February 08 2021
Ulven Companies celebrate 50 years of business in 2021, growing from a Molalla shed to a global supplier.
In 1971 a young Oregon couple, Andrew and Diane Ulven, had a life-determining decision to make.
Andy had a couple of years of law school behind him, had worked in sales for a few years, and had previously worked more hands on with hot metal. Diane had a tidy savings account.
When the couple discussed their future, they decided that a life in which they were able to make their own decisions, decide their own fate, was preferable to other options before them. So they took $3,000 and purchased Molalla Iron Works, described in reminiscence as a two-man operation producing low volume products, mostly pins and repair parts, on a 500-pound Little Giant trip hammer.