DEMCO Takes Pride in Community Support, Family Ownership

When most people think of Northwest Iowa and its major industries, agriculture is what understandably comes to mind first. But for many communities in the region, Spencer included, manufacturing is a backbone that provides quality jobs and opportunities for growth for both manufacturers and the communities they call home.

For two Northwest Iowa communities, Spencer and Bodyen, DEMCO has maintained a strong presence for years. Robert Dethmers started what is now DEMCO in Boyden in 1950. At the time, it was called Dethmers Manufacturing Company.

Throughout that time, DEMCO has remained a family-owned company. Bob Koerselman, the current president, is the third generation of family leadership.

“That’s pretty special,” Koerselman said.

Koerselman’s father, Jim, is chairman of the board and still active in the company.

“He’s not necessarily involved in the day-to-day operations,” Bob said. “But he’s here daily.”

The family ownership will continue for the foreseeable future, too. Bob’s son, JC Koerselman, more recently became the fourth generation of DEMCO ownership. That continuity of family ownership of DEMCO is important to the Koerselmans.

The fact that it takes a strong community to support a family-owned, local company for so long is also not lost on them.

“We look at this as certainly a business within the community, but it takes a really good community in order to support our business,” Bob said. “So we do a lot of outreach in the community and try to be really good corporate citizens as well in both communities. There’s not a lot of companies that make it that far.”

DEMCO in Spencer Dates Back to 2000

DEMCO started out making agricultural products when it was Dethmers Manufacturing Company. In the years since, it’s still making a vast array of different equipment for the agricultural industry, but has grown to include a catalog of equipment for semi trailers, RV towing and other trailer components. Today, the company sells its products both domestically and internationally.

Dethmers Manufacturing was already known as DEMCO by the time the company came to Spencer. The business’s history in Spencer began in 2000, when DEMCO and a group of investors bought Maurer Manufacturing. DEMCO purchased out the other investors in 2016 to become sole owner of the company.

Fast forward to now and you’ll find JC Koerselman representing the family ownership at the Spencer facility. He’s been at DEMCO in Spencer for two years now, where he primarily works in process improvement. Though he spends most of his time here in Spencer, he does make it back to the Boyden headquarters about once a week.

JC said he’s excited to have grown up around DEMCO and now have a large role in leading the company.

“Growing up and seeing my dad go off to work with my grandpa, my uncle and other family members, it’s always been a dream to, at one point, be in it and living it today,” he said. “It’s really exciting. I enjoy being able to work in the Spencer facility now, but also getting more and more involved in the Boyden facility and being able to carry on that tradition of keeping the family aspect of the company alive.”

“It’s fun, exciting and challenging all at the same time. Being two years into it, I look forward to the many more years to come.”

Both JC and his father noted that working with the people in Spencer, and in Boyden, is the best part of operating a business in Northwest Iowa.

“I like dealing with the people in this area,” JC said. “Everyone shoots straight, you know, and is honest with you about their wants and desires. Hopefully we can provide them with what they’re looking for.”

Bob said there’s a strong sense of family throughout both towns.

“Family values are a strong part of these communities,” he said.

Kevin Ten Haken, DEMCO Executive Vice President, added that there are many benefits to living and working in the region.

“In Northwest Iowa, we have small towns with safe communities and leading education options. Compared to most other places in the country, Northwest Iowa also offers a great income to cost of living ratio,” he said.

Community Outreach Emphasized at DEMCO

The Koerselmans don’t just focus on their employees, they strive to make DEMCO a good corporate citizen alongside everyone in Spencer and Boyden through involvement in many different activities and support for organizations. DEMCO accomplishes this in many different ways.

“There’s a vast array of things,” Bob said. “We have what we call dollars for doers for our employees here. There’s a committee that we have at DEMCO where if you’re an employee and you’re passionate about a mission project or something within the community and you want to get involved financially as well as physically, you present your idea to the committee.”

One organization in Spencer that DEMCO has supported is the Shayla Bee Fund, which has a mission of reducing financial burdens for working class families with a child facing a medical crisis.

“We’re a Christian, faith-based company and family owned,” Bob said. “So faith-based, community-based, education-based activities within our communities, we really try to get involved in those.”

The company makes many investments in those areas through the DEMCO Charitable Foundation.

Of course, DEMCO is also involved in Spencer Chamber of Commerce activities, something that not only provides another avenue for community outreach, but also has its own benefits for the business.

“I think the biggest support that we see is just the economic development and their impact on the community,” JC said. “The Spencer Chamber pools businesses and organizations together to work toward a common goal. I think that’s where we see the biggest benefit for us being part of the Spencer Chamber, just the overall collaborative work that all the industries do together to help promote the community.”