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McLanahan acquires Madden

HOLLIDAYSBURG – One long-time Hollidaysburg family business has purchased another.

Officials of McLanahan Corp., which was founded in 1835, said Thursday they recently completed the acquisition of the former Madden Boiler Works, founded in 1882, and its subsidiary Madden Steel Fabrication.

The purchase included a 9,000-square-foot building on Beaver Street, a 6,300-square-foot building on South Juniata Street and about six acres of land, said Pat Madden, who had served as company president and treasurer.

McLanahan’s has been leasing the Beaver Street property for at least seven or eight year for both production and storage, said Sean McLanahan, executive vice president.

“We had been talking to them for several years, and it was in our interest to acquire that building. The timing was right for both of us and Pat wanted to retire,” McLanahan said.

Madden, 90, said it was a tough decision to sell.

“It certainly was a difficult decision. I had been working there since 1938,” Madden said. “They had been interested in the buildings for years and it fit into their scheme of things. The deal sounded good for us, so we made the deal.”

Following the sale of the company, Madden ceased its former business operations and transferred about six employees to McLanahan’s manufacturing facilities. Experienced welders, assemblers and fabricators, as well as personnel working in estimating and routing have joined McLanahan.

“They were hired at the same wages and kept their benefits. None of the employees lost anything,” Madden said.

Pat Madden’s son Dave, who served as vice president and secretary, was among those joining McLanahan’s in the manufacturing production group.

“They had great people and we wanted to offer them the opportunity to join us,” McLanahan said. “From a business standpoint, it is sad to see a longtime family business go by the wayside, but I am happy we had a home for their employees. They folded right in with us.”

Madden Boiler Works was founded in 1882 by James J. Madden, who came to Hollidaysburg from Lancaster. The business distributed, installed and repaired gas, coal and oil-fired high and low pressure boilers and built and repaired smokestacks.

In the 1960s the company got out of the boiler business and turned toward fabricating steel angles, bars, beams, channels, sheets and plates and became involved in constructing steel bridges, truck bodies and all types of ornamental steel.

McLanahan Corp., now in its sixth generation of family ownership and operation, provides custom-engineered processing solutions for a variety of applications including the mineral and aggregate industries and manure management for the dairy industry. McLanahan also manufactures polymer wear parts and provides complete foundry and machining services.

Mirror Staff Writer Walt Frank is at 946-7467.

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