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History

M-B Corporation Photo Collage

The origin of M-B Companies Inc. dates back to 1907. The company was formed by three German craftsmen, brothers Otto and Fred Meili and Paul Blumberg. Not surprising, they adopted the name "M-B", which is still used today. The Meili brothers were inventors and Blumberg was an expert metalworker. They started the company in a small shop in New Holstein, Wisconsin building agricultural implements.

The Meili brothers and Blumberg were inventing and building a variety of equipment from road graders to paint stripers. In fact, the firm was one of the first Ford dealerships in the State of Wisconsin. As the company evolved, its destiny as a broom and striper manufacturer became evident. M-B built its first broom (a horse drawn model) in 1922.

The Meili brothers and Blumberg sold the company in 1954 to Robert B. Evans, former Chairman of the Board of American Motors. Twenty years later, M-B was purchased by Terrence J. Cosgrove, who brought an engineering and marketing background to the company. 

M-B has enjoyed steady growth, including the construction in 1974 of an additional facility in Chilton, Wisconsin. In 2003, M-B acquired the Pro Chip family of wood and brush chippers. In 2004, M-B acquired the Lafarge Road Marking Equipment Division, located in Montgomery, Pennsylvania. In 2011, M-B released five (5) new products in the Airport Snow Removal Equipment market. In 2017, the Pavement Marking Division relocated into a new facility located in Muncy, PA that will service customers nationwide. M-B continues to focus on key niche markets and providing equipment to meet the needs of independent contractors, governmental agencies, and other road, turf and airport maintenance organizations around the world.

Currently, M-B operates out of 4 divisional locations. The Airport Snow Removal Products division is located at 1200 Park Street, Chilton, Wisconsin. The Pavement Marking Division is located at 95 Blessing Drive, Muncy, Pennsylvania. The corporate office, Attachment Division, and MSV Division are located at 1615 Wisconsin Avenue, New Holstein, Wisconsin. The replacement Brushes Division is located at 1217 E. Chestnut Street, Chilton, Wisconsin.

M-B will continue to grow and provide the products and services its customers demand. The company is dedicated to being the leader in performance, reliability and customer service, as it has since 1907.

Timeline

M-B under body scraper mounted

Highway Grader 1941

1941 M-B under body scraper mounted to most highway graders on the market.


Circa 50's-70's Master 10 Price range

Circa 50's-70's

Circa 50's-70's Master 10 Price range was $12-20,000 Unit had 2-60 gal. tanks 2 Guns on carriage & 1 outrigger.


Circa 1952

"The Pack King" side loading garbage truck body found duty in all parts of the United States.


M-B Grader mounted on a IHC tractor

Circa 1957

M-B Grader mounted on a IHC tractor with extended frame showing off its stuff, shown without the optional front brush attachment.


M-B "Cruisers"

Circa 1959

M-B "Cruisers" were the first fully hydraulic street sweepers available in the world.


1959 M-B Side Sweeper

Circa 1960

1959 M-B Side Sweeper, even our old timers don't remember much about this one.


Model 6-28 Line Striper

The Model 6-28 Line Striper

The Model 6-28 Line Striper was designed for county & city work with a single driver/operator capable of applying two solid or skip lines. 


Loader Pickup Circa 1965

Circa 1965

Loader Pickup Circa 1965 with single gutter broom in New Holstein, Wisconsin.


7 ft. runway broom with 30 gal. water sprinkler system

Runway Broom

Early 7 ft. runway broom with 30 gal. water sprinkler system.


2018

Acquired by Aebi Schmidt Group