The Metal Building Manufacturers Association was officially founded October 1, 1956 with 13 original members. Earlier that year, Wilbur Larkin of Butler Manufacturing brought representatives from several major metal building companies together to discuss the possibility of forming an industry association. They held several meetings to work out the details and, on September 25, 1956, the organization was chartered with Wilbur Larkin as its first chairman.
From those beginnings, MBMA has grown with many more members in two categories and an extensive research and knowledge base. In 2006, the organization celebrated its 50th anniversary. In honor of this milestone, Metal Construction News ran a special anniversary supplement. The pages of this section are available below as PDFs, with thanks to Metal Construction News for their publication and reprint.
50th Anniversary Section, Part 1:
- Introduction
- Overview of MBMA today;
- How It All Began - A Brief History of Metal Buildings;
- 1956, The First Year
- Charter Members
- Past and Present MBMA Chairmen
50th Anniversary Section, Part 2:
- The Road to MBMA's Technical Expertise
- Key Milestones
- Interview with Lee Shoemaker
- Technical Committee Chairmen
- MBMA Products
- Technical Timeline
50th Anniversary Section, Part 3:
- Chairman's Column
- Interviews With Past Chairmen
- MBMA's Place in the Industry
- Associate Program and Members
Wilbur Larkin Honored
In September, 2007, Wilbur Larkin was honored as the MBMA founder and its first Chairman with a memorial in Golden Gate State Park in Golden, CO. A short article ran in Design and Build with Metal.com. To see this article as a PDF, please click here.
To see the press release please announcing the Wilbur Larkin Memorial, please click here.
