About Us

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Our dedication to craftsmanship stems from our roots in Southern Minnesota. We strive to deliver the highest level of quality in keeping with the tenets of the craftsman movement of our predecessors.
 

The History of Lee J. Sackett, Inc.

Lee Sackett, Founder and President, started his career as an industrial engineer at the Case/IH plant in Fargo, ND. He was later recruited and spent time as the production manager at an SPX plant in Northwest Ohio before moving back to Minnesota and taking a job in Owatonna with a different company. The week after he started that job, he and his wife purchased the hobby farm where they still live near Ellendale, MN. In February of 2002, Lee's position was eliminated. He immediately had an idea to purchase another antique tractor to restore and sell in order to help fund his job search. Within a week, he had a tractor in the shop. In April, 2002, Lee had the finished tractor on display at the LeSueur County Pioneer Power Swap Meet. There, two individuals saw this tractor and asked Lee if he would restore theirs. Over the course of the summer, Lee and his wife, Shannon, worked on these tractors and picked up a few more projects. As the business grew, several key expansions took place. In 2005, the company built a new shop on the Ellendale hobby farm. In 2006, the company added a second location. The Waltham, MN shop, located approximately 20 miles from Ellendale, is a former IH dealership building. In 2016, the company purchased an adjacent property to the Waltham shop, adding over 5000 square feet of additional workspace.

Today, the company has finished over 600 restoration projects, including many corporate projects from Deere and Company, The Toro Company, Hagie Sprayers, The Donaldson Company, and Graco, Inc. Lee has surrounded himself with more than 15 professionals to assist with the various facets of the company. This diverse workforce enables Lee J. Sackett, Inc. to tackle almost any project. While antique tractor restoration continues to be the largest segment of the business, the team also restores vehicles, stationary engines, pop machines, gas pumps, performs service on agricultural equipment from skid loaders to combines, services lawn and garden equipment, and sells new and used tractor parts. Their proven processes pave the way for consistently exceptional results on every project.