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Tom Boal will lead the company, which is headquartered in Columbus, Neb.

Curt Arens, Editor, Nebraska Farmer

December 6, 2021

2 Min Read
Behlen Manufacturing Co., headquartered in Columbus, Neb.
HEADQUARTERS: Behlen Manufacturing Co., headquartered in Columbus, Neb., will be headed by new president Tom Boal,. Behlen was founded by Walter D. Behlen in 1936. Photos courtesy of Behlen

Behlen Manufacturing Co., headquartered in Columbus, Neb., recently announced that Tom Boal has accepted the role of company president.

“I am honored and grateful to be given the opportunity to become the president of Behlen, a position I will not take for granted,” Boal said in a news release. “My goal in leading Behlen is to build on the foundation and strategic direction to continue our great relationships resulting in helping customers grow, so we can grow.”

Boal began his career with Behlen in June 2018, when he served as president of the Behlen Building Systems division. He was elected to the Behlen board of directors in August.

According to the news release, Boal has proven to be a strategic and innovative leader who energizes his team. He has demonstrated the ability to create a vision and drive change through forward-thinking solutions, streamlining processes, improving quality and strengthening customer service.

In making this decision, Chairman Emeritus TR Raimondo noted, “Tom is a key member of our leadership team and success, and we are confident in selecting him as president of Behlen. Behlen culture is built on the foundation put in place through our Global Values and Basic Beliefs, which is important to our Partners in Progress [employees]. Tom supports maintaining this culture at Behlen.”

Boal earned his MBA from the Jack Welch Management Institute at Strayer University, graduating with honors as a Welch scholar. He has a bachelor’s degree in agricultural engineering from Iowa State University.

Boal is slated to become chairman of the Metal Building Manufacturers Association board for 2022. He is a member of American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, and the National Society of Professional Engineers.

In addition, a team of TR Raimondo and Lyle Burbach, senior vice president, now serve as Office of the CEO, while Tony Raimondo Jr., CEO of Hilton International Industries, serves as chairman of the board.

Behlen is a metal manufacturer with diverse business units, including Behlen Country, which manufactures livestock equipment; Behlen Building Systems; Trident Building Systems; Behlen International and Diversified Products; Behlen Technology and Manufacturing; Hilton International Industries; and BMC Transportation.

According to behlenmfg.com, the company was founded in 1936 by Walter D. Behlen in his Columbus garage. The company’s first products were steel toe caps for work shoes and clamps for wooden egg crates.

In 1950, Behlen broadened the company’s product line, offering grain bins and dryers, along with self-framing building systems known as S-Span. Behlen was sold to Wickes Corp. in 1969.

In 1982, TR Raimondo joined the company as general manager. After a major change in the grain industry in 1984, Raimondo led a management buyout and returned the company to local ownership that is still in place today.

Behlen Manufacturing Co. contributed to this article.

About the Author(s)

Curt Arens

Editor, Nebraska Farmer

Curt Arens began writing about Nebraska’s farm families when he was in high school. Before joining Farm Progress as a field editor in April 2010, he had worked as a freelance farm writer for 27 years, first for newspapers and then for farm magazines, including Nebraska Farmer.

His real full-time career, however, during that same period was farming his family’s fourth generation land in northeast Nebraska. He also operated his Christmas tree farm and grew black oil sunflowers for wild birdseed. Curt continues to raise corn, soybeans and alfalfa and runs a cow-calf herd.

Curt and his wife Donna have four children, Lauren, Taylor, Zachary and Benjamin. They are active in their church and St. Rose School in Crofton, where Donna teaches and their children attend classes.

Previously, the 1986 University of Nebraska animal science graduate wrote a weekly rural life column, developed a farm radio program and wrote books about farm direct marketing and farmers markets. He received media honors from the Nebraska Forest Service, Center for Rural Affairs and Northeast Nebraska Experimental Farm Association.

He wrote about the spiritual side of farming in his 2008 book, “Down to Earth: Celebrating a Blessed Life on the Land,” garnering a Catholic Press Association award.

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