Osumundson Manufacturing Co. President Heather Bruce announced Thursday a $500,000 donation to help launch the public phase of the Hotel Pattee/La Poste Capital Campaign. The announcement was made in the hotel’s Spring Valley Ballroom.
Osmundson Manufacturing’s half-million-dollar gift provides a rapid launch of the $2 million public campaign phase as part of the overall capital campaign to purchase and operate the Hotel Pattee and La Poste. This generational purchase opportunity will position the Hotel Pattee and La Poste as locally owned and operated, solidifying the long-term viability of these critical community assets.
Renovated in 1993 as one of the finest boutique hotels in the U.S., the Hotel Pattee remains a very significant economic asset to Perry, bringing as many as 65,000 people in one year since renovation. La Poste provides a grand venue for several special events each year and has become a perfect compliment to the facilities at the hotel.
As previously announced, Perry Industries Inc. and Perry Economic Development Inc. have an agreement with Maxwell Hospitality LLC and HPLP LLC to purchase the Hotel Pattee and La Poste assets. The public-private-partnership funding model for the purchase and operation of the two properties includes a combination of public funding and private contributions.
A major component of the public portion of the funding model was solidified with the approval of a memorandum of understanding with the city of Perry at the Feb. 1 Perry City Council meeting. That memorandum provides for the city of Perry to make initial economic contributions to the project that total more than $650,000.
As a member of the Perry community for nearly 120 years, Osmundson Manufacturing has a long history of generous giving to a variety of projects in the Perry community. This latest gift will provide a very significant boost to the overall fundraising effort to secure Hotel Pattee and La Poste as pillars of economic development in the Perry community for years to come.
In recognition of this gift, the Canisteo Room at Hotel Pattee will now be the Canisteo Ballroom presented by Osmundson Manufacturing Co.
Heather Bruce, President of Osmundson Manufacturing, said “We’re very pleased to make this contribution as a tangible demonstration of our continued commitment to the long-term cultural and economic progress in Perry. I grew up in Perry and really all of my memories of Perry have Hotel Pattee as a centerpiece of town. I can’t imagine Perry without it.”
Bruce said her donation rests on the profitability of her company, and its profitability rests on the diligence and teamwork of her workers.
“We saw this as an opportunity to help Perry thrive,” she said, “because we know when our town continues to be an attractive place to do business, our community will continue to grow. Our entire team at Osumundson Manufacturing deserves a ton of credit for their contributions to the success of our company, so we could even able to be in a position to help the community in this way.”
The Bruce family has a very interesting connection to the Hotel Pattee. Heather’s father, Doug Bruce, was actually a classmate of Roberta Ahmanson, who purchased the Hotel Pattee in 1993 and completed a full renovation of the property, restoring the hotel as one of the finest boutique hotels in the U.S.
“We are so grateful for the very substantial generosity and enthusiasm of Osmundson Mfg. Co., Heather Bruce, and her leadership team.” said Tom Burkgren, president of Perry Industries Inc. “This donation, which I understand is the largest single contribution Osmundson Mfg. has ever made, clearly demonstrates the leadership we need within our business community to strategically position Perry for a successful future.”
Burkgren said the overall fundraising for the project has passed the midway mark and that interest in the project among key community members has been well received. Perry Economic Development is working to complete most of the fundraising effort by mid-March, he said.
About Osmundson Manufacturing Co.
With over 100 years of innovation, Osmundson Manufacturing Co. has prided itself on being a leader in the tillage tool industry through quality and innovation since 1903. Osmundson has used invention and design to adapt to the ever-changing agricultural industry. From the growing use of the plowshare in the 1950’s to disc blades in the 1970’s, the Perry, Iowa company has continued to be a proven leader in the production of tillage tools for America’s farmer.
Since 1903, this family-owned business is run by fifth-generation owner Heather Bruce and continues to pride itself on origination through the development of many patented Osmundson parts. Osmundson has also developed new steels and heat-treating techniques which help give Osmundson a green footprint in the steel heat-treating world. Osmundson is the only U.S. manufacturer of high-quality disc, coulter, seeder and grain drill blades.
As a worldwide leader in agricultural manufacturing, Osmundson currently employs approximately 100 employees at their headquarters and 142,000 square foot production facility in Perry, Iowa. Osmundson sells their parts to original equipment manufacturers, farm stores and other distributors throughout North America, Australia, Russia, China, Vietnam and other countries worldwide.