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Draft:Morton Buildings

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Morton Buildings, Inc.
FormerlyInterlocking Fence Company
IndustryConstruction
Founded1903; 123 years ago (1903)
Headquarters
Morton, Illinois
,
United States
Websitemortonbuildings.com

Morton Buildings, Inc. is an American construction company headquartered in Morton, Illinois that specializes in post-frame buildings. The company was founded in 1903 as the Interlocking Fence Company, entered the building construction business in 1949 and was renamed Morton Buildings in 1965.[1]

History

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Interlocking Fence Company was founded in 1903 by a group that included John Getz, Sr.[2] The early business focused on agricultural fencing sold through mail-order catalogs, with its products distributed across multiple states by 1910.[3]

In 1949, Interlocking Fence Company entered the building construction business with pre-engineered structures. Henry A. Getz became president in 1963 and restructured the company around its construction business.[1] The company discontinued fence sales in 1964 and was renamed Morton Buildings, Inc. the following year.[4]

Following the transition to construction, Morton expanded beyond agricultural buildings into other types of structures.[5] By 1980, Morton was constructing a 25,000-square-foot manufacturing facility and planning a second facility.[6] By 1994, Morton had five production plants, more than 100 sales offices in 42 states, more than 400 Morton-area employees and approximately 2,000 nationally.[1]

Henry A. Getz retired in 2002 after nearly four decades leading the business.[7] In 2017, Morton Buildings became 100% employee-owned when its previous owners sold their shares to an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) trust.[7]

The 2017 employee-ownership transaction later became the subject of federal litigation. Former employees challenged aspects of the transaction involving the valuation of company shares and the ESOP's trustee.[8] In 2025, the parties reached a $4 million settlement resolving the remaining claims.[9]

Operations

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Morton Buildings designs, manufactures and constructs post-frame structures through its own manufacturing facilities and regional construction centers.[2] While agricultural buildings remain part of the business, the company also constructs commercial and other types of buildings.[4][5]

References

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  1. 1 2 3 "Morton firm builds on ag foundation". The Pantagraph. June 20, 1994. p. 21. Retrieved August 13, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. 1 2 Steve Stein (August 25, 2013). "Refused to be fenced in". Journal Star. p. 78. Retrieved August 13, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ↑ "The Farmer's Upright Elevator and Wagon Dump Among the Best". The Semi-Weekly Advocate. September 30, 1910. p. 12. Retrieved August 13, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. 1 2 Chris Anderson (October 19, 2003). "Building Success". The Pantagraph. p. 39. Retrieved August 13, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. 1 2 John Throop (September 3, 1996). "Morton Buildings' success definitely not by the numbers". Journal Star. p. 13. Retrieved August 13, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ "Morton Building Constructing New Lumber Facility". Journal Star. May 31, 1980. p. 10. Retrieved August 13, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. 1 2 Matt Buedel (May 12, 2017). "Morton Buildings becomes employee owned, plans expansion". Journal Star. p. 21. Retrieved August 13, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ Jacklyn Wille (April 30, 2020). "Argent Trust Sued Over $148 Million Stock Plan Transaction". Bloomberg Law. Retrieved August 13, 2026.
  9. ↑ Jacklyn Wille (August 27, 2025). "Morton Buildings' $4 Million Stock Plan Settlement Gets Final OK". Bloomberg Law. Retrieved August 13, 2026.
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