Jon Kinzenbaw, founder and president of Kinze Manufacturing Inc., was awarded the George Washington Carver Distinguished Service award at Iowa State University’s Alumni Association Honors and Awards Ceremony on Nov. 8. This award presented by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, was established to honor Iowa State alumni and friends for outstanding achievements in the agricultural, food, environmental, social and life sciences.

Jon Kinzenbaw“It is an honor to be selected for this prestigious award,” Kinzenbaw said. “Iowa State is a huge supporter of the agriculture industry and it means a lot to be recognized.”

In 1965, Kinzenbaw opened a small welding shop in Victor, Iowa. Invention after invention, the welding shop grew into one of the largest agricultural equipment manufacturers in North America. He has been named inventor of 19 patents for Kinze Manufacturing, and the company has numerous additional patents. Inventions such as the single-axle low-profile grain cart and the folding planter have helped revolutionize modern planting and harvesting processes.

Prior to this award, Kinzenbaw was awarded the Governor’s New Product Award by the Iowa Engineering Society, Friends of Agriculture Award from the National Agri-Marketing Association, and has been inducted into the Inventor’s Hall of Fame by the Intellectual Property Law Association. Visit www.Kinze.com for more information on Kinzenbaw’s inventions or Kinze Manufacturing.