Would you like to buy a four-door truck for $180? How about a semi truck for $225? Maybe a stock trailer for $150? Those prices can’t be real, so you must know that I’m just toying with you.
Today we’ll meet an innovative Kansas company that has diversified its product line to include miniature-sized trucks and farm equipment — toys that are being shipped coast to coast and beyond.
Larry and Teresa Goodwin are owners of Goodwin Industries in Burns. One of the company’s product lines is Goodwin Miniatures.
Larry grew up near Burns. He worked with his father, Ron Goodwin, who we previously profiled years ago. Ron produced a line of smokers for cooking meat.
“I learned the skill of welding from my dad,” Larry said. While in high school, he attended tech school in Emporia. Larry opened his own welding shop in Burns and did the manufacturing of the smokers that his father was selling.
In 2006, Ron retired and sold the smoker line. Larry’s business is now known as Goodwin Industries.
Goodwin Industries produces several products in addition to doing custom metal work. They now build another model of the family smoker. The company makes a corn header sweep to go on a combine to help with corn harvest. “We do custom work for individuals and other companies,” Larry said.
