Some companies are built to be sold. Accu-Steel was built to last.
For 25 years, founder Jason Owen ran this company the same way he ran his century farm in Audubon, Iowa—with his hands in it, his name on it, and his neighbors watching. Every building that left this facility reflected a decision he made, a problem he helped solve, a customer he actually knew.
That kind of ownership doesn’t transfer on a spreadsheet. It transfers through people.
Below, in his own words, Jason reflects on what he built, why he built it the way he did, and what comes next for Accu-Steel.
By Jason Owen, Founder, Accu-Steel
Stepping back from something you’ve spent more than 25 years building gives you a different vantage point. You start to see not just what you created, but every person who helped you create it—the employees who showed up, the partners who believed in you before you’d earned it, the customers who trusted you with problems that mattered to their livelihoods.
I’ve watched others in this industry make a different choice. Private equity offers a clean exit and a strong return. I understand the appeal. But when you’ve built a company on a century farm, in a community where everyone knows everyone, with employees who have families and customers who depend on you—maximizing your personal return stops feeling like the right measure of success.
I chose a different path. I’ve transitioned Accu-Steel to John Klehn, a leader who has been inside this company, who understands what we stand for, and who is bringing real resources and capable partners to grow what we built without dismantling it. The roots of this company remain in northern Audubon County. The culture stays intact. The people stay. That was the only version of this transition I was willing to make.
It didn’t start with Accu-Steel. It started earlier, with a group called Con-E-Co out of Blair, Nebraska, who trusted an Iowa farm kid to work hard and be responsible. That experience—building AMANCO from the ground up in western Iowa—taught me what it meant to earn trust in a community through manufacturing. I’ve never forgotten it.
When I founded Accu-Steel in 2001, I knew what kind of company I wanted to build. Not the easiest kind. The right kind.
None of it would have been possible without partners who believed in the vision before the results were there to justify it. Templeton Savings Bank was with me from the beginning—not as a lender who hedged every bet, but as a true financial partner who helped me make the right decisions at the right time. That kind of local, community-invested financing is something I hope Iowa never loses.
Over 30 years, Accu-Steel grew from a regional livestock fabricator into a global manufacturer—with thousands of buildings across more than 40 states, and projects in Canada, Mexico, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.
What I’m most proud of isn’t the scale. It’s the range of problems we got to solve.
We worked with cattle producers to design buildings that brought the next generation back to the farm. We manufactured the largest grain storage fabric structure of its kind in Arcadia, Iowa. We delivered the largest salt storage building in the United Kingdom. We built rocket engine test facilities, a Bitcoin mining complex in Alabama, a custom roping arena in Stephenville, Texas, and structures supporting military operations around the world.
And then there’s the Iowa Craft Beer Tent at the Iowa State Fairgrounds—which might be my favorite project of all. For 15 years, that tent has given friends and families a place to gather every August and celebrate what makes Iowa worth fighting for: its people. I’m proud every time I walk through it.
What tied all of it together was the same thing every time: talented people, complex problems, and a product we could design and manufacture on my family’s century farm. That’s a rare thing. I never took it for granted.
To my parents, the extended Peck and Owen families, my children and their mother, and the Brinker family—thank you. Thirty years is a long time to ask the people you love to share you with something you’re building. I don’t take that for granted.
To every employee, partner, supplier, installer, and dealer who brought their best to this company: you are the reason Accu-Steel became what it is. I’m grateful for every one of you.
The last 30 years weren’t without difficulty. Economic downturns, wars, tariffs, weather, markets—this business has weathered all of it. Through every one of those cycles, we never missed a payroll on Friday. We paid our bills, treated people fairly, and tried to make a positive impact on the lives around us. I’m proud of that record.
Accu-Steel is in good hands. John Klehn understands this company—its values, its customers, its potential—and he’s bringing the resources and partners to grow it in ways I couldn’t alone. I’m confident in what comes next.
To our dealers, customers, and the communities we serve: thank you for trusting us. That trust was never something we took lightly, and it won’t be now.
God Bless.
Jason Owen
Founder, Accu-Steel