As founder and president of LaValley Industries, I am often asked, "How did you come up with the idea for the DECKHAND?"  It is a story that I love to share as it speaks not just to the invention of the DECKHAND but to the overall spirit of our company.

I spent the majority of my early adulthood working in the directional drilling industry.  I started out as a general laborer; slinging bags of mud around and eventually, worked my way up to be the Superintendent of my own crew.  On job-sites, my crew and  I often worked as human "deckhands" loading and unloading drill pipe.

Over the years, I witnessed numerous accidents as workers performed this dangerous work; resulting in broken hands, broken legs, pinched fingers, etc. I kept asking myself, "Why don't we have better tools to do this basic job?"  I could never understand why we were working in the 20th century with 19th century technology. One dark night, my crew and I found ourselves on a particularly difficult job. It was raining and there was mud everywhere. We were performing our usual duty as human 'deckhands' when a pipe rack support gave way and one of my crew members caught his leg between the pipes; crushing his ankle.

When I got back to my hotel later that night, I sat down and sketched out the original design drawing of what would one day become the 'DECKHAND' and the rest... is still making history.

1876 23rd Street Southeast, Bemidji, MN 56601

In the Beginning...

Yesterday...

Today!

Evolution

of the DECKHAND