Madison Buckley

Nik Wallenda, World-Renowned High Wire Walker, Will Sign Autographs in The Ulven Companies Booth at OTC

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Apr 16, 2015

Nik Wallenda, one of the most famous high wire walkers in the world, will be available in the Ulven Companies booth 1909 on Tuesday May 5th from 9:00am-1:00pm to sign autographs during the Offshore Technology Conference. The conference is designed to get energy professionals together to exchange ideas and opinions with the purpose of enhancing overall technical knowledge in the industry. The conference will be held May 4-7th in Houston, Texas.

Nik Wallenda is an American acrobat, aerialist, daredevil, high wire artist, and author best known for his high wire performances over such places as the Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls and several skyscrapers–most without a safety net. Wallenda was initially drawn to The Ulven Companies because of their high quality, high strength, USA-made products needed for his stunts, and the relationship grew from that point.

Celena Moses, Government and Rigging Sales Manager at The Ulven Companies, said, “We are looking to gain insight into what the industry is in need of that is not available at this time. We see this year’s OTC conference as an opportunity to not only celebrate our friend Nik, but also to expand our reach into the industry.

The Ulven Companies have been in the forging industry for over 40 years – starting with the creation of Ulven Forging, Inc. in 1971. The Ulven Companies now comprise a group of four different American companies and are privately held. Each company has its unique set of process capabilities in different areas of the industry and is known for bringing high quality, cost-effective products to its customers with reliability and integrity.

Madison Buckley

Ulven Companies Participate In Hood To Coast

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Sep 18, 2015

Each year more than 10,000 runners (and walkers) converge in Oregon for “the mother of all relays” — the Hood to Coast and Portland to Coast relay races.

The race begins on Mt. Hood, the 11,000 foot tall volcanic peak outside of Portland, Oregon, and runs for nearly 200 miles down to the Pacific coast. The relay is divided into 36 legs with each team’s 12 runners covering three legs apiece. The first runner of each team descends more than 2,000 feet. Even though it’s all downhill, that much elevation change is seriously hard on the knees. Other portions of the relay are less challenging, but all our Hood To Coast runners maintain rigorous training regimens in the months leading up to the race.

Hood To Coast participants have raised more than $2 million to support cancer research

This year The Ulven Companies name was drawn to participate. The twelve person team, eight of which are employees finished in 31 hours, 51 minutes, and 16 seconds.

This was a great team event! Congratulations to all who participated.

Madison Buckley

SOWA product designs are acquired by Skookum

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Oct 01, 2013

Skookum has acquired the brand name and all intellectual property for the SOWA line of oil field blocks, hooks, and shackles.

SOWA was founded as a general blacksmith shop in Woodburn, Oregon in 1898, and became a leader in oil field products in the 1980’s. The SOWA name is synonymous with quality and service, and this tradition will continue under Skookum’s ownership. With the addition of industry proven SOWA products, coupled with Skookum’s own state of the art engineering and manufacturing, Skookum will bring a world class line of oil field products to market.

Mike Ulven, COO of The Ulven Companies, said “This acquisition was a natural fit. With roots in the Pacific Northwest, and a strong and lasting presence, we are now able to offer our oil and gas clients a more complete product selection from a long established product line.” Skookum expects that the SOWA line will help to expand their market presence and improve their service to the industries they are already involved with.

Established in 1890 as a family business, Skookum was purchased by the Ulven family in 1986. Skookum offers a comprehensive line of rigging products that include blocks, fairleads and sheaves that have met the challenges of the most demanding applications around the world. We’ve proudly taken part in the shaping of American industry from salvage operations at Pearl Harbor and construction of the Grand Coulee dam to San Francisco’s BART system.
Skookum serves the logging, maritime, mining, commercial fishing, petroleum, military, and offshore industries. One of our strengths is customer specials and speedy delivery, making Skookum a must have supplier to its distributors.

Skookum is one of The Ulven Companies and is based in Hubbard, Oregon. The Ulven Companies is comprised of four American companies owned and operated by the Ulven family. While each company is independent, they all work together to serve common industries and common customers. The Ulven Companies provide a single source for forgings, castings, machining, and rigging products. Ulven has been servicing the logging, marine, industrial, recreational, construction, aerospace, transportation, defense, and petroleum markets with quality products for over 40 years.

Madison Buckley

The Ulven Companies Awarded Prestigious Virtue First “Business of the Year 2013” Award

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May 21, 2013

The Ulven Companies were awarded Virtue First’s “Business of the year 2013” award at the 3rd annual event for the Foundation. Hosted by the Virtue First Foundation, the awards evening honored teachers, coaches, youth ministers, schools, businesses and health-care providers who have demonstrated exceptional commitment to serving youth and promoting virtue throughout the past year. A member of the community selects each nominee, with top awards given in several categories.

The Virtue First Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to “exercising virtue to reconstruct the character of America’s youth.” Virtue First was founded by Coach Randy Traeger who began coaching football in 1979. Having worked side-by-side with young people for so many years, Coach Traeger noticed the steady decline of their moral foundation. This is where the concept of putting virtue first had its beginning. Organizations who have used Coach Traeger’s program, have realized 60% to 80% reductions in behavior and discipline problems, increased student/employee involvement within the community, and higher staff retention rates.

Dan Ulven, President of The Ulven Companies said, “This is a great reflection on our company and every employee’s contributions, not only in making this a great place to work but also in everyone’s efforts in the community.”

The Ulven Companies have been in the forging industry for over 40 years – starting with the founding of Ulven Forging, Inc. in 1971. The Ulven Companies now comprise a group of four different American companies and are privately held. Each company has its unique set of process capabilities in different areas of the industry and is known for bringing high-quality, cost-effective products to its customers with reliability and integrity.

Contact: Dan Ulven, President TUC
888-558-9779

Madison Buckley

The Ulven Companies Successfully Provides Emergency Support to Navy Minesweeper in the Philippines – Rewarded with Plaque Containing Pieces of Dismantled USS Guardian

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May 14, 2013

After a Navy Minesweeper ran aground on a reef off the coast of the Philippines in mid- January, The Ulven Companies rapidly and successfully provided the Navy with the necessary riggings to remove the ship safely and quickly over the next month.

Port Engineer of the USNS SAFEGUARD, Terry Johnson, was so impressed with the timely response and cooperation of the Ulven group that he decided to formally recognizing the Ulven employees with a one-of-a-kind commemorative plaque trimmed with actual pieces of the USS Guardian.

Johnson was overwhelmed with gratitude to Ulven when he said, “My sincerest thanks to all the individuals that were a part of getting this done. USNS SAFEGUARD will now be able to carry out her next mission. The professionalism and dedication of your employees truly gives us hope for our nation as a whole. I am honored and humbled at the response we received for this need!”

The Ulven Companies have been in the forging industry for over 40 years – starting with the founding of Ulven Forging, Inc. in 1971. The Ulven Companies now comprise a group of four different American companies and are privately held. Each company has its unique set of process capabilities in different areas of the industry and is known for bringing high-quality, cost-effective products to its customers with reliability and integrity.

Contact: Dan Ulven, President TUC
888-558-9779

Madison Buckley

Skookum to Create New RapidShip Program

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Apr 29, 2013

Skookum is proud to announce the launch of their R-series RapidShip in stock program. Having started in mid-February, the company now offers their “R”-series Utili-Sheave Blocks from fully stocked inventory on a same-day shipment basis. Skookum is now one of the few companies in the United States to offer this type of accelerated product delivery program. Skookum recognized the needs of their customers to reduce the lead-times on these items, which can add time and expense to their jobs and decrease their bottom line.

The “R”-Series has both a wide throat and a Utili-Sheave. The wide throat makes it much easier to pull a variety of line, connecting links or oversized applications, making them the “blocks of choice” for operators of heavy-duty work. They can work loads from 5-9 tons and are made of high-strength, manganese steel. They are built to be lightweight while still maintaining a big reserve of strength and incredible ruggedness.

Celena Moses, Government and Rigging Sales Manager at Skookum, said “This new service will allow our customers to shave valuable time off their projects without compromising on quality. They will have their product in-hand immediately.”

Founded in 1890 as a family business, Skookum was purchased by the Ulven family in 1986. Located in Hubbard, Oregon, the company’s comprehensive block, fairlead, sheave, hook, and alloy forging lines have met the challenges of the most demanding applications around the world. Skookum has proudly taken part in the shaping of American industry with current markets in construction, defense, mining, utility, maritime, oil and gas energy, and offshore. Skookum is a part of The Ulven Companies, which now comprises a group of four privately held American companies.

Madison Buckley

The Ulven Companies Provides Emergency Support to Navy Minesweeper Run Aground Near the Philippines

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Apr 29, 2013

After a Navy Minesweeper ran aground on a reef off the coast of the Philippines mid- January, The Ulven Companies provided rapid support in the way of large rigging shackles necessary to remove the grounded mine sweeper. The 224-foot USS Guardian got stuck in the Tubbataha Reef, requiring the evacuation of all 79 of its crew as well as the dismantling and removal of the ship over the next month.

During the initial phase of the removal operation, some of the massive rigging shackles from the USNS SAFEGUARD needed to be replaced. Ulven Forging was immediately called in to provide the replacements. Ulven’s crack Engineering and production crew, led by Gary Renner, immediately swung into action, forming the necessary shackles while determining the fastest shipping method to get the heavy riggings to the Philippines port location. Employees at Ulven worked around the clock to get the job completed and shipped to the Navy to meet their critical mission. Because of the streamlined design and production facilities at Ulven, the shackles arrived at the port four days ahead of schedule. Reducing the days the salvage ships remained in port was critical because it minimized damage to the endangered reef, which is a United Nations World Heritage Site.

Mike Parnell of Industrial Training International said, “It just reinforces what I tell folks all the time about the professionalism and desire to serve that is always at the forefront of Ulven and the highly qualified team that upholds such a sterling reputation.”

The Ulven Companies have been in the forging industry for over 40 years – starting with the creation of Ulven Forging, Inc. in 1971. The Ulven Companies now comprise a group of four different American companies and are privately held. Each company has its unique set of process capabilities in different areas of the industry and is known for bringing high-quality, cost-effective products to its customers with reliability and integrity.

Contact: Dan Ulven, President TUC
888-558-9779

Madison Buckley

The Ulven Company’s Wolf Steel Announces Major Foundry Expansion

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Mar 19, 2013

Beginning in 2012, Wolf Steel has been working to increase their existing foundry capacity and product quality. In this expansion Wolf has added over 15,000 square feet of manufacturing floor space to the existing 7,750 square feet. This expansion included the addition of critical process equipment such as a new Inductotherm 3,000 pound melt furnace (in addition to their existing 1,500 pound melt furnace), a new Atlas-Copco Air Compressor, and several new Tinker Omega systems.

The steady growth of Wolf Steel over the last decade has been the impetus for this expansion. In order to meet increasing customer demand, the existing plant has been tripled in size. The construction project itself was a smooth process with virtually no impact to customer orders. In addition to the physical machinery and square footage, key computer systems have been upgraded. This included a SolidCast/Flowcast computer simulator program, allowing them to project how the castings will solidify before the process even starts. This greatly improves quality yield and decreases the likelihood of expensive internal errors.

Mike Ulven said of this expansion, “The new building additions allowed us to completely reorganize our entire manufacturing process from start to finish. Wolf Steel Foundry had begun its LEAN manufacturing journey and the timing was perfect to use those streamlining tools to ensure an optimum flow of production through the plant.” With the increased melting capacity, the foundry can now produce an increased volume of castings as well as the ability to produce larger castings for both new and existing customers.

Founded in 1989, Wolf Steel Foundry is known for producing excellent quality steel castings on-time with competitive pricing. Wolf Steel prides itself on being a 100% no-bake steel foundry with parts that can be cast from 5 lbs. up to 2,200 lbs. With its on-site laboratory, every heat receives a chemical analysis to ensure quality. In addition, Wolf Steel also provides physical certification, magnetic-particle inspection, and radiography testing. Wolf Steel is a part of The Ulven Companies, which now comprises a group of four privately held American companies.

Madison Buckley

Austin Family Business Program Selects The Ulven Companies as finalist in Annual Contest.

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Oct 30, 2012

As a family-owned business, The Ulven Companies, was recognized as a finalist in the annual Excellence in Family Business Contest conducted by the Austin Family Business Program. The Austin Family Business Program was started at Oregon State University in 1985 to serve the business community and was the second of its kind established. The program is not aimed towards start-up companies, but rather towards established family business looking for practical business tools in an affordable and easily accessible format. They provide many workshops and seminars throughout the year with an emphasis on day-to-day operations and planning for future generations.

The contest received 31 applications for 2012. Scores are totaled from written applications and the finalists advanced onto the second round. After round two, oral presentations, a winner is chosen along with three finalists in each category.

AE Coleman Chair in Family Business Director, Sherri Noxel told The Ulven Companies, “This year, the judges had an especially difficult time selecting only one winner per category…You are a special family with an exemplary business. We are pleased to have this opportunity to honor you and your contributions to the economy and to the world of family business.” A formal ceremony was held on Thursday, November 15, at the Governor Hotel in Portland.

The Ulven Companies have been in the forging industry for over 40 years – starting with the creation of Ulven Forging, Inc. in 1971. The Ulven Companies now comprise a group of four different American companies and are privately held. Each company has its unique set of process capabilities in different areas of the industry and is known for bringing high quality, cost-effective products to its customers with reliability and integrity.

Contact: Dan Ulven, President TUC
888-558-9779

Madison Buckley

Major PGE Power Expansion Underway at The Ulven Companies to Meet Production Demands

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Oct 18, 2012

The Ulven Companies have announced expansion plans for electrical power for their primary manufacturing plants in Hubbard, Oregon. The project has been a collaborative effort between The Ulven Companies, PGE, and local contractors requiring extensive excavation, directional drilling, capital equipment and electrical work. The expansion will directly provide power requirements for manufacturing facilities for Ulven Forging, Inc., and Wolf Steel Foundry.

The Ulven Companies have grown significantly in recent years and this continued growth and expansion of the company has driven the need for expansion of the power capacity available on The Ulven Companies campus.

Jordan Reed, Industrial Engineer at The Ulven Companies said, “The expansion enables our continual growth, our ability to meet the needs of our customers, and positions Ulven to have a positive impact in new markets and industries.” In addition, the new power capacity will allow the company to incorporate more energy efficient equipment and manufacturing processes, which help the company be more competitive in the market.

The Ulven Companies have been in the forging industry for over 40 years – starting with the creation of Ulven Forging, Inc. in 1971. The Ulven Companies now comprise a group of four different American companies and are privately held. Each company has its unique set of process capabilities in different areas of the industry and is known for bringing high quality, cost-effective products to its customers with reliability and integrity.

Contact: Dan Ulven, President TUC
888-558-9779