By Dave Dreeszen
SIOUX CITY — Robin Petersen held up a copy of the Midwest Shop Supplies catalog, with an old-fashioned design on its cover.
Inside the 500-page book are pictures and descriptions of more than 10,000 items, from glue and construction paper to T-squares and hammers to arc welders and table saws to chairs and storage cabinets.
“It's our guide for educators,” said Petersen, the fourth generation of her family to run the Sioux City-based business.
From a small hardware store founded by Petersen's great-grandfather 100 years ago, Midwest has grown into one of the nation's largest suppliers of materials for industrial arts classrooms. The company distributes technology products to more than 19,000 school districts in all 50 states. Sioux City high schools are among his clients.
Midwest is one of the city's oldest family-owned and operated businesses. Petersen attributes the company's longevity and success to its commitment to customer service and an experienced workforce.
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“Many of our employees have worked here for 20 years or more,” he said.
Midwest has 25 sales representatives nationwide and another 22 employees who work out of the company's offices and warehouse at 2600 Bridgeport Drive.
The business has been based in Bridgeport's industrial area since leaving its longtime home in downtown Sioux City in 1972.
In 1909, company founder Barrett Peete opened a hardware store at 221 Fourth St., near the site of today's MidAmerican Energy Building. Peete Hardware and Tool Company sold hardware, sporting goods, bicycles, shelving equipment and sharpened safety razors, according to a survey conducted by the company for its 100th anniversary.
In July of that year, heavy rains forced nearby Perry Creek to burst its banks, sending more than six inches of water across Fourth Street.
In 1918, Barrett moved his business to the newly established Lytle Block Building at 525 Fifth St., where the city's transportation center is located today.
The new store expanded its inventory to include tools and hardware items for contractors and homeowners. The upper walls of the store were lined with drawers, and a tall escalator allowed employees to access those drawers, Petersen said. As a child, Petersen's mother, Susan Peete, loved to climb the ladder and investigate all the top drawers.
“Mom still remembers where the skating keys were kept,” Petersen said.
In 1955, leadership of the business passed to Barrett's son, Richard Peete. Recognizing the growing needs of schools offering shop classes, Peete focused on this market. In 1963, he moved the business to a three-story building at 301 Jackson Street (now the Wells Fargo Bank lanes) and changed the company name to Midwest Shop Supplies.
The company added classroom and shop furniture to its product lines, as well as equipment and supplies for teaching carpentry, metalworking, automotive engineering, welding and foundry, design, and other disciplines.
In 1967, when educators expressed the need for mobile classrooms, Midwest developed the “Learning Labs,” portable classrooms designed for comfort with a “cinema” projector, tape recorder, and chalkboard.
After moving the business to Bridgeport Drive in 1972, Peete expanded the company's sales territory by mailing the catalog to school districts across the country. It also introduced computer hardware and software to improve inventory management and accounting.
After Peete's death in 1988, his daughters, Susan Peete and Linda Peete-Flom, began running the business. The third generation owners have expanded their product lines to meet the ever-changing need to add different technological approaches to the classroom.
With the help of local and state government, Midwest has been certified as a women-owned business and a targeted small business. The designation helped Midwest compete with larger national companies.
Growth prompted the business to officially change its name to Midwest Technology Products. Locally, it continues to be known as Midwest Shop Supplies.
The company also developed curriculum to support five areas of technology education, including energy and power, communication, construction, transportation and engineering.
In 2001, Douglas Flom joined the company and later became president after his wife, Linda, retired from day-to-day operations.
Petersen, 39, is the company's vice president. After moving to Oregon after graduating college, she returned home in 2004 to help run the day-to-day operations.
Longtime employee Rick Oldenkamp serves as Midwest's general manager.
Today, school districts and educators order from the company's catalog or through its website, www.midwesttechnology.com. Midwest has access to up to one million different products from several major manufacturers and distributors.
