LEE SACKETT
Two-Cylinder Club
Technical Council Representative
Lee Sackett, Founder and President, started his
career as an industrial engineer at the Case/IH
plant in Fargo, North Dakota. 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, Minnesota. 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 2005, the company built a new shop on
the Ellendale hobby farm. In 2006, the company
added a second location. The Waltham, Minnesota,
shop, located approximately 20 miles from Ellendale,
is a former IH dealership building. Today, the company
has finished over 200 restoration projects, including
many corporate projects from Deere &
Company and The Toro Company. Lee has surrounded
himself with more than 15 professionals to
assist with the various facets of the company. This diverse
workforce enables Lee J. Sackett, Inc. to tackle
almost any project. |