Sept. 19 – MITCHELL – Sitting in a small office at Mitchell Iron and Supply, Sam Beeson reflects on her family’s legacy at the longtime local company.
As she speaks, her brother, Brent Summers, listens and adds his thoughts. The conversation continues and soon their father, Scott Summers, and grandfather, Charles Summers, enter the office. The conversation turns to the history of the long-running First Avenue business and old memories of the business come flooding back.
The impromptu family reunion brings a smile to Beeson.
“It’s a pretty unique situation, you know, that we have the experience of being here,” Beeson told The Mitchell Republic in a recent interview. “And it’s great to work with family and be a part of something so big.”
The family members were busy preparing for the 140th anniversary of their family business, Mitchell Iron & Supply, which was founded in 1884 by Beeson’s great-grandfather George Summers, Sr., on the approximate site where the business now stands, just west of the Mitchell Fire Department building. Since then, six generations of Summers family members have worked with countless customers to help them with their welding, metalworking and extensive parts inventory.
In those 140 years, much has changed in the family history and the industry, says Beeson, one of the company’s majority owners.
George Summers, Sr. probably didn’t plan on starting one of Mitchell’s oldest businesses. Before arriving in Mitchell, he had his hands full fighting in the Civil War.
“He was captured three times and escaped to get back to the Union lines. He came all the way back home through the swamps of Louisiana,” Beeson said. “He was discharged and he and his wife followed him, like everyone else, with an ox and wagon.”
Shortly after moving to what was then Dakota Territory, he founded Mitchell Iron & Supply at the company’s current location, near the railroad tracks. From there, his family would serve local and regional agricultural and industrial customers for nearly a century and a half.
Some parts of the building date back over 100 years, and the shops are filled with various types of equipment, tools, and machinery, all used to repair or fabricate parts, some of which have not been produced by their manufacturer in decades. They serve Mitchell and the surrounding area, and Beeson estimates that they have shipped parts or materials to locations as far away as New Jersey.
Beeson and her brother are the primary owners now, but their father still helps out, as does their mother, Kathy. Beeson and Brent Summers’ brother Tim and his wife Draea are also employed, and Beeson’s grandfather Charles Summers is retired but not a stranger in the office.
They have what they estimate to be the second oldest business in Mitchell. Mitchell Republic, whose history officially dates back to 1879 and for which Mitchell Iron once provided on-site printing press repair services, is a few years older than Mitchell Iron & Supply. But they know of no other business that can boast six generations of family ownership.
According to Scott Summers, Mitchell Iron & Supply is an outlier among South Dakota companies.
“The (Small Business Administration) — they don’t even have statistics on companies going into the sixth generation. They say 90 percent of companies fail before they even reach the third generation,” Scott Summer said.
Charles Summers, 82, who started working at the company in 1960, said it is both surprising and unusual to have such a long history at one company.
“We never thought we would stay this long. We were too busy working to think about it,” said Charles Summers.
And there’s a lot of work to be done. For decades, the staff has been working to supply parts for all sorts of industrial and agricultural equipment, some of it vintage and hard to find on other store shelves. If they can’t find a part, they make it themselves, something they’ve done for both modern machinery and antique equipment dating back to the days of steam power.
Out-of-town contractors working in Mitchell are often referred to Mitchell Iron when they need a new part or repairs on an old part. This is also true for groups such as the crews working on the new soybean press plant.
Brent and Scott Summers are both well-versed in welding and fabrication, and have learned a lot from Charles Summers. Scott Summers, who began working full-time for the company during its centennial year of 1984, said the family’s cooperative nature has helped keep the company vibrant.
Family dynamics can be tricky, but the Summers family has always worked well together.
“Most people don’t get along with their family, but we do. It’s awesome,” Scott Summers said. “Me and my dad, we get along great. We’re like brothers. I love coming out here, I love being a machinist and just making stuff, doing something different. Maybe fixing something that no one else can fix.”
The Summers family legacy has remained since the company’s inception, but other aspects have changed as well.
Technology has changed a lot in the last 140 years, and so has the equipment they use. The company used a card system instead of computers until 1998, 114 years after the company was founded. Old belt and pulley systems that once powered machinery have long since been updated to electrical power. Safety measures have improved a lot since 1884.
Even the look of the clientele has changed, Beeson said.
“I’ve seen a lot of people come and go in the 20 years I’ve been here. You definitely see the generational changes between families,” Beeson said. “Young kids come in with their dads and sit on the counter, and now they come in and bring their kids. It’s just fun to see.”
Some of Mitchell Iron’s current clientele had found their way to the reception area Thursday morning, where congratulations, conversation and handshakes quickly followed. A table of photo albums displayed a litany of company-related mementos. The reception was expected to last into the early afternoon.
There’s plenty to think about when it comes to Mitchell Iron’s history, much of it clearly tied to the Summers family. But the company’s long history is also deeply tied to the Mitchell community and surrounding area, Beeson said.
She said it is a blessing to call Mitchell and the business community here home.
“The nice thing about Mitchell is that all the businesses in town really work together,” Beeson said.
There are no plans to step back anytime soon and members of the Summers family say if younger members are interested in taking over the business, they will be happy to support them.
They all agree that it is precisely this close bond that has kept the company strong for 140 years.
“Keep your family close,” Beeson said, looking around the room when asked for the secret to a long-lasting business.
Her brother Brent Summers immediately agreed.
“That’s what I wanted to say.”
