b'FORGED IN THE HEARTLAND:THE KNAPHEIDE PARTNERSHIPThe Midwest has a way of shaping people. Towns rise from itsidea that The Job is the Boss. Doubters wondered if a farm fields, as do their stories. Some fade with time, others are carriedkid could compete with the big firms. Ralph answered by forward by those stubborn enough to keep building. showing up and working harder to prove them wrong.In Quincy, Illinois, a German immigrant stepped off a wagon andIt took more than 100 years, but the paths of these started building his own. In Highland, Illinois, a farmers sontwo companies finally crossed at a Young Presidents with a $79 saw looked at a pile of lumber and decided to buildOrganization meeting. In Quincy, steel met concrete as something bigger. The Korte Company built a 363,000-square-foot plant for Knapheide. Later came the aluminum body facility: That was in 1848 for Knapheide and 1958 for The Korte Company.188,000 square feet of military-grade ambition. Then a Different centuries. Same state. Same grit. north plant addition, more than 100,000 square feet, and the renewal of the McHenry Truck Equipment Center. Knapheides name is hammered into American history. TheirProjects followed throughout the state in Quincy, St. wagons rolled west with the pioneers. Their shops burned,Peters and beyond.flooded, rebuilt, again and again. They endured through depressions, wars and downturns. From wood to steel, wagons toThese were milestones in the same long story of truck bodies, the Knapheide name became a mark of strength. companies that weather storms and keep building.Our first project together dates to 1995. A couple dozen The Korte Companys test came later. Ralph Korte built hisprojects and nearly one million square feet later, the company from scratch, starting with hog houses, barns and otherpartnership is stronger than ever.small jobs. Trust mattered more than blueprints. He lived by the 6 7'