Crafted in Western Kansas. Shipped Worldwide. Local Manufacturers Go Global.

Semi-trailers. Table lamps. Hydraulic Cylinders. Farm Equipment. Manufacturers across western Kansas have gone global thanks to a razor-sharp focus on quality, design, and customer service. 

That proud legacy is just one of the reasons why the Western Kansas Rural Economic Development Alliance (WKREDA) is tipping its hat to all our local makers during October’s Manufacturing Month. 

It’s also a reminder that being rural doesn’t mean you can’t have a worldwide reach. 

We’d like to tell you about some of the businesses that do just that. 

Global Manufacturing Businesses in Rural Kansas

Wilkens Manufacturing: Stockton

Wilkens Manufacturing has always been a Kansas business. 

President Steve Milkens’ father founded the business in 1973. It started in Goodland, Kansas. Went to Osborne. Then came to Brooks County in 1995, growing to include locations in Pennsylvania, Texas, and Minnesota. 

Stockton is where they build their semi-trailers today, in a cavernous, 116,000 sq. ft, metal building with an American flag flying proudly, just beyond the front door. They’re located smack dab between I-80 and I-70, the perfect spot to receive parts, ship parts, and welcome folks inside to check them out. 

Fifty-one years in the biz. Making self-unloading trailers, the fastest in the market, that unload in one minute. Belt trailers. Walking floor trailers. They also build tarps. Tarps that will be purchased by customers all across the state. All across America, too. They’ve even shipped to Australia and New Zealand. 

They employ around 80 people. A lot of them are long-term. One has been there for 40 years. Another has been there for 30 years. And more than a few employees have been there for 20-plus years. Milkens will tell you that their work ethic is super. 

Building. Service. Parts. Tarps. Consider it your one-stop trailer shop. 

Palmer Hargrave Lighting: Plainville

Their lighting fixtures are found in high-end stores across the country. Dallas, Denver, New York, L.A. Handcrafted designs forged in solid brass in almost a dozen finishes from Matte Black Brown to Chrome. Table lamps. Floor lamps. Sconces. Chandeliers. Everything, a work of art. 

The story of Palmer Hargrave began in Los Angeles. Back in the 1930s, a hard-working family man named Palmer “Jack” Hargrave created lighting fixtures for the Los Angeles Union Station. By 1946, he launched his namesake company and soon, his designs found their way into virtually every designer's showroom in America. It was handcrafted luxury at its finest. Following his death in 1975, the company continued on with the family at the helm, was later acquired, and eventually closed in 2019. 

That’s when former employees Chris and Kelli Hansen stepped in. They acquired the legendary lighting company, and operations resumed once again. 
Hand tooled, made to order. Lighting designed with a human touch that machines only dream of replicating. A “Legacy of Lighting” 75 years in the making. Proudly made in Plainville, Kansas. 

Midway Manufacturing: Kinsely

Taking pride in being a dependable business and serving its customers with excellence has been the backbone of Midway Manufacturing for the past 50 years.

The shop in Kinsely, Edwards County, began when the late Ralph Woolard and his son, the late Dan Woolard, teamed up with Mike Schnoebelen to fulfill a dream. They not only wanted to build hydraulic cylinders, they wanted to improve them, too. Today, three local men are carrying on that legacy: Steve Habiger, Darren Bowman, and Chris Sexton, who together have almost 100 years of experience working at Midway.

In 2021 alone, Midway produced 1,500 of its iconic, red cylinders each week, thanks in part to the acquisition of Carlson Hydraulics LLC in Wichita a few years earlier. And although Habiger, Bowman, and Sexton are at the helm, it’s a dedicated team of skilled employees who embody the iconic Midwestern work ethic who keep operations humming.

Once finished, Midway’s cylinders are packed up and shipped out for worldwide distribution. But that’s not even the best part. Happy, local customers are known for sending cookies their way.

Cross Manufacturing, Inc.: Lewis

With over 75 years of history, Cross Manufacturing, Inc. proudly continues its legacy as a family-owned American manufacturer. The company was founded in 1949 by James H. Cross and his brother Charles, inspired by the power and efficiency of hydraulic systems James observed while serving in World War II.

Starting with sketches on a napkin and working out of a small barn near Lewis, Kansas, the Cross brothers developed their first product, the agricultural tie rod cylinder, which quickly gained traction among both farmers and implement manufacturers.

As demand grew, so did the company. What began as a small-town operation rapidly expanded to include facilities in Pratt and Hays, Kansas. Today, Cross specializes in a wide range of fluid power components, including hydraulic cylinders, valves, pumps, motors, and adapters. All manufacturing facilities are ISO 9001 certified and were among the early participants in OSHA’s SHARP program, reflecting Cross’s enduring commitment to quality, safety, and continuous improvement.

Now led by John H. Cross, son of the founder, the company remains grounded in its core values of integrity, dependability, and stewardship. With a mission to "glorify God by helping feed the world physically and spiritually," Cross continues to support both agricultural and industrial markets across the U.S. and internationally.

From farm fields in the Midwest to vineyard equipment in California, Cross produces high-quality, American-made products that help move, build, and nourish the world.
 

Do You Want to Start a Business in Rural Kansas?

Those are just a handful of manufacturing businesses located in Western Kansas. Do you dream of being one of them? 

Whether you’re bouncing around the idea of launching your own business or are ready to expand, WKREDA has multiple resources and non-traditional financing options for our local entrepreneurs to tap into. 

We encourage you to drop us a line. Email. Call. Just let us know how we can serve you.