<font color=red>ON THE ROAD</font> Ariens To Purchase Auburn Consolidated Industries

In a deal hatched in 24 hours, Ariens Co. announced Oct. 25 it has reached an agreement to acquire Auburn, Neb.-based Auburn Consolidated Industries and, following a full internal review on how best to integrate the two cultures, will re-open the facility within 30 days.

"We intend to keep manufacturing in Auburn," Ariens President Dan Ariens announced yesterday during a press conference at GIE+EXPO at the Kentucky Exposition Center. "We like the plant. They've been very innovative at that plant and there is a lot of creative production processes in that plant."

Reading from a prepared statement, Ariens says the acquisition allows his company to secure a supply of stand-on products ina growing market segment among landscape contractors, add production capacity and merge the EverRide and Great Dane brands into the Ariens family of brands.

"We have been communicating with local officials throughout this process and will continue to share information locally first as we solidify our hiring plans," Ariens says. "We will contact former employees as quickly as we can finalize more details.

Terms of the agreement were not disclosed at the press conference.