Our History

Over 70 Years of Success

Since 1952, Cives has remained true to the vision set by our founder, John Rouse. Mr. Rouse recognized early on that surrounding himself with talented, educated people would only make his company stronger. He surrounded himself with young people he trusted and delegated responsibility, always standing by when needed.

Mr. Howard E. Lechler, a young engineer working for Rouse Construction and a professor at Clarkson University, was the man to whom Mr. Rouse delegated the task of starting a steel fabrication business. Though they had no experience in steel fabrication, they forged ahead, guided by two principles: produce a high-quality product and deliver it on time, yielding “A JOB WELL DONE.” Their steadfast commitment to quality and engineering excellence was their highest priority.

Mr. Lechler’s initial shop was a small (40’x45’) concrete block building just outside Gouverneur, NY. From this original makeshift shop, Mr. Lechler expanded Cives into a national leader in steel fabrication by adding six additional fabrication facilities. These facilities are strategically located throughout the U.S., allowing Cives to be your local fabricator and the right fabricator for any size project.

Continuing Mr. Lechler’s vision, Viking-Cives Inc. was founded in 1960 in Gouverneur, NY. Fabrication of plow equipment was a good fit for the steel shop, providing work for its employees during the cold, snowy winter months in northern New York State.

Since its inception, the Viking-Cives Group has grown into a major supplier of snow & ice equipment throughout North America with four full-line manufacturing divisions and nine satellite installation facilities in the United States and Canada.

Today, that commitment remains within every employee and will continue to do so long into the future. Cives is an employee-owned company, ensuring that all stay true to our founder’s vision of delivering excellence and exacting precision in everything we do.