In the days when Rice Lake Weighing Systems was known as Thomas & Johnson Scale Service, Donald B.

Johnson had a unique vision to grow the business. Since Rice Lake was a rural community with a modest customer base, he decided the best option to reach a larger population was through the mail.

Donald purchased 30-caliber ammunition boxes and sent them to addresses he had collected over the years. He included a note “Send us your used pivots and bearings. We’ll refurbish them for a fraction of the cost of new, and we’ll do it in record time!”

The ammo boxes served as ideal shipping containers for pivots and bearings, and Donald’s offer quickly became a popular service. Scale parts flooded Rice Lake as new customers across the country took advantage of mail-order refurbishing.

Rice Lake quickly developed a reputation for quick service, quality products and legendary customer support. Donald’s innovation and dedication to the customer became the company’s guiding philosophy. Through 75 years, three generations of family ownership and global growth, Rice Lake Weighing Systems remains committed to Donald’s founding principle: “Take care of the customer and the rest of the business will take care of itself.”