I received the following in an e-mail today and it brought a flood of memories. I learned more about haul trucks, haul roads and the importance of haul road maintenance from “Phil” and LeRoy than you can imagine. Most of this information ended up as articles in a now long-gone magazine Equipment Management (EM) of which I was editor. It’s hard to believe that PHIL was started 45 years ago…
Congratulations to an innovator and a survivor. I hope the next 45 years are as interesting and exciting as the were.
Dear Greg Sitek:
November 4, 2014 marks the 45th Anniversary of Philippi-Hagenbuch, Inc. which was co-founded by L.B. “Phil” Philippi (Pat Hagenbuch’s Father) and LeRoy Hagenbuch, P.E. Since its founding, PHIL has grown into an international company focussing on innovations for haulage equipment that has a wide reach, yet retains its modest, family owned footprint here in Peoria, Illinois.
It all started with two shoe boxes that led to the first prototype of what would become our Autogate(R) Tailgate; a need was presented and a dream was born. Forty-five years, over a hundred patents, thousands of tailgates and hundreds of sideboards, truck bodies, water tanks, trailers and other specialty haulage equipment later and PHIL is going strong. From PHIL’s humble beginnings in the basement of the Philippi house on Millbrook Road to our current 50-acre campus, PHIL has grown from servicing Quarries to a diversified group of stable industries made up by the Aggregates, Mining, Steel Mill, Landfill, Power Plant, Oil Refinery, Heavy Duty Agriculture and Forestry markets.
Today, PHIL is led by the third generation of the Philippi and Hagenbuch families, ushering in new technologies, business practices, and products in an effort to further establish PHIL in the industries we serve through the dedication of our highly motivated tight-knit group of associates.
None of this would be possible without the support of our amazing clients, vendors, industry partners, licensees and the support of off-highway truck OEM’s. Thank you for helping us build such a legacy!
To commemorate this anniversary, the Associates of PHIL are putting together a milestone memory book. If you would like to share a story, picture of your PHIL product or a note of congratulations that will be included in the book, please click here.
Regards,
Josh Swank
Josh Swank
Vice President of Sales & Marketing
Philippi-Hagenbuch, Inc.