Company Profile
Rolfes@Boone

Reprinted from Grain Journal May/June 2014 Issue

What’s in a name? If you’re the Rolfes@Boone company, there’s a lot more to that question than meets the eye. Over the past 20 years, the Boone, IA-based aeration and dust control provider has undergone several name changes, but one thing remains constant: It continues to staff experienced, dedicated people who make reliable, high-quality products for the grain industry.

The company opened its doors on April 1, 1994, operating under the names Boone Aeration and Environmental Corporation, which markets aeration and dust control systems, and Boone Cable Works & Electronics, Inc., which is a full-line manufacturer of grain temperature detection and hazard detection equipment. The combined company operated under the working name of The Boone Group. In early 2005, Boone Cable Works & Electronics, Inc. purchased the assets of The Rolfes Company of Danville, IA, and the company’s working name changed to Rolfes@Boone.

“At that time (in 2005), both the Boone Group and the Rolfes Company had a pretty decent name in the industry,” explains President Kevin Miles. “Legally, our two names didn’t change, but we wanted to incorporate Rolfes Company and Boone, so instead of being called the Boone Group as a moniker, we ended up calling ourselves Rolfes@Boone. We have that name, and we are the only ones now that manufacture thermocouple cable in the United States,” he adds.

While the company is celebrating its 20th anniversary in business this year, there are a number of employees who have been with the company or its predecessors for more than 40 years, says Miles, who has been with the company 37 years. In fact, the employees of Rolfes@Boone combined have industry experience totaling more than 600 years.

The company’s roots date all the way back to 1954, when a man by the name of George A. Rolfes founded the company of his namesake in Boone to meet the needs and opportunities he saw in the market.

“He started out on the aeration side of it – pulling air down through grain to cool it down,” says Miles. “Since temperature became such a vital component to aeration, in 1954 he went out and started buying some temperature companies, such as ZelEny Company, that had started in 1907 doing temperature control,” he recalls.

“And then other companies [such as] Neptune/Hot Spot Company became available for sale. And so with the Hot Spot and ZelEny Company is where the temperature aspect of the George A. Rolfes Company came into effect,” Miles says. “So that’s where the company actually got started.”

The majority of the company’s 48 employees gained their extensive experience with The George A. Rolfes Co.; Hot Spot Detector, Inc.; and Graintec, Inc. prior to the formation of the existing company in 1994.

“People we have here such as Bill Sturtz (aeration) and Gregg Knox (grain temperature systems), started in the late ‘60s, early ‘70s, and they’re still here with us,” Miles notes.

According to Miles, it’s the dedicated people who design and service their products that make all the difference in terms of the company’s success. “The knowledge that this company has for what we do is second to none. Nobody even comes close to what we have. And that’s what makes us proud,” he adds.

Uncompromising Quality and Service

Today, Rolfes@Boone engineers, manufacturers, services, and installs grain temperature monitoring, hazard monitoring, aeration, and dust control systems for the grain, seed, feed, and ethanol industries.

Grain temperature systems. Its grain temperature monitoring systems include temperature cables, leadwire, and instrumentation, for which field installation and service are available. The company also services nearly all other brands and models. 

Hazard monitoring. The company’s hazard monitoring instrumentation measures bearing temperature, belt alignment, and motion/speed.

Dust collection. Additionally, it designs dust control systems for grain elevators, feed mills, processing plants, and other applications where dust control is required. The company also designs and installs grain dust pneumatic conveyor systems.

Aeration systems. Its aeration systems and components, which include centrifugal and axial flow fans, roof exhausters, silencers, flush floor ducting, and aeration controllers, can be found in concrete and steel tanks, flat storage, and rectangular or round outdoor temporary storage bunkers.

All of its design, engineering, manufacturing, and sales functions are performed in-house in the company’s 22,500-square-foot facility on the east side of Boone. Rolfes@Boone boasts that its cable and wire extrusion personnel are the most experienced in the industry having manufactured more than 160 million feet of top-quality thermocouple cable and leadwire to date.

New Wireless Grain Monitoring System

New to the company’s product offerings is the KTX Wireless Grain Monitoring System which was featured recently at the 2014 GEAPS Exchange show in Omaha, NE. According to Miles, the new KTX simplifies the often tedious and complicated process of reading data from hundreds or even thousands of sensing points that are spread over significant distances within a grain handling facility. The KTX, adds Miles, solves this problem by integrating the measurement and switching of a small group of sensing points and contains a number of practical features, including:

• Multiple switch monitoring.

• Reliable wireless connections.

• Communication up to 10 miles.

• Experienced technical service.

• Courteous-professional staff.

• Easy to understand software.

• Text and 3D graphics.

• At-a-glance alarms.

Products Based on Quality, Not Price

As the industry continues to evolve, and as grain handlers are tasked with processing and storing greater volumes of product, the tendency today may be to base decisions on cost alone. But that, says Miles, comes at an expense.

For example, if a manager is tasked with putting up a million-bushel storage unit, he may want to do it as inexpensively as possible, but “they’re getting by with the cheapest they can rather than the best that they can,” Miles explains.

“And so that’s changed a lot of what our industry is going through right now, so we have to be competitive, but we’re not going to skimp on our quality,” Miles maintains. “If we don’t get a job, because we are a little more expensive, so be it. Our equipment is going to work, and it’s going to work for a long time, so that you don’t have to worry about it,” he continues.

“Could we market a cheaper fan? Could we build cheaper electronics? Yeah, we could, but in the long term, we’ve got to live with it, and so we’re not going to,” he insists. “Everything we put out of here is quality. And in the long run, it pays for itself. So that’s really huge to us.”

No End in Sight

As the company celebrates its 20th anniversary, Rolfes@Boone can say that it is here to stay for the long haul both domestically and around the world. Its equipment is shipped today throughout the United States and to 71 foreign countries. Its internal technical support staff is also available to provide prompt solutions for all of the company’s customers worldwide. That expertise also extends to the Rolfes@Boone sales staff: Wayne Sanders, Daphne, AL, Chris McMillan, Lindsborg, KS, Mark Coventry, St. Charles, MO, Greg Abbott, Mesquite, TX, Dennis Maze, Philadelphia, TN, Glee Persson, Belle Plaine, MN.

As a full-service company Rolfes@Boone recognizes that one of its most important responsibilities is service after the sale, which is only possible because of its dedicated employees who continue to drive the company forward with no end in sight.