Schweiss Counter All About Doors . . . Big Doors!  | Schweiss Must See Photos
Photo of the Day
Mike Schweiss - Owner and founder of Schweiss Doors

A Minnesota farmer turned manufacturer, Mike Schweiss, is known as one of the world's leading makers of bifold and hydraulic doors used in agricultural, industrial and commercial buildings.

Mike Schweiss, of Hector, Minnesota, is one focused individual. Rather than devoting time and energy to a wide variety of activities and undertakings, Mike finds fulfillment in two areas of interest - doors and horses. From his point of view, everything else is pretty much a diversion. It's been that way for much of his adult life.

Doors are Mike's first passion. "I just can't stop thinking about them," says the 71-year old. "From the time I get up in the morning, until when I go to bed at night, doors are on my mind."

Mike's obsession with doors is a good thing. He's the founder of Schweiss Doors, one of the world's premier manufacturers of bi-fold and hydraulic doors. If you've spent any time around large farm shops, airport hangars, truck company warehouses, or storefronts in upscale shopping malls and restaurants, you've likely been up close and personal with one of Mike's doors. Schweiss Doors are in place in facilities throughout the U.S. and Canada, as well as in countries in Europe, South America and Asia.

Getting into the business

Doors weren't on the radar screen for Mike early in his working life. After graduating from high school in 1971, he worked on the family dairy near Hector, a small farming community located about two hours west of Minneapolis/St. Paul.

A New Holland tractor backing a bare bi-fold door up.

The window design on this bifold liftstrap door allows a good amount of natural light into the building.

To supplement his income from farming, Mike began making mechanical chicken pluckers in his spare time. "The income from farming wasn't all that great back then, and I wanted some extra spending money," he explains.

Over the next several years, Mike started branching out and manufacturing hog farrowing crates, farm trailers and a dozen or so other ag related items. By the time a major drought arrived in his part of the country in 1976, he was man aging three full-time employees. "I decided to get out of the dairy business and concentrate on making things," he relates.

The moment that changed Mike's life forever came about in 1980. "I was at a wedding dance and a friend came up to me and said, Mike, you're good at making things. Why not make a bi-fold door?'' And I said, 'What's a bi-fold door?'"He told me to come and see him the next week so he could fill me in. An hour and a half later, he died of a heart attack on
the dance floor. I couldn't stop thinking about his idea."

A few months later, Mike made his first door - a 14-foot x 14-foot unit - for a utility shed owned by the local county highway department. "I built it wrong every which way," he says. "But it was a start. I ran an ad in the paper and waited for the phone to ring. After that, it was one sale at a time."

Throughout the 1980s, Mike zeroed in on making his bi-fold doors for farms and agriculture-related business. To differentiate his doors from competitors' products, Mike designed a system that relies on nylon straps rather than cables for operation. "I was familiar with farmers and what they wanted and needed because I was a farmer myself," he says. "It was a natural market for me to get into."

Opening doors to new markets

In 1990, the business took a major turn when a friend invited Mike to tag along on a trip to the Experimental Aircraft Association's annual airshow in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. "I went over and met aviation people from all over the world. I started making doors for air plane hangars and the business took off to another level."

Mike continued to develop new markets over the next two-plus decades. Truck warehouses became major customers for his doors in the mid-1990s. He also began making designer doors featuring large glass panels for shopping malls, restaurants and other commercial buildings.

Today, Mike figures about 50 percent of his business comes from the agricultural sector, while 30 percent comes from aviation. The remaining business is split between trucking facilities and the designer door market."It works well to have a variety of markets," he says. "For example, when things were turning soft in the aviation industry in 2009, things in agriculture were starting to pick up. It keeps things going along on an even keel."

A New Holland skidloader moving a jump obsticle for the Magister Equitum Stables

Schweiss skid loaders are used to maintain the cross-country equestrian course and are also used in the door factory.

Ongoing innovation

Coming up with new products is an ongoing challenge for Mike and his 60 to 70 employees. As an alternative to bi-folds, the company also offers a full line of hydraulic doors, which operate off of two cylinders rather than nylon straps. "The advantage (with the hydraulic doors compared to the bi-folds) is that they take up a little less headroom," says Mike.

Other innovations that Mike is particularly proud of include coming up with an automatic latch for his bi-fold doors and developing a do-it-yourself kit that allows customers to buy parts and components to build their own doors.

More recently, the company started a sideline enterprise to retrofit 40-foot steel shipping containers with designer doors (one on the front and one on a sidewall). The units can be used for a variety of purposes ranging from home offices to hunting cabins. "They're great for farm storage too," says Mike. "You can use them to store seed or chemicals or sprayers and other small equipment. The door makes it easy to access everything throughout the whole container."

New Holland tractors are mowing the area by the door manufacturing facility

New Holland tractors are used to mow the grounds adjacent to the door manufacturing facility.

Looking back on how his industry has evolved over the last 35 years, Mike points to the sheer size of doors as the single biggest change. "When I was just getting started in the agricultural market, a 20-foot (wide) door was pretty common. Then I pushed it to 24 feet, then 30 feet, and then 36 feet. Now a 40-foot wide by 18-foot tall door is pretty common on farms. And we're starting to see a lot of 50-footers too. Farm equipment just keeps getting bigger and bigger."

The same is true in the other indus tries Mike services. In 2015, he shipped his biggest door yet, a 94-foot x 62-foot rocket door, to Cape Canaveral, a privately-owned space exploration firm in Hawthorne, California.

"It all comes down to innovation," says Mike. "We try to make our products better every day. We're always dreaming up new ideas and trying to find a better widget."

The Magister Equitum Stables course

The Stadium Jumping arena is well-groomed before and several times during the competitions that often bring in more than 150 riders from throughout the United States and abroad.

Horse facility built

When Mike isn't thinking about doors, his attention turns to horses. He and other family members (wife, Julie; daughters Brooke, Autumn and Lark; and son, Sky) manage Magister Equitum Stables, a horse stable and training facility located on 100 acres adjacent to the door manufacturing facility. Featured on the grounds are a stable with room for 234 horses, two jumping competition stadiums, a cross country course, an RV campground, and a food stand.

Each year, the stable hosts two, two-to three-day competitions that draw in upwards of 150 horses and riders from around the U.S. "It's a lot of work," says Mike. "But it's something we can do together as a family We all really enjoy it."

some obsticles that are included with the Magister Equitum Stables

Some of the 25 or more jumps on the horse cross-country competition grounds.

Blue tractors do the work

An extensive line of New Holland equipment plays an important part in both of Mike's preferred undertakings. For the door business, Mike uses several New Holland tractors and loaders for snow removal during the winter months. He also uses the tractors to move trailers loaded with door frames between buildings at the manufacturing plant. For loading doors for shipment, he relies on four New Holland skid-steer loaders.

In the horse enterprise, Mike uses his tractor fleet, which includes two New Holland Boomer™ compact tractors for mowing grass and grooming the dirt surfaces in the stadiums. The skid loaders come in handy for moving jumps and obstacles on the cross-country course.For putting up hay on 50 acres, Mike has a New Holland windrower and small square baler.

A solid working relationship with his dealer goes a long way in explaining Mike's preference for New Holland products. "They're located about 45 minutes from here and they're absolutely great to work with," he says. "It's all about service. If we have a question, we can call them and we'll get an answer. If something needs fixing, we know they'll take care of it right away."

Magister Equitum Stables is behind the door manufacturing plant

A 230-horse stable, office, loudspeaker system, judging towers and restaurant are on-site at Schweiss Magister Equitum Stables for easy access for riders and public viewing during equestrian events.

Both a hydraulic and a bifold door are shown here

An orange semi hauling bifold doors to be put up

Photo of the Day Story

Mike Schweiss, of Hector, Minnesota, is one focused individual. Rather than devoting time and energy to a wide variety of activities and undertakings, Mike finds fulfillment in two areas of interest - doors and horses. From his point of view, everything else is pretty much a diversion. It's been that way for much of his adult life.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

Rogers, who has instrument and multi-engine ratings and a Commercial Pilot Certificate, has been flying for over a decade and for the past five years in his Piper Malibu Matrix, said he and his wife, Connie, who earned her Private Pilot Certificate this year, wanted a vacation home getaway. They especially wanted a place where they could spend time with fellow aviators and where they could live closer to their airplane. The solution to that was building a new home at Big South Airpark located in Oneida, a town in Scott County, Tennessee, less than 10 miles from the Kentucky border.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

If you want to stop in for a great meal, enjoy authentic Irish atmosphere, and choose from a selection of 36 draft Irish and English beer selections you don't have to go all the way to Ireland to do so. You'll find this all at the Blarney Stone Irish Pub in West Fargo, N.D. It features a Stone Courtyard Bar area that seats 70 people with three 19'4" x 7'11" bifold glass doors that can be opened in nice weather, rain or shine. Connected to the Courtyard is a patio area that seats another 60 people.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

He currently has a 1966 Cessna 180H on big tires; a 1975 Cessna A185F on Aerocet floats in the summer and Landes Hydraulic Wheel Skis in winter; and a 1964 PA-30 Turbo Twin Comanche.He currently has a 1966 Cessna 180H on big tires; a 1975 Cessna A185F on Aerocet floats in the summer and Landes Hydraulic Wheel Skis in winter; and a 1964 PA-30 Turbo Twin Comanche.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

From the air you can see that Green's hangar home is shaped like a big star. Green said he likes the Schweiss hydraulic doors because they operate smoothly and open up about 90 degrees. They allow his planes to go in easily and will accept even bigger planes to enter his hangar. Green is a money manager and financial advisor for Morgan Stanley in Flint, Michigan. He flies mainly for pleasure now, but over the years used his planes for business as well.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

You probably won't see a nicer looking hangar than the one owned by Daniel Coury of Queen Creek, Arizona. He's a loyal Schweiss Door customer, who over the past year or two has ordered 13 bifold hangar doors and speculates he will be ordering 22 more in the next two years for his five-acre development holding 31 box hangars; an ongoing project at Pegasus Airpark where he now has nine hangars completed. His modern steel 80 ft. x 100 ft. insulated show hangar has two Schweiss bifold liftstrap/autolach doors; a 70 ft. x 18.6 ft and a 60 ft. x 18 ft. tall.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

Rocket hangar doors are not your run-of-the-mill doors; there are a lot of specialized things associated with these doors that Schweiss Doors has to conform with. Their latest orders from the Schweiss Doors factory were installed on a new steel hangar at Cape Canaveral. The largest of the two is a Bifold Liftstrap door 90 ft. wide x 61 ft. tall. The second door on that shipment is 40 ft. wide x 69 ft. tall. Each of the doors is equipped with automatic latches and are windrated to 150 mph. After they arrived at the site they were clad in 26 guage sheeting and have 4-inch blanket insulation.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

If you need a really easy access storage unit, Schweiss Doors has the answer. These newly designed Schweiss containers are perfect for a number of uses such as safe and secure portable sheds, workshops, a mobile office, storage for farm seed and chemicals, hunting shack, band stage, food and beverage stands; it can be used for most anything you can imagine. Custom-built from the bottom up, the new Schweiss Container with hydraulic doors and specially designed cylinders for Schweiss Doors only, is unlike any other container opening system you'll run across, and it's portable.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

The Gold Coast location features a Schweiss one-piece hydraulic glass designer door which opens wide at the entrance to the outside where customers can also enjoy their dinners sidewalk style. "What's unique about the door is when it's open it creates this natural canopy. You can sit right up next to the window. So if its rainy or misting outside you get the benefit of the outside visual and still have the advantage of that outdoor/indoor feel," explained Bernstein. Once I saw this door, I was attracted to it and knew it was the right fit. I fell in love with it at first sight," said Bernstein.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

Stan Reiss got a first-hand introduction to Schweiss Doors after talking to owner Mike Schweiss at the Schweiss booth during the Oshkosh airshow in Wisconsin. He is now happy with his 54 ft. x 16 ft. one piece hydraulic Schweiss hangar door which he put on a new 60 ft. x 60 ft. steel building with 18 ft. sidewalls nearly four years ago. The door is windrated for 90 mph, has electric photo eye sensors and is equipped with an emergency drill-driven backup system and remote opener.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

Fly-in trips to Mexico and other destinations from Chandler, Arizona is a service offered by Jack McCormick of Baja Bush Pilots International (BPI). Since 1996 McCormick figures he has spearheaded groups of other pilots ranging from five aircraft to 117 planes on vacation destinations that normally most pilots would not try to accomplish on their own. On the average, 20-25 pilots accompany BPI on each destination that varies from three to 10 days.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

Bar Pods have only been in production for about a year for research and construction of prototypes. They made their debut at the Nightclub and Bar Convention last year in Las Vegas. They are a deluxe, all-inclusive, velocity service, waste reducing concession bar for beer, wine, or mixed drinks (or all three in one unit), on tap that can be adapted to customer needs. They are equipped with the TurboTap, a patented retrofit draft beer-dispensing device made from high-grade stainless steel that slips over the end of a standard U.S. beer faucet.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

Located in one of the most beautiful places on the face of the earth, Golden is near six of the most stunning National Parks Canada has to offer; Banff, Glacier, Jasper, Kootenay, Mount Revelstoke and Yoho. This place has long been well loved and well used by explorers, and even more recently for skiers and outdoor summer and winter enthusiasts. Situated at the base of the Kicking Horse Mountain Resort in the Canadian Rocky Mountains, this 3,500-square-foot residence is a gathering place for an active family of five.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

So how do you go about getting a 2,300 lb. custom-made 20' x 11' 6" bifold door up 19 floors? It takes a tall tower crane. Schweiss Doors had to meet a critical time frame so that the crane being used by Frana Companies for the apartment remodeling project could be used to lift the door to the top of the building. The bifold liftstrap door is windrated to 90 mph, and has electric photo eye sensors and had to be engineered to meet glass deflection.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

The large 93.9 ft. wide x 34.9 ft. tall bifold door installed on a new steel hangar was designed for Category 4 windload and heavier cladding. If was fitted with full safety features which included autolatches, strap tension sensors, top overrides, photo eye sensors, bottom safety edge and internal and external beacon/sounders. One dozen liftstraps, rated to carry 29,000 lbs. each, easily lift and lower the heavy 93.9 ft. all-steel frame 20,000 lb. door.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

If architecture is your vocation, why not use your skills to revamp your own hangar? That's what Dennis Yates, AIA, of YCH Architects in Concord, North Carolina decided to do when time came for it to get a new door in place. His dual purpose 40 x 60 ft hangar/storage building is big enough to house two planes with room to spare for a workshop and general-use storage for his practice. A strong Schweiss hydraulic 39 ft. x 11 ft. 4.75" custom made door is mounted to a reinforced door surround that is about 48 ft. wide at the front.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

When Belgian Airforce military personnel at Aerodrome Beauvechain needed reliable doors for their new helicopter hangars they went with the quality bifold straplift door offered by Schweiss Doors Europe in the UK. "It was a great honour to have been chosen to supply these doors to the Belgian military; they are the first Schweiss Europe has installed in Belgium despite installing hundreds of doors throughout the EU," said David Naylor, owner of Schweiss Doors Europe.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

Hower ordered a 45 ft. 11 inch x 14 ft. 11 inch Schweiss bifold liftstrap hangar door which gives him a 12 ft. 5 inch clear opening height for his Cessna 195. He learned about Schweiss bifold and hydraulic doors through various publications, but while at the Oshkosh Air Show he overheard another person comment on how he liked his Schweiss bifold liftstrap door. "The strap system is simply the only way to go and the best system by far," said Hower, a retired dentist. "I heard a man at Oshkosh tell your agent that he loved his liftstrap door. That influenced my decision.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

JT Strange and his family are in the process of building their new home alongside their just finished hangar in the Obannon Creek Aerodrome Airpark located in Goshen, Ohio. The newly-built hangar needed a big 45 ft. x 15 ft. 11" door for his Cessna 182T, which he also uses for business in nearby Milford, Ohio.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

You might say that Dr. Michael Stephens, a dentist since 1968 in Muskogee, Oklahoma, is enjoying the twilight of his profession. He also makes the most of his time off hobby hitting the race track. Racing is normally known as a young man's game, but Stephens, age 72, says he slowed down to get into a faster mode of racing - drag racing.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

John Stasny of Silverdale, Washington decided awhile back that he had enough of the four sliding doors on his hangar home. After a bunch of research, which included checking out door manufacturers, periodicals and talking to other pilots and friends he decided a Schweiss hydraulic one piece door was the only way to go.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

Irishspan Industries of Alfred, Maine bills itself as New England's Quality Source of Steel Buildings. They are fast becoming a prime installer and promoter of Schweiss hydraulic and bifold liftstrap doors as well. [Their] most recent project was modifying an existing steel hangar for Marine Home Center of Nantucket, Mass to accommodate a large Schweiss straplift bifold door.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

The architect and a project coordinator from China assigned to this lavish hotel wanted to see firsthand the workings of Schweiss Doors, so they boarded a plane in the middle of the winter to tour the Minnesota factory where their three doors were built. What they saw here, along with the information provided on the Schweiss website, reaffirmed them without a doubt that Schweiss Doors craftsmanship was up to their stringent standards.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

Fabio De Ciechi and Schweiss Doors draftsman, Brent Krzmarzick, discuss AutoCAD paper engineering door drafts for the Prado Museum in Madrid, Spain.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

House of Air is an indoor trampoline park located in a historic airplane hangar at West Crissy Field in the Presidio of San Francisco, California, not far from the Golden Gate Bridge. What used to house high-flying aircraft, now houses hundreds of energetic youth-minded people, some of whom can now exercise a different style of high flight.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

There's nothing much more frustrating than when you discover someone scratched or rubbed against your vehicle or aircraft because it was parked too close to another while in storage. This is what John Obradovich, owner of All Inside Storage of Indio, California, describes as "Hangar Rash."
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

Newmarket, Ontario, Canada is a 80,000 population town projected to grow to approximately 98,000 by 2026. Located north of the city of Toronto, it is part of the York Region and Golden Horseshoe of Southern Ontario. Due to these growing pains Newmarket was overdue for a new municipal operations building. For many years, the town of Newmarket's Public Works Services, including operations (water, roads, snow removal) and parks and property maintenance, had been operating out of three buildings at two existing facilities for years.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

Such is the case at SilverWing at Sandpoint. This unique fly-in airpark community, set between Schweitzer Ski Mountain and Lake Pend Oreille, one of the West's largest lakes in northern Idaho, spans over 18 acres adjacent to the Sandpoint, Idaho public airport. This airpark has been in development since land was purchased in 2007. Now, several years later, the airpark is ready for people to move in.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

Active organizations have a way of getting things done - done on time, done on budget and done with the help of individuals and the community they live in. The worldwide Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) has EAA Chapter 1210 of Biddeford, Maine in its ranks. Although relatively small they are non-the-less definitely an active "get it done" organization.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

Dryden, Ontario, Canada, is where the rugged beauty of Ontario meets the bright lights of city life. It is a vibrant urban community surrounded by the unsurpassed beauty of the boreal forest, freshwater lakes and spectacular vistas. The settlement was founded as an agricultural community by John Dryden, Ontario's Minister of Agriculture in 1895.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

Aviation Experts SARL is an established 15-year-old French aviation maintenance business and aerial photo survey and mapping business that services not only France and Europe but is called out to far reaching overseas locations. Its hangar and base of operations is located in Nangis, a 7,500 population commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the ÃŽle-de-France north-central region of France, approximately an hours drive south of Paris.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

The headline is a bit ambiguous, but it sure sounds good. In all actuality, there really are Schweiss Hydraulic one piece doors on the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame - they were installed there, not formally inducted, and are for functional applications, not for sporting accolades. Just the same it's still an honor for them to be in this new and long awaited sports complex where visitors from all over the world come to pay homage to their Louisiana...
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

Schweiss designer doors have gone on numerous exclusive hotels stretching from China to Europe. The latest to join this elite group is the Club Quarters Grand Central Hotel on Lexington Avenue, downtown New York City.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

Words on the Nine Fine Irishmen pub website point out: "We Didn't Just Import Irish - We Imported The Whole Damn Country." Inspired by a group of nine famous men who fought for Irish independence, to some, they were patriotic heroes. To others, traitorous rebels. But, on to the story...
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

A 60 ft. bifold door isn't the biggest door by far ever built by Schweiss Doors, but just the same it's one heck of a big door. Shane Kellogg of Forest, Ohio needed a big door like this on his farm plus three other 40 ft. doors to store his farm equipment and his award winning pulling truck and semi that he uses to haul it to shows.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

Bifold doors keep getting better thanks to Schweiss Doors. With proven Lift Straps and Auto Latches the door travels up faster and smoother. Say no to cables! Schweiss Patented Lifts Straps are the latest and greatest improvements to bifold doors that have been around for years... Bifold Doors just keep getting Better!
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

Schweiss boathouse doors have a reputation of showing up at some of the most beautiful lakes in America, but perhaps the most beautiful of them all is the 989 ft. deep Lake Tahoe which borders Nevada and California.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

What you see at the David Burroughs fourth generation farm north of El Paso, Illinois, located halfway between Cedar Rapids, Iowa and Chicago, isn't your run of the mill ordinary hangar - it has class, inside and out.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

They're long and sleek - over 60 foot long and stand 21.6 feet tall - big enough to open up for most any corporate prop or jet aircraft. Five Schweiss straplift bifold doors completed a summer order from Continental Design Build (CDBI) in Anaheim, California for new executive steel hangars they were building in Fullerton, California.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

The fun part of Skydive Midwest's operation mostly takes place the minute you go airborne to the time you step out of the jump plane and then safely land on terra firma. That's mainly what the jumpers look forward to, however there are many behind the scenes tasks that begin and end at the all-important hangar. The hangar, a place to pack parachutes, check weather and park planes; most airports can't get along without one, and wouldn't want to.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

If your heart is into aviation, and you have money, there is no end as to what you can accomplish, including building a first-class aviation museum, and filling it with some of the finest examples of World War II aircraft. That's what ethanol entrepreneur, Ron Fagen, did in his hometown of Granite Falls, Minnesota. The museum is located at Granite Falls Municipal Airport/Lenzen-Roe Memorial Field (KGDB).
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

Mills Fleet Farm, founded in 1955 by the Mills family, is a growing company with a retail chain of 34 stores in Minnesota, North Dakota, Wisconsin and Iowa. It's newest store recently celebrated its grand opening July 29, at Ankeny, Iowa - a midstate location of approximately 45,000 residents located along Interstate 35 and U.S. Route 69 approximately 10 miles north of downtown Des Moines bordering on an agricultural and suburban-based economy.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

For over 36 years, over 100,000 fans each year have flocked to the rolling hills of eastern Ohio to take part in the longest running and most popular country music festival in America. This "Country Music Capital" has hosted most of the big names coming out of Nashville and other parts of the USA. Close to 25 Country legends each year such as Merle Haggard, Reba McEntire, George Jones, Tammy Wynette, Loretta Lynn, Conway Twitty, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Boxcar Willie, and even The Beach Boys and ZZ Top, you name it, have taken to the stage there.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

The school doors are open at Edison Language Academy in Santa Monica, California. What's different at this school is not all the doors are the same, and that goes for its unique curriculum as well. Edison Language Academy is a bilingual magnet school that is one of only 10 dual-immersion K-12 programs in the United States.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

Since Greystone Construction Company of Shakopee, Minnesota was formed in 1987, earning and receiving awards has been nothing new for them - their list of national and state awards for excellence, performance and merit are enough to decorate a large office or trophy room.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

When daylight hit after the evening of Oct. 4, people living and working at the Triple U Ranch in Washta, Iowa, got an eyeful of destruction. It was on that Friday that Mother Nature decided to reorganize the countryside. Brad Utesch, who farms 2,500 acres and produces 6,000 head of cattle a year, with his brothers Craig and Kirk were faced with a massive cleanup after what more than likely was a tornado set down...
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

At certain times of the day the glass on Bruce Hamon's garage door reflects the beautiful Denver surroundings he lives in. While it allows others to see within, the big advantage is it allows him to see out as if looking through a picture window inside his home. And it adds a real touch of class to his residential property.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

Who you gonna call when you need three top of the line glass bifold straplift doors for a bike transit station in California? You have two choices. You can go directly to Schweiss Doors in Minnesota or call a company that sells and installs Schweiss Doors. That would be McKendry Door Sales & Service of Santa Fe Springs.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

Traditional Thai food has a reputation of being very spicy and hot enough to satisfy anyones taste for heat. A newly opened restaurant in Austin, Texas does that and more. Austin is a city of big flavors, but interestingly enough there are few that specialize in Thai food. That's where the long-awaited Thai Restaurant called "Sway," (meaning elevated, delicious) tops the bill.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

Fame is where you find it and in many cases others try to feed off it. Such is the case with The Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada Regional Airport, named after revered World War I flying ace William Avery "Billy" Bishop. Their hometown hero was the most highly decorated Canadian pilot of that war with 72 air victories to his credit.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

The administration at Scripps Ranch High School in San Diego, California, with the assistance of Casco Equipment Corporation and its assigned architects, knew exactly what they wanted in the four designer doors they ordered for their school. They wanted something that conformed to "green" standards and that would serve a useful classroom function as well.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

Ciudad Obregon is the second largest city in the northern Mexican state of Sonora. It is a historic and beautiful city of 405,000 population located near the Gulf of California about 395 miles north of Mazatlan and 400 miles straight south of Tucson, Arizona
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

Gene Fuchs, 81, has been taking to the air since the age of 15 and bought his first airplane four years later. He has two Schweiss Bifold hangars doors and one large 45 ft. bifold machine shed door at his farmsite east of Morgan, Minnesota. He bought his first bifold door in the 1980s and hasn't had a lick of trouble with any of them.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

Washington resident Herb Korthuis needed a tall garage door to fit his large motorhome into. A city zoning ordinance said he couldn't do it at first, but thanks to Schweiss Doors he now has a 16x12 ft. bifold door that blends into the rest of his house and neighborhood and which was OK'd by the building inspector despite its size.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

Back in 1980, Marty Kiehm, age 23 at the time, built his first structure, a 70' x 100' hangar with a 48' bifold hangar door at the Delavan, MN airport. Though not yet a licensed pilot, aviation blood was already trickling through his veins. His dad was an aerial applicator so 'flight talk' was a fairly routine part of family conversations. However following in his Dad's footprint wasn't his ambition.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

Schweiss Designer Doors don't get much better than this. Under Armour Corporation in Baltimore, Maryland ordered this very attractive and unique metal perforated hydraulic one-piece canopy door as a showpiece for their store and office building in Baltimore, Maryland . The 28' 10" wide x 12' - 140 mph windrated door features two distinctly lighted Under Armour billboard-style logos which can be seen for miles around.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

"I come here every morning at 6 a.m. I spend all day here and I enjoy every minute of it." Those words from Patrick Aucoin, Aucoin and Associates, Inc., Spring, TX. And where he comes each day is to an 84' x 84' steel hangar at the Spring, TX airfield. But what a hangar! For 14 years this spot was only a concrete slab, the only remnant from a Texas tornado that wiped out the hangar which used to set on this hunk of concrete. But not so today.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

There aren't many airports in the U.S. or abroad that have as many Schweiss Bifold Liftstrap/Autolatch hangar doors as the Oshawa, Ontario, Canada airport. In a three-phase project a total of 80 Schweiss liftstrap and autolatch bifold doors have been put onto hangars there. In just the last order alone, 34 Schweiss bifold doors ranging in size from 41.5 ft wide to 47 ft. wide gives some solid proof of their popularity among hangar owners there.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

Contemplate this description of a popular Mankato, Minnesota facility: Daycare, rehabilitation, grooming spa, spacious suites with in-floor heat, raised beds, exercise program, pool, reservations required, therapeutic laser class treatments, post operative care, hydrotherapy, kindergarten, parties and social activities.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

Extreme sports enthusiasts are a key demographic for energy drink makers, and Red Bull's new North American headquarters in Santa Monica, CA was created with that audience in mind. Among the 105,000 sq. ft. buildings many impressive design features are 40' wide by 250' long, non-functioning skateboard platform and 28' tall by 40' wide, Schweiss glass-paneled bifold door.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

Aircraft enthusiasts from more than 70 nations go to the world famous Oshkosh Air Show with their eyes to the sky. It brings in more than 10,000 aircraft and displays nearly 2,500 aircraft of all makes and sizes. Dave Sirota, President of Bassuk Brothers Property Management firm in Oro Valley, Arizona, a bedroom community adjacent to Tucson, didn't go there to look at aircraft, he had another mission in mind.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

Schweiss Doors can't take all the credit for the envy. Ryan also goes first class with the 1955 Chris Craft Continental boat that cruises in and out of his boathouse. And for those not living on this lake, known worldwide as Lake Vermilion, that's also envious.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

"New North Dallas, Teaxs Aero Country East airpark goes exclusively with Schweiss "Red Power" hydraulic one-piece hangar doors. Many Country Club amenities and 39 custom townhomes and pool on privately-owned airport add first class appeal for pilots and families
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

When you think of wallabies and kangaroos the first thing that comes to mind is Australia, "The Land Down Under." You don't have to travel that far, however, to see these marsupials, The Fall City Wallaby Ranch has 19.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

The term "mancave" has in recent times entered the American vernacular. It refers to a place where the guys can get together, lay back and talk about whatever is on their minds and solve the world problems and such over a cold one or two. Mancaves seem to be quite popular amongst football fans.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

Only about 30 miles due south of downtown Chicago and surrounded by fields of corn, soybeans, wildlife habitat and even a few tree farms sits one of the newer and more intriguing airfields in America. Called Bult Field Airport and identified as C56, this country airport however dates back to 1942 when Paul Sanger, a Monee, Illinois aviation enthusiast started his 'grass strip' air field three nautical miles southeast of town.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

That's how Opus One building's architect, Scott Johnson, described this California Napa Valley winery located between St. Helena and Napa, almost straight north of San Francisco, California. Johnson was part of the design team behind the whole footprint of the Opus One building expansion. The suggestion and actual design of the unique Schweiss bifold and hydraulic doors was recommended by Wayne Leong, of Leong Architectural firm in St Helena, CA.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

Most every contractor at heart wants to do the best job for their customer. Sometimes that means going above and beyond the call and at other times being able to offer the best product for them.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

There's nothing cheap about building anymore but this project turned out wonderfully. The Schweiss door fits perfectly. We dressed up the shop and office area with some window shutter trim. Structural Building out of Becker, MN was the contractor and they did a great job
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

It was a 70 ft. hydraulic door, very lightly built, it came in two sections that didn't meet together when they put it together. It showed up bent, and when raised it would bend, very poor weld quality, with welds missing in places. It was a piece of crap, I've never seen something so poor, there was no engineering done on it. There was no quality control.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

Jumping over the best
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

RiverEdge Park and Music Garden is a venue that not many people in the United States have heard of yet, but they will. It is becoming the centerpiece in a 10-year master plan for the city of Aurora, Illinois, that state's second largest city with a population of close to 200,000 people, making it the 112th largest city in the United States. Aurora is located about 45 miles west of Chicago and is accessible by commuter train from there.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

Since Introducing "Red Power" Hydraulic Doors to the market this Spring, sales of Schweiss Hydraulic Doors have escalated, and as a result truckload-after-truckload of ready to assemble doors have been moving out to destinations within all corners of the United States and other locations around the globe.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

This eye catching farm shop is indeed a beautiful facility. All four exterior steel walls are white, however red is the accent color around the edges of this big hydraulic door, all windows in the door, plus other access doors into this incredible building.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

Twenty-seven years as an aerial applicator provides an historical perspective each spring for Rich Sigurdson, Olivia, MN. For cantankerous 2011 he simply responded,"This spring brought in a little more work than normal. This is the latest for putting crops in the ground since I've been in the business.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

Getting 146 doors installed at one location speaks rather strongly about the quality and reliability of your door provider. But that's the current scorecard of Schweiss BiFold doors at Fort Carson, Colorado (Colorado Springs) where Mortenson Construction (Denver branch) has an ongoing contract with the U.S. Army for the construction of special heated maintenance shops called TEMFs (Tactical Equipment Maintenance Facilities). This means structures big enough for Army tanks and other special military tactical vehicles.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

I researched over a year what I wanted to do. I met Dave Schweiss at the Florida 'Fun in the Sun' air show and both Dave and Mike at the big Oshgosh, WS show. After meeting the guys and looking more closely at their product the choice was obvious. It simply was the best fit, the best design, the best door and in terms of value, the best deal.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

Here are some shots of Fagen's warbirds. All mighty nice, mint condition airplanes! Just one of many unique planes that will be on display in the New Fagen Museum. It'll be the hot spot in Granite Falls, Minnesota to see some of the most beautiful Flying machines imaginable.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

Obviously a guy doesn't spend several thousand dollars for a big hydraulic door because it opens and closes in 37 seconds. But surprisingly 'door speed' is a bit of a factor, at least for Terry Albright, Renville County farmer who also runs a fleet of 'over the road' semi rigs.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

A slick, new 75' x 80' farm shop with special lighting, in-floor heating, a huge 40' door and a burgundy and beige color scheme is getting all sorts of attention on the farm of John Dulin, Kenton, Ohio. "The contractor that sold me the building has people coming here every week it seems to check out the building and especially that big hydraulic door. So it's a real treat for me and my farming partner son Dana, to show them the works," explained Dulin, who is also maintenance manager for six school buses in their local special education district.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

Two bifold doors were on his Wayzata, Minn. home when he and his wife, Nancy, purchased it from a previous owner several years ago. He referred to the doors as "a bonus and attractive feature" and believed the architect chose the bifold style of doors for aesthetic reasons.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

The Carriage House on the lakeshore property of Sid Morris, Cornelius, NC is very likely the most unique in America! It doesn't house horses and horse buggies. It doesn't house antique autos. Instead it houses his R44 helicopter. And that chopper gets to the Carriage House by first landing on a helio pad on the end of his 200' dock. A small electrically driven dolly then gently lifts the chopper with operator then guiding the chopper to its proper stall inside this remarkable 4-star carriage house.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

At 27 years of age, film maker/artist/author Travis Wood appears to be adding architectural design to his intriguing resume. Evidence of this new dimension is a most unique structure, a combination studio/guest house that he and his father are constructing on their vacation property on Martha's Vineyard, hugging the south shore of Massachusetts.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

Hugging the southwest corner of Long Island, New York, Brooklyn's earlier identity was mostly hitched to Coney Island beach and the Brooklyn Dodgers of baseball immortality. Today the city is enjoying a renaissance of rediscovery by artists, retailers, ambitious contractors and creative landscapers including the Andre Kikoski Architect firm which just wrapped up the complete renovation of two empty, abandoned warehouse buildings on 22-28 Wyckoff Ave.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

Consolidation is that aggressive word which has been enveloping agricultural business for several years now. In simple terms, it results in fewer but bigger. And that certainly is the recent history of the farm implement business, which used to pride itself on having eight, 10, even 12 or more dealerships per county. Today three or four farm equipment dealers per county is more the usual. But ownership of farm implement stores today often includes multiple locations throughout an entire state.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

Flying since he got the bug when working the fishing canaries in Alaska, Eric Hutchins, Grand Rapids, MN, has a rather diversified agenda these days. For example he runs a year-round Dairy Queen in this bustling tourist center town. He also does some part-time law enforcement work and occasionally flies fire detection with the MN DNR. When time permits, high on his agenda is getting together with his snowmobile buddies for a few miles through the beautiful lake and woodland country of Itasca County.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

In September of 2009, we started the rehabilitation of Hanger 155 at Chippewa County International Airport in Kincheloe, MI. Our first step was to remove 60 years worth of lead paint from the existing steel substructure and miles of asbestos-containing material. When the building was safe to work in, our demolition subcontractor started on the roof system.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

It's big, 43,500 square feet. It has a special floral display unit out front courtesy of the employees and the general contractor. You walk into an 'eye catching' 100' x 160' 'Consumer Display' section complete with a 10' high shelf showcasing various John Deere 'consumer goods'. And greeting you at the retail counter is a colorful prairie scene with an old country barn, woodlots, fields of corn and wheat plus a depiction of the original 1-bottom plow that launched the John Deere machinery company. A show place of sorts? Yes, indeed.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

Well, it's all of the above for 62-year-old Daniel Shaw, a plumbing contractor at Geneva, Fla. Who has given new meaning to the term "hangar home." The structure is 50' wide x 60' deep x 30' tall, all metal/ However, a 45' x 15' Schweiss hydraulic door sporting a wrap-around porch with decorator railing, table and chairs, a "walk through" door with stylish window, and veranda "roof" gets your attention.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

Schweiss Hydraulic and Bifold Doors recently installed four new hydraulic doors at the Renville County Fairgrounds located in Bird Island, MN. The Renville County Board approached Schweiss looking for a way to open up the event building located at the county's fairgrounds. The event building is used to host live bands, beer gardens and public auctions by Henslin Auction Services. Hydraulic doors seemed like the perfect solution to open up the building and allow easy access to the building for large groups of people.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

We're no longer just selling iron. Today we're selling precision farming products and that requires special training of both our personnel and our farm customers," says Paal Haug, general manager of Haug Implement with stores at Willmar and Litchfield
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

The creativity of customers continues to be a driving force for many manufacturers. Take for example North Star Imaging, Inc., a Rogers, Minnesota manufacturer of industrial x-ray systems which are enclosed by a radiation shielding cabinet and access door and used by manufacturing firms in the aerospace, military, automotive, medical device, electronics, even the genetic seed industry and many more.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

How do you make the loading dock area for your store secure, yet still easily accessible and stylish? This Target store in North Carolina found the answer with two 39' x 17' bifold gates for their loading area. Give us your idea and we will get you the door.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

What looked like a near impossible situation without some totally new engineering design instead turned out to be a remarkable solution to an extreme challenge. The challenge? How to fit a "roof door" over a 20' by 30' sandblasting chamber used by SMS Millcraft, Oil City, PA. This firm specializes in refurbishing component parts for various Pennsylvania steel mills.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

It is rare that an Air Tractor dealership changes hands. It cant be done without an approval from Air Tractor, Inc. This requirement became all too apparent to Bill Taylor of Farm Air in Fairfield Illinois. Bill was starting to think about retiring from the business he formed in 1976. Shortly after forming Farm Air, Bill saw a need for Air Tractors in the Midwest, and approached Air Tractor about becoming a dealer. Over thirty successful years later, Bill decided it was time to sell Farm Air with its Air Tractor dealership intact.
Read More And See A Lot More

Photo of the Day Story

This custom set of Schweiss Bifold Doors was the perfect solution to provide a unique dining experience for this restaurant's patio bar customers.
Read More And See A Lot More

Footer