Dempster Industries, Inc. - Beatrice, Nebraska

Dempster Industries, Inc., originally known as Dempster Mill Manufacturing Company was founded in 1878 by
Mr. Charles B. Dempster. At this time, the civil war was over and many American and Immigrant families were heading
west to take up a new life where the U.S. government was offering them homestead land. Mr. Dempster was aware these
homesteaders would need water pumps, machinery and tools to survive and prosper. He therefore left Chicago to settle in
Beatrice, Nebraska and on July 28, 1878, established a retail windmill and pump shop.

A manufacturing plant was built several years later to produce windmills, hand pumps, water well products and agricultural
implements. During the years following, Dempster produced hundreds of various products and machines for the water and
agricultural industries. These included windmills, hand pumps, well cylinders, towers, well drilling machines, flywheel type
gasoline engines, water storage tanks, piston pumps, centrifugal pumps, jet pumps, submersible water well pumps, and vertical turbine pumps.

During the World War II era, Dempster participated heavily in war production by producing more that 1-1/2 million 90-millimeter shells. In 1960, investor Warran Buffett acquired the company from the Dempster family. During 1963 Dempster Mill Manufacturing Company was sold to a group of investors and the name changed to Dempster Industries, Incorporated. Once again in 1985, the company was sold and is now individually and privately owned.

Today, after 125 years, Dempster continues to serve both the water pumping and the agricultural industries. Major products include, submersible water well pumps, centrifugal pumps, metering pumps for pumping anhydrous ammonia and farm chemicals, computerized machines for high speed accurate field application of agricultural fertilizer and chemicals, and solid waste recycling equipment.

Windmills, hand pumps, and repair parts, although no longer of major significance, are still produced at the same location in Beatrice, Nebraska. Dempster products are sold through a network of distributors and dealers.