About Us
Our Top Priority Is Your Bottom Line
Interstate doesn’t work with companies; we work with people. Because many of our customers work in mining, energy production, construction, trucking, manufacturing and other fast-moving, time-sensitive industries, we understand the pressures you’re under and why eliminating downtime is critical to your success.
With dozens of locations across Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Wyoming, Kansas, California and Arizona, we are always striving to add products and services to our company that will better meet the needs of our customers. Our strength, however, lies in the depth of our knowledge, the expertise of our people and the commitment of our company to be a valued partner for our customers.
Our Mission
We commit ourselves to excellence, integrity, improvement and teamwork. The first priority of each employee is to exceed our customers’ expectations.
Anyone can sell you a part, and some can even offer you service. What sets our business apart is our ability to solve problems. In a world full of commodities, the knowledge and expertise of our people is something nobody else can replicate.
Travis Penrod, Interstate Companies CEO
There’s more at work at Interstate than just the work itself. We measure success by the
value we bring to our customers. Here are five ways we accomplish that every day.
Our Values
We developed a simple statement to capture our values for our employees, customers and partners. Pride in Service is on our uniform and in our hearts.
Uptime Focus
We have hundreds of certified, experienced technicians who have just one focus—ensuring our customers are up and running faster by working with us than they are with our competition.
Excellence Defined
We use several best practice models to guide our thinking when it comes to working for our customers—all with an eye on efficiency, speed, and quality of services.
Training Depth
We’ve increased our investment and emphasis on service and the people who perform the services by enhancing our training schedules.
End to End Innovation
We’ve expanded our offerings by providing the right products and solutions, the best manufacturers and partners, at the right price points, and top-quality training to service our customers’ investments.
Our History
Founded in 1957, Interstate began as Interstate-GM Diesel headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. One of the first Detroit Diesel and Allison Transmission distributors, our primary focus was on the sales and service of engines and transmissions. Beginning in 1986, our company expanded to include additional products and services in locations in Minnesota as well as Iowa, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Wyoming. Five locations in Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana were added with the acquisition of Inland Power Group in 2015.
- 1957 The company started as
Interstate-GM Diesel, Inc.,
headquartered in Minneapolis. - 1971 Gordon Galarneau, the primary architect of Interstate’s growth, joined the company.
- 1975 Gordon purchased the company from founder Robert Murray in 1975.
- 1986 The company began a decade of growth fueled by mergers and acquisitions.
- 1989 We reorganized to create a holding company, Interstate Companies, Inc., which provides strategic planning functions for its operating divisions.
- 1992 Acquisition of Barco Bearing, which was renamed Bearing Systems.
- 1994 Began purchasing the Carrier Transicold product line and Carrier Transport Refrigeration distribution in the midwest.
- 1995 Opened Interstate Power Products and Services, which would later be renamed Interstate Assembly Systems
- 2003 Began purchase of additional I-State Truck Center locations throughout the midwest.
- 2010 Expanded into the Industrial Labor market with Interstate Industrial Systems.
- 2015 Purchased Inland Power Group, a distributor for Detroit Diesel, Allison, MTU Engines, EMD Diesel Engines, MTU Onsite Energy, GE Jenbacher, and other products.
- 2016 Moved to our new corporate headquarters in Minneapolis, MN.
- 2017 We opened a state-of-the-art facility in Lakeville, Minnesota, for Interstate Power Systems and Interstate Bearing Systems featuring 21 truck and 12 trailer bays.
- 2018 Acquired the assets of V&H, Inc., formed a new Assembly Systems division.
- 2021 Acquired Southwest Products (SWP), establishing a presence in the Southwestern United States and continued growth in the final-stage manufacturing business.
- 2022 Acquired Telin Transportation Group and Lodi Truck & Equipment, adding territory to existing Thomas Built Bus dealerships and capacity to the final-stage manufacturing business.
Our People
Interstate employees form the heart and soul of our company. We recruit career-oriented individuals who want fulfilling work and the chance to grow. Our employees take personal pride in their work and the relationships they build with customers. They reflect our company values and carry out Pride in Service in every interaction with our customers.
Employees who have served Interstate colleagues and customers for 25 years receive a ring celebrating their loyalty and dedication. In addition, their achievement is commemorated on a tribute wall at the Interstate corporate office. To date, there are more than 200 names etched on the wall, a testament to the many exceptional Interstate employees who have served our customers through the years.