manufacturing and many others. Whether you need millions of parts processed or just a single piece, we have the experience to help.