Lindstrom's new volunteer fire department needed a motorized fire truck. That proved a pricey proposition for the rural hamlet in the 1930s, so Mayor Elmer Abrahamson, a blacksmith by trade, offered to build one.

Word of Abrahamson's truck spread, and other cities asked him to build them fire trucks, too. The orders piled up, and Abrahamson founded General Safety Equipment.

Today, the family-owned business, now named Rosenbauer America, is the second-largest manufacturer of fire engines in the United States. The more than 850 customized fire engines built at its factories in Wyoming, Minn., and Lyons, S.D., each year are shipped throughout North America and around the world. Demand is so great there's a one-year backlog of orders. The company employs more than 400 workers in Minnesota and an additional 350 in South Dakota and Nebraska.

Abrahamson's grandson Kevin Kirvida is president of Rosenbauer Minnesota. Kirvida's decision to join forces with another family company, Rosenbauer International in Austria, in 1995 transformed this modest family business into an international success story. The American company is privately held, making sales and revenue numbers private, but consider that the starting price for each customized vehicle is around $350,000, with larger "crash trucks" designed for airports and hazardous materials facilities eclipsing $1 million.

The company is still in expansion mode, increasing the size of its operations with the goal of grabbing an even larger share of the market for firefighting vehicles.

"We intend to increase our market share in the United States of municipal trucks as well as crash trucks," Kirvida said.

They're doing that by listening to their customers and using that feedback to improve design and serviceability.

Many of the company's customers, including fire chiefs and civic leaders from around the world, visit the Chisago County factory to see their trucks being built. The visitors range from Twin Cities fire chiefs driving up for the day to the New York Port Authority leadership to Saudi Arabian diplomats.

'Piece of art'

One day last week, Kirvida gave a tour of the operations, starting in the "showroom" where workers were polishing up several completed trucks.

"When these trucks are done, they are literally a piece of art," Kirvida said.

Through a doorway, workers were cutting and shaping metal. "This is ultimately how the trucks start out," Kirvida said, tapping a pile of sheet metal.

Kirvida is the third generation of family owners. His father returned from World War II, got married and took a job working for his father-in-law, Abrahamson.

Kirvida remembers some of those early years as a child. He would accompany his father to St. Paul to sell scrap metal on Fridays. As an adult, Kirvida learned they made those regular trips on Friday to ensure that they could cover payroll during lean times.

Kirvida graduated from St. Cloud State University and then left Minnesota for a few years. He worked for the pump and spray equipment manufacturer Graco in Chicago.

"I wanted some experience before I jumped into the family business," he said.

He returned to the family business in 1978 and wore many hats. He drafted engineering specs, acted as purchasing agent and was a salesman.

He bought the business from his parents a decade later. At the time, Kirvida described the business as a successful regional manufacturer with 20 employees that produced 30 to 40 firetrucks a year.

"My father had built a solid business. We had a good reputation," Kirvida said. "We didn't do any exporting back then."

Kirvida grew the company in the first few years, increasing production to 50 trucks a year. He moved the business from North Branch to Wyoming so it would have room to expand.

Wooed by Rosenbauer

Then, Kirvida received a call from another family-owned fire truck manufacturer in Austria in 1994. Rosenbauer, one of the largest fire engine manufacturers in the world, was looking for an American partner, and Kirvida's company was one of 10 contenders.

Rosenbauer courted Kirvida for a year. Rosenbauer's president officially asked Kirvida to partner with Rosenbauer at the Village Inn in Wyoming.

Kirvida, describing the scene as a bit like a marriage proposal, said he hesitated because he wanted to maintain control in the business his grandfather and father had built.

The American and Austrian companies reached a deal. Kirvida and Rosenbauer would split ownership 50-50 in a newly formed company, and Kirvida would maintain control of operations. Kirvida's company was valued, and Rosenbauer then invested an equal amount into the Minnesota company to acquire 50 percent ownership.

That infusion of cash allowed Kirvida to hire an experienced management staff.

"It was the seed money," Kirvida said. "It gave me a partner who I felt I could learn things from, and it gave us access to the world market."

Now one-third of the fire engines made in Minnesota are shipped overseas.

A few years later, the business partners analyzed the domestic fire engine market and decided to acquire a third, family-owned South Dakota fire engine manufacturer, creating Rosenbauer America. The South Dakota factory produces trucks at a more modest price point, whereas Kirvida's company specialized in the higher-end market. They also acquired a firetruck ladder company in Nebraska in 1999.

They expanded their Minnesota operations, too, and started building massive "crash trucks" for use at airport and fueling facilities.

Last week, crews worked on a crash truck headed for the presidential airport in Mexico. Production Manager Lynn Anderson ran through the specs: It has a massive water tank, a 750-horsepower diesel engine, all-wheel drive and a large mechanized arm on the front.

"It will pierce the skin of an airplane so it can spray water inside," Anderson said.

Anderson, with a background in snowmobiles, joined the company 13 years ago. He said there's something special about what they do.

"This product can make a difference in someone's life. There is a lot of pride," he said.

With that comes great responsibility. "Someone's life is on the line. It's got to work the first time," he said.

In 2011, Rosenbauer started making its own chassis when its former vendor became a competitor. That turned into an opportunity for innovation and expansion.

The company interviewed dozens of fire chiefs and redesigned the cab.

Trucks are built with larger windshields for better visibility. The company has created larger cabs with more room for fully outfitted firefighters. It has worked to minimize noise in the cab so firefighters can better communicate en route and has installed enhanced heating and cooling systems.

After years of breakneck growth, the company is working with Enterprise Minnesota to improve efficiency and "lean up."

"It's all simple steps including having the materials at the right place at the right time," Kirvida said.

Kirvida, 60, is still very involved in day-to-day operations, but is thinking about the future. Two of his six children are interested in the business. One of his sons has moved to Austria for two years to work at Rosenbauer International.

Lake Johanna Fire Chief Tim Boehlke in northern Ramsey County has purchased Rosenbauer engines for decades.

"We think they build a great high-quality truck, one of the best in the country," Boehlke said.

Boehlke said innovations to the cab have improved firefighter safety and convenience. Lake Johanna Fire Department purchased an engine in 2012 and is awaiting delivery now on a smaller fire vehicle.

"For the 2012 engine, we met with their engineers several times to talk about possible improvements and to see what works and what things can be done better. They work hard to try and take care of you."

Shannon Prather • 612-673-4804