Brian Lamb has been producing corn, soybeans and sweetcorn on 2,000 acres of prime Renville County, MN, farmland since 1981. He emphasized how fortunate he was to have what he called a “World Class” door manufacturer near his backyard and stresses the importance of doing business locally with an experienced builder to put up his machine shed and farm shop. Lamb was referring to Schweiss Doors and Country Wide Lumber, both of which have Hector, MN, addresses in Renville County.

Lamb has Schweiss bifold liftstrap doors on a pair of buildings. His 80' by 150' cold storage building features a 50'-wide by 20'-tall door, while his 65' x 72' heated shop has a 40' by 18'-tall bifold door with a remote opener. Both doors are equipped with automatic latches, photo eye sensors and three 4-foot by 3-foot sliding windows to take advantage of available daylight.

Lamb works the land with the help of his wife, Karyn, sons Karl and Clark, and brother, Curt. Lamb said he initially was introduced to Schweiss Doors on a farm just north of Hector that belonged to his father, Alex. Years ago, The senior Lamb was knew Schweiss owner, Mike Schweiss, from their high school days and active roles in the Future Farmers of America (FFA) program.

“When I got my first door, I was interested in the straps,” says Brian Lamb. “Bifold doors are nice for snow, and you can park closer to your door. We went with the biggest doors we could fit in the space. If you have more, you can fit in bigger and wider pieces of equipment. Our previous 14-foot by 24-foot shop was fine in 1975, but now, machinery keeps getting bigger.

“Schweiss service is phenomenal. We had a window leak one time and they came right out and fixed it – no charge. The remotes are really handy. We can open the door right from the tractor. We were happy to get them and the autolatches. I’d be ashamed to own a door what wasn’t a Schweiss door. It’s obvious he has a good business and he brings business to Renville County.”

Lamb says what he likes most about his Schweiss door is durability with heavy-duty tube steel construction. He cited the fact they are heavy-built doors and good-looking doors as well.

He also says the doors seal well. He had double rubber put at the bottom on the front and backside. Over the years, he has highly recommended Schweiss doors to others, telling them doing business with Schweiss is a “win-win.”

“We’ve had other fiberglass and steel overhead doors; they don’t last like these,” Lamb says. “My dad’s bifold door is over 20 years old and still going. And if you have a cable bifold door, you can upgrade it with straps. Schweiss installed our doors quickly and really treated us fairly. They are fun people to do business with. We are extremely happy with the doors, the price was right and it was a real good value.”