--- title: A Company Passed Down, A Commitment Passed On description: A brief history McDonough Manufacturing. image: https://www.mcdonough-mfg.com/hubfs/Five%20Generations.png --- [![McDonough Manufacturing Company](https://www.mcdonough-mfg.com/hs-fs/hubfs/BID%20+%20McDonough%20logo%20horizontal.png?width=233&height=60&name=BID%20+%20McDonough%20logo%20horizontal.png "McDonough Manufacturing Company")](https://www.mcdonough-mfg.com) Open main menu Close main menu - [Home](https://www.mcdonough-mfg.com) - [Products](https://www.mcdonough-mfg.com/products) Open the submenu - [Resaws](https://www.mcdonough-mfg.com/products/resaws) - [Bandmills](https://www.mcdonough-mfg.com/products/bandmills) - [Carriages](https://www.mcdonough-mfg.com/carriages) - [Board Edgers](https://www.mcdonough-mfg.com/products/board_edger) - [Gangs](https://www.mcdonough-mfg.com/products/gang-edgers) - [Material Handling](https://www.mcdonough-mfg.com/material-handling) - [Custom Rolls](https://info.mcdonough-mfg.com/en-us/mcdonough-custom-rolls) - [Current Inventory](https://www.mcdonough-mfg.com/inventory) - [Equipment Videos](https://www.mcdonough-mfg.com/videos) - [Parts & Service](https://www.mcdonough-mfg.com/parts) Open the submenu - [Parts](https://www.mcdonough-mfg.com/parts) - [Wheels](https://info.mcdonough-mfg.com/wheels) - [Service](https://www.mcdonough-mfg.com/service) - [Specialty Services](https://www.mcdonough-mfg.com/services) - [Tips & Tricks](https://www.mcdonough-mfg.com/tips) - [Linear Bearing Saw Guide Assembly](https://info.mcdonough-mfg.com/en/linear_guide_assembly) - [Linear Edger Guide](https://info.mcdonough-mfg.com/en/linear_edger_guide_download_page) - [Our Story](https://www.mcdonough-mfg.com/about) Open the submenu - [Projects](https://www.mcdonough-mfg.com/projects) - [Blog](https://www.mcdonough-mfg.com/blog) - [Careers](https://www.mcdonough-mfg.com/careers) - [Contact Us](https://www.mcdonough-mfg.com/contact) # A Company Passed Down, A Commitment Passed On [Jenna Kennedy](https://www.mcdonough-mfg.com/blog/author/jenna-kennedy) [Share this blog post on Twitter ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=I+found+this+interesting+blog+post&url=https://www.mcdonough-mfg.com/blog/a-company-passed-down-a-commitment-passed-on) [Share this blog post on Facebook ](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://www.mcdonough-mfg.com/blog/a-company-passed-down-a-commitment-passed-on) [Share this blog post on LinkedIn ](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://www.mcdonough-mfg.com/blog/a-company-passed-down-a-commitment-passed-on) ![](https://www.mcdonough-mfg.com/hubfs/Five%20Generations.png) In 1888, Wisconsin’s pine forests were still vast and largely untouched. Towns were growing, sawmills were multiplying, and lumber was essential to building homes and communities across the country. Eau Claire had the rivers and the timber. What it needed was dependable equipment to turn those logs into usable lumber.   ![Frank McDonough-1](https://www.mcdonough-mfg.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Frank%20McDonough-1.jpg?width=232&height=300&name=Frank%20McDonough-1.jpg)That is where McDonough Manufacturing Company began. The company was founded in 1888 by Frank McDonough Sr., an engineer with a strong reputation and deep connections in the sawmill industry. From the start, the goal was not simply to sell machinery; it was to build equipment that worked in real mill conditions and to earn the trust of the people who relied on it every day.       Frank McDonough Sr. **1922: A Turning Point** By the early 1920s, the company faced serious financial challenges. In 1922, John M. Kildahl came in with a very different assignment than building new machines. His task was to liquidate the company. John was Sue Tietz’s grandfather. Instead of shutting the doors, he chose to fight for the business. He reduced overhead, halted unprofitable ventures, and returned the focus to the core equipment that customers depended on. During the Great Depression, when times were at their toughest, he worked outside accounting jobs and contributed a portion of his earnings back to McDonough while his salary went unpaid. That decision set the tone for generations to come. The company would not walk away when things got difficult - it would regroup, tighten up, and protect the trust it had built. **The Next Generation Steps In** In the mid 1930s, John’s sons, Jack and Fred Kildahl, came on board. Jack was Sue’s father and Matt’s grandfather. They grew up inside the company, learning it from the shop floor up. Under their leadership, McDonough continued refining its band mills and resaws and strengthening its reputation for durability and practical design. The company did not chase trends, rather it improved what worked and listened to mill owners. In 1966, Sue began working full time at McDonough after graduating from high school. At the same time, she started college, putting in her working hours after classes on weekdays and weekends. She learned the business hands on, not from a distance. That early involvement shaped how she would later lead. When Sue’s father, Jack, passed away in 1990, Sue and her sister became owners of the company. Five years later, in 1995, Sue negotiated sole ownership, continuing the family’s stewardship of the business. Through every transition, the priority remained the same: protect the company’s integrity and serve customers responsibly. ![McDonough Manufacturing John & Jack Kildahl 1](https://www.mcdonough-mfg.com/hs-fs/hubfs/McDonough%20Manufacturing%20John%20%26%20Jack%20Kildahl%201.png?width=371&height=278&name=McDonough%20Manufacturing%20John%20%26%20Jack%20Kildahl%201.png) **Learning From the Shop Floor** In 1995, Matt Tietz graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire. Before stepping into leadership, he started in the shop. He worked in the assembly area, gaining first hand understanding of the equipment and the people building it. After putting in that time, he moved into the office and became Vice President of Sales. That progression was intentional. Leadership at McDonoughhas never been about titles first. It has been about understanding the product, respecting the workforce, and earning the confidence of customers. Today, Matt continues that generational responsibility, guiding the company with the same long term mindset that began in 1888. ![IMG_Sue_Matt 1 3rd and 4th generation owners](https://www.mcdonough-mfg.com/hs-fs/hubfs/McDonoughManufacturing_April2020/Images/IMG_Sue_Matt%201%203rd%20and%204th%20generation%20owners.jpg?width=317&height=423&name=IMG_Sue_Matt%201%203rd%20and%204th%20generation%20owners.jpg)Matt and Sue Tietz at the facility in Eau Claire. **Growing Carefully, Serving Better** Over more than a century, McDonough has seen economic swings, industry downturns, and market shifts. In 2008, when new orders declined sharply, the company worked hard to maintain stability. Difficult decisions were made, but the focus remained on continuity and protecting the company’s future. In 2017, McDonough expanded into Canada, opening a manufacturing facility in New Brunswick to increase capacity and better serve customers. In 2023, the company strengthened that presence by acquiring BID Canada Ltd. and relocating Canadian operations to Woodstock, New Brunswick. The expansion was not about growth for its own sake. It was about serving customers more completely by integrating bulk material handling with McDonough’s long standing expertise in sawmill machinery. ![BID Canada 8](https://www.mcdonough-mfg.com/hs-fs/hubfs/BID%20Canada%208.jpg?width=355&height=266&name=BID%20Canada%208.jpg)VP Hugh Hawley and Owner Matt Tietz upon acquiring BID Canada. **What Has Stayed the Same** When you look at the timeline, it is easy to see more than dates and names. What stands out is continuity. Each generation stepped induring moments that mattered. Each one protected the company’s reputation and strengthened its foundation. Putting customers first has never been a slogan at McDonough. It has meant building equipment that performs in demanding environments, and managing the business responsibly so it remains stable and dependable. And it has also meant passing leadership from one generation to the next with the understanding that trust takes decades to earn and only moments to lose. From Frank McDonough to John and Jack Kildahl to Sue and now Matt Tietz, the story has remained remarkably consistent. Build it well. Stand behind it. Be here for the long haul. And after more than 137 years, that commitment still guides everything we do.   ### Leave a Comment ## Related Articles [![](https://www.mcdonough-mfg.com/hubfs/Screenshot%202025-04-25%20114431.png) ](https://www.mcdonough-mfg.com/blog/gates-milling) [Team McDonough](https://www.mcdonough-mfg.com/blog/tag/team-mcdonough) ### [Inside Gates Milling: Three Generations of Craft, Care, and Continuous Growth](https://www.mcdonough-mfg.com/blog/gates-milling) Before we get into the exciting work we’ve been doing with Gates Milling, we want to take a step back and talk about the people behind the name—and why we’re so proud to... 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[Bob Bell](https://www.mcdonough-mfg.com/blog/author/bob-bell) [Read More](https://www.mcdonough-mfg.com/blog/jones-lumber) #### Products - [Resaws](https://www.mcdonough-mfg.com/products/resaws) - [Bandmills](https://www.mcdonough-mfg.com/products/bandmills) - [Carriages](https://www.mcdonough-mfg.com/carriages) - [Board Edgers](https://www.mcdonough-mfg.com/products/board_edger) - [Gangs](https://www.mcdonough-mfg.com/products/gang-edgers) - [Material Handling](https://www.mcdonough-mfg.com/material-handling) - [Current Inventory](https://www.mcdonough-mfg.com/inventory) - [Sterling Drill Grinder](https://www.mcdonough-mfg.com/sterling-drill-grinder) #### Parts & Service - [Parts Request](https://www.mcdonough-mfg.com/parts) - [Service Request](https://www.mcdonough-mfg.com/service) - [Specialty Services](https://www.mcdonough-mfg.com/services) #### Our Story - [The McDonough story since 1888](https://www.mcdonough-mfg.com/about) - [Work at McDonough](https://www.mcdonough-mfg.com/careers) - [McDonough on the Map](https://www.mcdonough-mfg.com/map) ### Sign up for our newsletter. 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