Koch Enterprises history

In 1873, George Koch established the George Koch Tin Shop in Evansville with financial support from his family.

In 1888, ready for expansion, he purchased property just down the street from his original shop and built a new two-story brick building.

In 1904, Mary and her three sons incorporated the company name from the George Koch Tin Shop to George Koch Sons, Inc. in honor of their father.

The 1930’s brought about the industrialization of Evansville and a new division at George Koch Sons, the Industrial Division.

In 1936, George Koch Sons decided for the first time to expand into an industry completely unrelated to their other business, the air conditioning industry.

In 1942, George Koch Sons stopped production of metalcraft for customers and started the construction of war products.

He officially began his career at George Koch Sons in 1943.

In 1952, the Atomic Energy Commission awarded Koch a $50 million contract, the largest sheetmetal project ever awarded to one firm in American business history.

In April of 1953, the company was awarded a $30 million contract to design, fabricate, and install all of the ductwork for a new Portsmouth, Ohio, atomic energy plant.

In 1956, after steady increases in yearly sales, the company added both production equipment and personnel to accommodate increased orders.

In 1958, Koch's industrial division entered into a joint venture with the Memphis, Tennessee-based Wilco Machine Works, Inc., a woodworking machinery distributor.

The following year, Uniseal, which had been in operation in Evansville since 1961, opened a second facility in St Louis.

He later became president and chairman of the board in 1962.

Gibbs, which was founded in 1966, was located in Henderson, Kentucky, and provided machined aluminum die casting, machining, assembly, and die building.

He later graduated from the University of Evansville and received an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree from the University of Southern Indiana in 1980.

In 1984, George Koch Sons traded the assets of Santa Claus Land for the shares that Bill Koch and his family had in the company.

In 1988 the company traded the assets of the Metalcraft business to L.J. Koch Jr. and his family for their shares in George Koch Sons.

In 1990, GKS entered their first ever joint venture and global market with Page-Koch Europe Limited, now known as George Koch Sons Europe Limited.

In 1994, Koch Air acquired Carrier Midwest, a Carrier equipment distributor with offices in Indianapolis and Louisville.

In the spring of 1995, Gibbs Die Casting announced that it was planning a $44 million expansion of its facilities, which would eventually add 250 jobs.

In 1996, Koch partnered with a Cincinnati company to form a joint venture known as Audubon Metals, LLC. Koch's partner in the venture was the Cincinnati-based David J. Joseph Co., an automobile-shredding facility.