Hall Manufacturing Inc.

Robert Hall Sr. hurt his back while operating a water well venture in south Arkansas more than 30 years ago. The injury led him to sell his interest in the partnership and search for a new business to buy.

A tip from his father resulted in the 1969 acquisition of G.L. Turner Co. “I said, man, this is just what I’m looking for,” Hall said.

The historic enterprise, founded on selling horse-drawn farm implements in 1927, had advanced to selling large rotary mowers.

After Hall entered the ownership picture, the company began making its own parts and products as a way to boost profits.

Sales that first year tallied $119,000. Back then, the employee roster numbered two – including Hall.

Last year, revenue topped $6 million, with a crew of 54 working out of a 73,000-SF facility in North Little Rock. The company has expanded its line from a lone five-foot industrial mower to eight different models as big as 20 feet wide.

Sales to highway departments across the central, southeast and northeast United States supply its core revenue. Hall attributes the company’s growth to word-of-mouth marketing from happy customers.

Hall Manufacturing is able to offer a superior product at a lower price by keeping overhead low and manufacturing techniques lean, he said.

Robert Hall Jr. joined the business in 1991, and the venture was renamed Hall Manufacturing. Hall Sr. credits his son, who is running things now, with leading the growth.

Hall Manufacturing rolled out a distributorship program in 2002 that has given the company national exposure.

The company is in the process of buying another Arkansas firm that Hall expects will add 15-20 employees and further expand its products and sales.