Highway Equipment Co. Celebrates 75th Anniversary
Highway Equipment Company (HECO), the manufacturer of Hi-Way road maintenance equipment and New Leader crop nutrient applicators, celebrates its 75th anniversary in 2014.

Highway Equipment Company (HECO), the manufacturer of Hi-Way road maintenance equipment and New Leader crop nutrient applicators, celebrates its 75th anniversary in 2014.
The company was founded in 1939 by Roy Gaddis. Since its inception, HECO has maintained one goal: to build the best. The first products were highway sand spreaders, which consisted of a hopper and hand-operated spinner system. Soon after, HECO manufactured the first New Leader product, a motorized sled. As the company grew and demands changed, HECO expanded its product lines to leverage changes in technology and to meet new expectations.
Today, HECO continues to manufacture the Hi-Way line, which includes a variety of spreaders, dump bodies, and deicing equipment for the municipal, state DOT, and contractor markets. The New Leader product line includes agricultural crop nutrient applicators for spreading fertilizer, lime, compost, and micronutrients on a variety of crops for the commercial and professional grower markets. The family-owned company is currently operated by president and CEO, Rocki Shepard, and chairman, Matt Rissi.
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