Lee J. Sackett, Inc.

Lee Sackett, Founder and President, started his career as an industrial engineer at the Case/IH plant in Fargo, ND. He was later recruited and spent time as the production manager at an SPX plant in Northwest Ohio before moving back to Minnesota and taking a job in Owatonna with a different company. The week after he started that job, he and his wife purchased the hobby farm where they still live near Ellendale, MN. In February of 2002, Lee's position was eliminated. He immediately had an idea to purchase another antique tractor to restore and sell in order to help fund his job search. Within a week, he had a tractor in the shop. In April, 2002, Lee had the finished tractor on display at the LeSueur County Pioneer Power Swap Meet. There, two individuals saw this tractor and asked Lee if he would restore theirs. Over the course of the summer, Lee and Shannon worked on these tractors and picked up a few more projects. As the business grew, several key expansions took place. In 2004, Lee took on the challenge of building his first custom crafted copper kitchen vent hood. Upon completion, three more orders were taken. In 2005, the company built a new shop on the Ellendale hobby farm. In 2006, the company added a second location. The Waltham, MN shop, located approximately 20 miles from Ellendale, is a former IH dealership building. Today, the company has finished over 500 restoration projects. Lee has surrounded himself with over 15 professionals to assist with the various facets of the company. This diverse workforce enables Lee J. to tackle almost any project. While antique tractor restoration continues to be the largest segment of the business, the team also restores vehicles, performs service on agricultural equipment from skid loaders to combines, builds custom machinery, services lawn and garden equipment, does custom sand blasting and painting, and sells new and used tractor parts.