Bandit now boasts 765 employees, some 560,000-square-feet of manufacturing space, and customers in 56 countries.
Bandit Industries Turns 40 With Fanfare How steady growth and a strong company culture built a brand known around the world By Katherine Gustafson
In 1983, Mike Morey Sr. was fed up that no one at the woodchipper manufacturing company where he worked would listen to his ideas. He knew he could build a better chipper, one that customers would love, but his bosses didn’t see the opportunities he saw.
Today, Bandit Industries Inc., the company Mike went on to found, is celebrating 40 years and remains ubiquitous at tree care job sites around the world. Bandit now boasts 765 employees, some 560,000-square-feet of manufacturing space, and customers in 56 countries. The company offers 50+ models of hand-fed and whole-tree chippers, stump grinders, horizontal grinders, track carriers, and slow-speed shredders. To celebrate, Bandit hosted a major event at its Michigan headquarters in September, with tours, equipment demos, and festive events. The company is also cohosting events with dealers around the United States. “Forty years is kind of a major accomplish- ment,” says Jerry Morey, Mike’s cousin and the company’s CEO. STARTING SMALL When Mike started his new company, he ini- tially called it Foremost Fabrications. His wife, Dianne, became cofounder and served as head of human resources. Together, they secured a 6,000-square-foot facility near Mount Pleasant, Michigan, and with just six employees, built the first Brush Bandit ® chipper.
Mike Morey Sr. proudly stands next to the Brush Bandit, the original chipper that launched Bandit Industries.
20 | ArborTIMES Fall 2023
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