Page 35 - MAY 2020 Barbecue News Magazine

Timeline of Meadow Creek Welding
-In the late 80s Ivan developed the “chicken cookers,” a line of char- coal pits with pivoting “sandwich” grates, designed to simplify grilled chicken fundraisers.
-By the early 90s, Ivan’s sons had joined him in the shop, including Melvin, who now worked in the shop full time.
-In 1997 Melvin purchased the
family business, and by 1998 we
had outgrown the shop on the
farm. We purchased a nearby prop-
erty and built a 5,000 square foot
shop. We still did some contract
fabricating, but our main business was barbecue equip- ment.
-In 2000 we added a 50x50 warehouse, and in 2002 we built another 50x50 addition and installed our first dedicated paint room.
-In 2005 we introduced our reverse-flow tank smoker series and by 2007 we were building four sizes of tank smokers.
-Around 2006 we added stainless steel sinks to our product line.
-In 2007 we opened a separate retail store named Meadow Creek Barbecue Supply. By then we were exclusively build- ing barbecue equipment and selling through dealers.
-In 2011 we added new office and lunchroom areas and turned the old office area into shop space.
-In 2013 we developed the BX50, the first smoker in our box smoker series, and it sold more than any other Meadow Creek cooker did in its first year. Within three years, we added two more sizes.
-By the busy season of 2014, we were crowded again and struggling to keep up with orders. Instead of expanding our building, we implemented a new workflow based on lean manufacturing principles and improved our production ca- pacity by 30% with room to expand.
Today we offer a full line of barbecue smokers and grills for barbecue enthusiasts, caterers, fundraisers, and competi- tors. Melvin’s brother Ivan J is a partner in the business, and we have a dozen people working here.
In 2020 the Stoltzfus brothers and the Meadow Creek team celebrate forty years of building handmade smokers and grills in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania. Although Dad is no longer with us, we are still motivated by the same values that built our company in the early days.
We still believe it takes more than raw steel and cool machines to build a BBQ grill or smoker. Every piece of Meadow Creek equipment is handcrafted in a culture of in- tegrity—a rich tradition that values honesty, skill, kindness, diligence,
Cooking on PR series roasters in the early days
and efficiency.
Our team loves what they do and works hard to give our customers more than their money's worth. Serving the bar- becue community is a privilege, and we thank each of our customers and supporters for making our work possible.
CELEBRATING 40YEARS
Do it the Easy Way.
“The Meadow Creek Pig Roaster is easy to operate
and has made us more pro昀table and unique.” —John McCarthy, Casey’s Publichouse • Holliston, MA
Visit MeadowCreekBBQ.com
• Free Printed Catalog
• CookingPhotosandStories • ShopTourandDemoVideos
MAY 2020
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