Siouxland Magazine - Volume 2 Issue 2

was purchased for the construction of the Veterans
Memorial Bridge in 1978. Their move to 501 W 9th in
South Sioux City continues to be the current location.
By this time, Harold’s son, Terry McArthur, had become
an employee of the business – beginning the first
generational transition. When Harold died in 1983
the business was 51% owned by Terry. Terry would
eventually buy out his brothers. Terry has two sons,
Dave and Bill, who grew up around the business. Dave
remembers he and his brother playing on the dirt piles
and writing their names in the concrete as the business
was moved and buildings went up. “We played hide
and seek in the shop a lot as kids.” Dave recalls, “This
is where I grew up. “ By 1986, Dave had begun working
part-time in the shop on weekends and in the summer,
learning first-hand what the business entailed by
working alongside his father and others.
Custom creation by McArthur’s
Siouxland Magazine | Inspire /27
In 1987, he made his way to Arizona to study mechanical
drafting, was drawn home after graduation, and
returned to full-time employment at the family business
in 1992. He entered into a 4-year apprenticeship
learning every aspect of the business and around
1997 became the shop foreman; then vice-president.
In 2015, he purchased 100% of the business from his
father, becoming one of those “beating the odds” and
transitioning a family-owned business past its third
generation.
Looking to the future, in 2016 Dave took the leap of
expanding the business and evolving into current
technology to keep the custom sheet metal business at
the cutting edge. In the four years since, that investment
has resulted in a rapidly growing business. As demand
for his products rose, he has nearly tripled the number
of employees to 14 today.
The family-owned business engages in all kinds of sheet
metal fabrication, catering to food processing and
construction industries, while also proudly producing
custom fabricated parts for individual consumers. The
main-stays of the business are on-time delivery of highquality
products that focus on the customer needs.
“One of the things I love about the business is being
around people who have sound mechanical minds,”
Dave says, “It is easier for me to communicate what
people want because I started in this business so young.
I’ve learned I just have to keep them talking about their
vision until I get enough detail to sketch out what I think
they want. It is so rewarding to see eyes light up and
hear, ‘That’s exactly what I was thinking!’”
The shift to the leadership role of the company means
he doesn’t get to engage in the hands-on design
and production work as much as he used to; instead
he spends time planning out workflow, interacting
with customers and keeping an eye out for potential
employees who have fabrication background,
experience with Solid Works software and the desire to
work hard in a family-owned business.
Dave describes growing up in the business as never
having had a “real boss”. He said he was never yelled
at and was always treated like the other employees. He
strives to be the same strong communicator his father
was. In speaking with Will and Tonya, two of the 14
employees of the business, he seems to be doing a fine
job. “There’s nothing like working for a family-owned
business,” Tonya says, “we become part of the family,
there’s a sense of understanding that you wouldn’t get
at other places.” Will agrees adding, “You get to have
some input into the company.”
And as Dave begins to look towards retiring in the
next decade, he plans to turn the business over to
the 5th generation of McArthur’s. His son, Drake, will
be graduating from University of South Dakota in the
spring. Drake, like his dad, has been working part-time
at the business during the summers and on breaks from
school. It seems the passion for the business is in his
blood as well.
McArthur Sheet Metal marches into its 85th year of
operations as a strong, growing business serving
the sheet metal fabrication needs of Siouxland and
beyond. In answer to that question – how has your
business managed to transition through generations?
The answer is simple “it’s just in my blood,” says Dave
McArthur, “I can’t imagine doing anything else.”
Dr. Cyndi Hanson and her daughter enjoy exploring the
world and asking a lot of questions together. Cyndi is also
the Executive Director of Northeast Community College’s
South Sioux City Extended Campus. This position allows her
to use her experiences with questions to guide interactions
with students.
Photos contributed by McArthur’s Sheet Metal.