In Memoriam: Eugene Sukup

Eugene Sukup, founder of Sukup Manufacturing Co., died July 12. He was 89.

Sukup and his wife, Mary, founded Sukup Manufacturing in 1963 in a welding shop in Sheffield, Iowa. His first patent was for grain stirring equipment to keep corn from spoiling in a bin.

Sukup now holds 85 patents and has sales in all 50 states and more than 80 countries. It employs more than 600 people and has global distribution locations in Denmark and Ukraine.

Among Sukup’s distinctions and awards was the 2017 Innovation in Agriculture Manufacturing award. He was inducted into Iowa’s Inventors Hall of Fame and, with Mary, the state’s Business Hall of Fame. He also won the Iowa Farm Bureau’s Distinguished Service to Agriculture award.

His advice for anyone looking to start their own business was simple: “Love what you’re doing—and pray a lot.”

Sukup Manufacturing released this statement after its founder’s death: “Eugene will be remembered by his family and many friends, colleagues, and members of the agriculture community as a leader, innovator, and exceptionally caring and generous person.”

Source: Des Moines Register

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