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Sterling Machinery Company Inc. opened its doors in 1971 with 3 employees in the small community of Opal, AR. It was owned by Rex and Marion Martin, who had moved to Mena from Shreveport, LA to semi-retire. Bob, their son, joined Sterling in 1973 after marrying his wife, Wendy.
The Martins’ then small operation began to grow. By 1976, they purchased their first CNC lathe. The business was continuing to grow when Bob and Wendy purchased the business from Bob’s father and moved to its present location in Mena.
In 1985, Montgomery Elevator offered to purchase Sterling Machinery with Bob continuing to act as manager. The operation soon grew to 75 employees which is the approximate size it is today.
KONE Elevator, one of the world’s largest elevator and escalator manufacturers, purchased Montgomery Elevator in 1992 making Sterling a subdivision of KONE. Bob continued in his role as President and CEO until 2005 when KONE asked the Martins’ if they would be interested in purchasing back the company. Bob and Wendy decided this would be an opportunity to go back to being a family owned business and jumped at the chance.
“Here at Sterling, we pride ourselves as being the best value add machine shop in the Southwest. With the wide range of experience and talent, the future is always looking bright.” – Bob Martin
“All 75 employees work together as a team and a family to provide quality machined products, and we will continue to grow and succeed as a family.” – Wendy Martin
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