1920

Baldwin Supply Company was founded under the firm name of Baldwin Service Company by James Clark Rowett in 1920. The original location was a small room at 428 South 5th Street in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The second location was at 510 Fifth Avenue South, and the third in the Sexton Building at Seventh St. and Portland Avenue. At one time the company was also known as The Baldwin Duckworth Chain Corporation.

1941

Robert Nyrop and Robert Groen became owners of the company in 1941 and managed it until their deaths in July and December 1990, respectively. Both Nyrop and Groen spent most of their adult lives in the Power Transmission field with Baldwin Supply Company. Bob Groen, who came from Parkston, SD, started with the firm in 1936 as a shipping clerk. Robert "Dick" Nyrop, a Minneapolis native, joined the company in the same capacity the following year. In 1941, they, along with James Craighead and William Haag, became owners of the business. Their business careers were temporarily interrupted; Groen served in the Air Force and Nyrop in the Army, from 1942 until the end of the war. So it was actually 1946 before they really got going as heads of the business. During this time Haag had sold his interest to his partners and in 1961 Groen and Nyrop became sole owners through the purchase of Craighead's interest.

1951

Baldwin Supply purchased a two-story building at 1329 S. Sixth St. where it served its customers for 14 years.

1965

Baldwin Supply moved to its current corporate location at 601-11th Ave South in Minneapolis. This is the fifth home of Baldwin Supply Company. Operations have expanded from this location in Minneapolis to now include eight locations.

1992

In September 1992, David LaRue purchased the company from the estates. Under his leadership, Baldwin Supply Company has been on a steady growth curve.

1995

Baldwin became a member-owner of IDC-USA, the largest cooperative for industrial power transmission products in the U.S. After a successful 20-year tenure with IDC, Baldwin resigned in 2015 and became a founding member with Affiliated Distributors.

1998

Baldwin opened its first branch location in Owatonna, MN.

2000

Baldwin opened its second branch outside of Minnesota in Fargo, North Dakota.

2001

Baldwin built a new building and opened its branch in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

2003

In 2003, Baldwin opened a location in Hibbing, MN. Also in 2003, Baldwin acquired Arrowhead Belt Company, a conveyor belt installation, and service company, in Hibbing, MN.

2005

In 2005, Baldwin began offering millwright services through our Conveyor Services division, also located in Hibbing MN.

2006

Baldwin Automation and Controls is launched in November 2006.

2006

The acquisition of Leader Bearing Supply in Des Moines, Iowa, continues our focus on growth and providing the best in local support for our customers.

2006

In 2006, Light Weight Belting Company was acquired and merged into Baldwin Belting, expanding our product offering into light weight belt.

2009

Herem and O’Connor promoted to lead Baldwin. Ron Herem was named President and Jim O'Connor Executive VP. Owner Dave LaRue transitioned to CEO.

2013

Baldwin Supply announces its expansion into St. Cloud, Minnesota, with the opening of a 3,000-square foot branch office and warehouse. The facility, located at 3900 Roosevelt Road, Suite 106, is the company’s eighth location in the Upper Midwest.

2015

Baldwin Supply Company announced in February 2015 that they will become a founding distributor member of the Affiliated Distributors (AD) Bearings & Power Transmission Division.

AD is a dynamic community of independent distributors and manufacturers of construction and industrial products. AD’s 540+ independently owned members, with 3,598 locations, span seven industries and three countries with collective annual sales in excess of $31 Billion. AD distributors are local market leaders with deep roots in their local communities, great people and strong customer relationships.

AD members are true market leaders dedicated to the pursuit of excellence and growth. AD Suppliers are progressive manufacturers who value independents and invest in their growth and profitability. When truly great companies come together, the result is above-market growth and above market profitability.

2015

On October 12th, 2015 Baldwin Supply Company announced its expansion into western Wisconsin with the opening of a 10,000-square foot branch office and warehouse in Eau Claire. The facility, located at 1001 Harris Street, is the company’s ninth location in the Upper Midwest and will serve a number of communities in western Wisconsin, including Eau Claire, La Crosse, Menomonie, Chippewa Falls, Wausau, Black River Falls, and Rice Lake.

2015

Rob LaRue was promoted to COO and became a third-generation owner. Rob officially joined Baldwin Supply Company in June of 2010. He now is an owner with his father Dave LaRue and follows in the footsteps of his Grandfather Robert Nyrop.

2017

Ron Herem and Rick Raymond, two long-time key employees officially retired from Baldwin Supply in 2017. Both Ron and Rick made a lasting impact on Baldwin Supply that will always be remembered.

Ron Herem worked at Baldwin Supply for 23 years. Herem joined Baldwin in 1995 as a sales manager. Soon after, he added marketing manager to that title and in 2000 he was named vice president of marketing. In 2009, Herem was promoted to president and served in that role for 8 years. He was instrumental in the creation of the Bearing and Power Transmission division for Affiliated Distributors. Baldwin Supply became a founding member of AD B&PT in 2015. In 2017 Herem transitioned into a President Emeritus role as Rob LaRue took over as company president. Along with Rob becoming president in 2017, several other key additions were made to the management team in that time frame.

Rick Raymond worked at Baldwin Supply for 45 years. He started his career in 1972 in the warehouse at Baldwin Supply-Minneapolis, he would go on to customer service, outside sales, belt manager, and spent the last couple of decades as the VP of IT. Rick's unparalleled industry knowledge and loyalty to Baldwin Supply will be greatly missed.

2018

Baldwin Supply opens new branch in Appleton, WI


Baldwin Supply Company has announced its expansion into eastern Wisconsin with the opening of a 12,000-square-foot facility outside of Appleton. The facility, located at W6390 Quality Drive in Greenville, WI, is the company’s 10th location in the Upper Midwest and will serve a number of communities in eastern Wisconsin, including the Fox Cities of Appleton, Kaukauna, Menasha, and Neena


2019

Exciting changes are happening at Baldwin Supply Company including moving and expanding the St Cloud Branch in early 2019 to a bigger and better new building!

Additionally, AD, the contractor and industrial products wholesale buying/marketing group, announced a merger with IDC-USA. This merger brings together the two largest independent Bearings & Power Transmission buying/marketing groups in the United States. IDC-USA adds 76 new members with 250 branch locations to the AD family, as well as redistribution centers in Indiana and Nevada and 27 employees.

2020

2020 marks Baldwin Supply Company’s 100th year in business. The past century has been a true testament to the vision our founders pursued 100 years ago in the one-room storefront in Minneapolis and the same ambition that our team possesses today.

We are incredibly proud of this achievement, and also very humbled by the fact that few companies reach this major milestone. We owe our longevity and success to the suppliers, customers, employees & communities we have worked with over the years. These 100 years are dedicated to all of you who were a part of our journey.

2021

Baldwin's Belting Division completes purchase and renovation of a 50,000 sq ft facility in Fridley, MN. The facility, located at 5261 Ashton AVE NE will serve as the company’s primary conveyor belt fabrication facility and will replace their Minneapolis Belt shop location

Baldwin Supply opened a new branch location in Marshall, Minnesota!

At the end of 2021, Baldwin Supply announced its expansion into southwestern Minnesota by opening a new branch location in Marshall, Minnesota. This office is located at 901 Michigan Road and is Baldwin’s 11th branch location in the Upper Midwest. This extension allowed for an expansion of products and services to the southwestern region of Minnesota to help customers meet challenges and grow their operations.