348:), the second-largest OEM in the world that designs, manufactures and sells agricultural and construction machinery. What attracted CNHi, who had an annual revenue of $ 26 billion compared to Raven's $ 400 million, was the latter's Applied Technology division, which focused on autonomous equipment used in agriculture. Its former Engineered Films division would be acquired by Industrial Opportunity Partners, a private equity firm. Scott Wickersham, who had served as president and general manager of the division, would assume the position of CEO under the new ownership. The stratospheric balloon and radar division, Aerostar, was eventually acquired by TCOM Holdings, which specializes in ISR services. It would move from its downtown headquarters into the former Colorado Technical University building and continue to be led by Jim Nelson.
336:(ISR) to track airborne targets, such as hypersonic missiles, and as platforms for various weapons. The Pentagon believes COLD STAR could refine hypersonic and long-range fire targeting and was evaluating how to incorporate them and commercial satellites into the same "kill chain". Scott Wickersham, Raven Aerostar's vice-president, said that the company was also working with Sierra Nevada, an aerospace defense company, and the Pentagon's research arm
38:
332:, the balloons are radar-transparent and carry a stealthy gondola. They can harvest complex data and navigate using AI. Initially created to locate narcotic traffickers, they were later transitioned into military service. According to Tom Karako, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the balloons can serve as communication and datalink nodes, as trucks for
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By the 1980s, the company was selling over 200 balloons every year. Ballooning had become so popular that Raven created a subsidiary, Aerostar
Industries, to concentrate on the production of balloons. Production of hot air balloons ceased in 2007 however due to the costs for liability insurance and a
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Modern hot-air ballooning was born
October 22, 1960 when Paul E. (Ed) Yost piloted the maiden flight of a balloon employing a new envelope and a new propane burner system which he developed. The flight lasted 25 minutes and traveled 3 miles ... The balloon was 40 feet in diameter with a volume of
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that kicked off the resurgence of ballooning in the mid-1960s. In fact, Ed Yost began this series of events when he built and flew a 40 ft (12 m)-diameter balloon a distance of three miles on 22 October 1960. In 1966, Raven added a new 30,000-square-foot facility in Sioux Falls near the
272:. The company produced polyethylene balloons for high altitudes, from 100,000 to 150,000 feet. It first operated out of the old hospital building at an abandoned World War II airbase. When the Manchester Biscuit Company closed down in 1961, Raven moved into the old Manchester building.
355:. It offers products and services such as automated tiller, harvester and spreader, tractor autonomy, data centralization, guidance and steering systems, spray applicators, and electronic displays. The Raven Precision Agriculture Center at the
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products and information management tools for growers. Before a series of acquisitions in 2021, it also had an
Engineered Films segment that produced plastic films for various agricultural and industrial applications, as well as an
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states. It was unclear whether the tests were connected to any ongoing narcotic or counter-terrorism investigations or how the data collected would be handled afterwards, raising privacy concerns. Funded under project
340:
on the
Adaptable Lighter-Than-Air (ALTA) program, which aims to make stratospheric balloon navigation more precise and reliable using doppler laser. The technology was transferred to the U.S. military in 2019.
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30,000 cubic feet. For this accomplishment Yost is known as the father of modern hot-air ballooning. Soon, Yost's company, Raven
Industries, was making balloons for sale.
867:
862:
808:'Raven Industries Outlook,' Dow Jones News Service, August 12, 1983.'Raven Industries Sees Net Up Strongly in 4th Quarter,' Dow Jones News Service, November 25, 1983.
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airport. According to its website, the first unmanned airship in history to travel in the stratosphere under powered flight was launched and flown by Raven in 1970.
805:'Raven Industries,' Implement and Tractor, January 11, 1996.'Raven Industries Acquires Norcore Plastics, Tank & Technology,' Composite News, February 10, 1997.
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Following the acquisitions, Raven was restructured to focus on precision agriculture and acquired 48 acres to expand its
Innovation Campus near
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opened in fall 2021 to support education in agricultural science, technology, and engineering. The company has added hundreds of jobs in
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243:, and radar systems, and sold military parachutes, uniforms, and protective wear. The company was founded in 1956 and headquartered in
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Between 1984 and 2019, Raven
Industries made hundreds of balloons and other inflatables for the annual
799:'Underdog: A Military Contractor Spreads Its Wings,' Journal of Business Strategy, September 19, 1997.
352:
696:"TCOM Holdings Acquires Aerostar International, Adds Radar Systems Capabilities; Ron Bendlin Quoted"
802:
Palmer, Jay, 'Raven
Industries Enjoys Ballooning Business,' Barron's, August 17, 1992, p. 14.
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The U.S. military and other government agencies were among its clients, and besides the U.S.
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796:'CEO Interview: Raven Industries,' Wall Street Transcript, October 24, 1994. Meyer, Harvey
776:"Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade has decades-long ties to Raven Industries: Looking Back"
738:"SiouxFalls.Business Report: Steel District and Raven Industries experience development"
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and established a cyber defense hub in collaboration with students and graduates from
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19:"Aerostar Industries" redirects here. For the Romanian aircraft manufacturer, see
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American manufacturer of plastic, electronic and "special apparel" products
623:"America Is Developing Its Own Spy Balloons. Here's Why They're So Useful"
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segment that designed and manufactured high-altitude balloons, tethered
677:"Raven's new owner envisions Sioux Falls becoming tech hub for company"
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247:. Its stock was traded on Nasdaq until 2021 when it was acquired by
644:"Raven's engineered films division acquired by private equity firm"
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commissioned surveillance tests using 25 Raven balloons across six
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601:"U.S. military's newest weapon against China and Russia: Hot air"
815:
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Slovak, Julianne, 'Raven
Industries,' Fortune, May 21, 1990.
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In 2021, Raven was acquired by Case New
Holland Industrial (
304:. From 2012 to 2021, its Aerostar subsidiary partnered with
571:"Pentagon testing mass surveillance balloons across the US"
264:
Raven Industries was established in 1956 by James Smith,
300:, Raven Industries had other big name customers such as
757:"6 Raven Aerostar balloons make debut in Macy's parade"
540:"Raven-Google balloon project approved in Puerto Rico"
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312:, to develop high-altitude communications balloons.
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328:(Covert Long-Dwell Stratospheric Architecture) by
509:"National Balloon Museum - History of Ballooning"
279:and Semco, were among the first manufacturers of
858:Manufacturing companies based in South Dakota
334:intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance
270:General Mills' aeronautical research division
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848:Companies based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota
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888:Aircraft manufacturers of the United States
853:Manufacturing companies established in 1956
873:Agriculture companies of the United States
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29:
868:Companies formerly listed on the Nasdaq
863:Plastics companies of the United States
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436:"Raven Industries Inc. (RAVN) Profile"
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774:Renshaw, Eric (27 November 2022).
694:Lyons-Burt, Charles (2022-07-29).
230:is an American company that makes
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379:, depicting characters such as
621:Hambling, David (2023-02-06).
495:The Historical Marker Database
377:Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
317:United States Southern Command
1:
816:http://ravenaerostar.com/news
720:"Raven Industries | Products"
422:"Raven Industries, Inc. 10-K"
357:South Dakota State University
442:. 2016-03-15. Archived from
755:Schwan, Jodi (2014-11-26).
675:Schwan, Jodi (2021-12-06).
569:Harris, Mark (2019-08-02).
909:
599:Hudson, Lee (2022-07-05).
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245:Sioux Falls, South Dakota
91:Sioux Falls, South Dakota
61:Sioux Falls, South Dakota
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25:Aerostar (disambiguation)
814:'Raven Aerostar News,'
365:Dakota State University
308:, then a subsidiary of
228:Raven Industries, Inc.
31:Raven Industries, Inc.
23:. For other uses, see
893:Balloon manufacturers
393:Spongebob Squarepants
298:Department of Defense
232:precision agriculture
353:Baltic, South Dakota
118:Steven Brazones, CFO
878:Aerospace companies
681:SiouxFalls.Business
648:SiouxFalls.Business
544:SiouxFalls.Business
237:Aerostar Industries
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491:"Raven Industries"
288:shrinking market.
275:Raven, along with
58:February 11, 1956
627:Popular Mechanics
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82:Joseph Kaliszewki
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199:US$ 305M (2015)
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444:the original
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330:the Pentagon
325:
314:
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292:21st century
286:
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236:
227:
226:
189:Total equity
172:Total assets
87:Headquarters
381:Hello Kitty
361:Sioux Falls
260:Early years
102:Area served
49:Agriculture
842:Categories
705:2022-10-18
654:2022-10-18
550:2022-08-22
519:2010-06-09
473:2023-02-25
399:References
389:Spider-Man
155:Net income
112:Key people
74:J.R. Smith
583:0261-3077
463:"History"
326:COLD STAR
241:aerostats
106:Worldwide
605:POLITICO
467:Aerostar
306:Loon LLC
45:Industry
21:Aerostar
385:Pikachu
321:midwest
255:History
216:Website
123:Revenue
77:Ed Yost
71:Founder
55:Founded
581:
391:, and
371:Trivia
302:Google
205:Parent
338:DARPA
579:ISSN
346:CNHi
844::
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
