Brown Equipment Co., Inc. was incorporated in 1968 by Ralph E. Brown, in Fort Wayne, IN. Started to help an old Army buddy sell his newly patented “boom mower”, Ralph Brown quickly realized that man cannot live on boom mowers alone. A few other small items were added to the equipment line to help level the income stream. In the 70s’, Brown Equipment became associated with a product know as the “Porta-Patcher”. Ralph Brown’s mechanical engineering background provided the knowledge to develop, add a patent, and build a product that was know throughout the country as a system that could patch potholes in any kind of weather. The concept of taking a cold mix asphalt material and actually removing the distillates from the asphalt, resulting in a true hot mix, had never before been accomplished. As a result of the Porta-Patcher’s success, Brown Equipment became a manufacturer and established dealers throughout the United States and Canada.