Legacy of classic American entrepreneurship. Turning a $1400 investment into a multi-million dollar equipment company.
Lano Equipment, Inc. is a second-generation, family-owned and operated equipment dealership established by four brothers just out of the military service in 1946.
Turning a $1400 investment into a multi-million dollar equipment company
The firm’s original location was on First Street in Chaska, MN. In 1978, Lano Equipment, Inc. moved to a new 16,000 square foot, six-acre facility in Shakopee, MN. In 1991, Lano Equipment, Inc expanded into the north metro area with a new 18,000 square foot facility.
As the case with many distributors, Lano Equipment, Inc. had its roots in agriculture, but has since grown into one of the largest light industrial equipment distributorships in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. Gerhard (Hauser), Joe, Dick, and Clarence Lano are the brothers who made up the first generation of the company. Joe Jr., Roger, Gary, Rod, Brad, and Kurt, represent members of the second Lano generation.
Pioneering the BOBCAT loader
In the late 1950s, Melroe Manufacturing of Gwinner, ND was dabbling with a clever new invention — a lightweight, agile, four-wheeled contraption they claimed would be ‘ideal for cleaning out barns.’ The curious contraption turned out to be what we know today as the ‘Bobcat’ Skid Steer Loader. When Melroe introduced it at the MInnesota State Fair, it caught the eye of Hauser Lano.
New shipment of Bobcats.
Hauser Lano at the Chaska facility in the late 1950s with new Melroe Bobcat loader in the background.
“Melroe Bobcat has played a big part in the success of this dealership. From just a few machines sold a year in the early 1960s, we have grown to be one of the largest Bobcat dealers in the world.”
- Hauser Lano
Company founder
“Melroe continues to be number 1 in skidsteer loader sales,”
observes Lano. “Lano Equipment, Inc., along with Melroe Company, continues to provide a consistent partnership that gives customers the very best in skidsteer loaders.”
Restored Bobcat M200 in 2021.
Original Melroe Brand.
In 2021, Lano Equipment, Inc. had a record sales year, after steady sales increases for the past decade. Lano has also grown from roughly 50 employees in 2014 to nearly 100 in its three locations. Recognizing the internet as the ‘future of our business,’ in 2013, Gary Lano made the wise decision to invest thoughtfully in a full-featured internet presence that is still evolving today at LanoEquip.com. The website, also aided by aggressive advertising platforms, reaches customers all over the country helping them sell attachments, trailers, and all kinds of equipment in markets well beyond MInnesota.
“We will continue to grow most likely, and the internet will be a big part of our growth,’ Gary predicts. “You can bet if you’re searching for a Skid Steer Loader or an attachment, you’ll see our website pop up on the first page.”
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