Wei-Lock Manufacturing was established in Winterset, Iowa in 1921, producing earth anchoring products for guying oil well derricks, oil pipelines, and highway guard rail cables. In 1937, Wei-Lock transformed into Grip-Tite Manufacturing Company and was mostly acquired by Will Johnson in 1939. By the early 1950s, Grip-Tite had become a prominent player in the earth anchor industry and was completely owned by the Johnson family by 1953. Mike Johnson, the son of Dwight Johnson, began working at Grip-Tite in 1960 and continued part-time in the family business for the next 13 years. In 1968, Grip-Tite developed a new cross-plate anchor to guy electric lines for the Island of Madagascar. Over 53,000 anchors were produced. Subsequently, in 1978, a local resident approached Mike, inquiring if he had anything to repair his cracked and bowing basement wall.
Mike and Larry Utsler, the owner of a local construction company and founder of Anchored Walls, installed a modified version of the anchor used in Madagascar and repaired the wall. The Grip-Tite Wall Anchor System was granted U.S. patent number 4,189,891 on February 26, 1980. Since then, hundreds of thousands of Grip-Tite Wall Anchor Systems have been installed across North America.
In 2023, Corey Utsler, the son of Larry Utsler, came to Grip-Tite as our Foundation Applications Specialist. Corey brings an impressive depth of expertise and passion to our Foundation Repair division, making him an invaluable asset to our team and our installers.
As we’ve grown in the foundation repair industry, we’ve developed a full line of great products to repair any foundation problem. The Grip-Tite Foundation Push Pier and the Grip-Tite Helical Pier systems have helped thousands of homeowners and businesses get their property back to normal.
We have been delivering on a promise of celebrated quality and service in the foundation repair and earth anchoring industry for nearly 100 years. It’s the little things that matter that you will benefit from our unmatched experience and the exceeding attention to detail that our dealers put into every foundation repair job.
We are keeping the focus on what we do best—operational excellence and innovation. Grip-Tite’s dedicated team of engineers is spearheading new product development to meet our customers’ evolving needs. We are also continuing to invest in our employees through cross-training, performance-based compensation, and a comprehensive benefits program. Grip-Tite’s plans for growth hinge on a strong team effort, with the creation of a robust culture at the core.
505 E. Madison
Winterset, IA 50273
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