It all began with farming. In 1946, after serving in World War II as a Marine, Robert B. Daugherty began looking for a good business opportunity...and found one. Daugherty recognized the potential of a small manufacturing company owned by an inventor named Sam McCleneghan. After careful consideration, he invested virtually his entire life savings – $5,000 – in the company. The company, which was situated on a farm just west of Valley, Nebraska, was named Valley Manufacturing and began by building farm elevators. In 1967, the name of the company was changed to Valmont Industries, Inc., to avoid confusion with other companies using Valley in their name. The name Valmont is a combination of two Nebraska communities located on either side of the first Valmont plant...Valley and Fremont.
