Commercial Greenhouse Manufacturer | Agra Tech Inc
 

Agra Tech History

A running History of Agra Tech's achievements throughout the years.

PERIOD: ACTUAL TO 2000

2015

Adam Pound is made sales manager

  • Red Bluff CA – Expanded facility for blackberry production – insect exclusion with vestibules and controls
  • Pleasant Grove, CA – CSP Labs / Randhawa – Sawtooth 32 with overhead energy truss for curtain
  • Fresno, CA – Transplant facility expansion, Insulator houses with drop down sidewalls
  • Hawaii – Research facility 300,000 sq ft Insulator 30 greenhouses
  • Pueblo CO – Solar Light 30 production greenhouses totaling over $1 million.

2014

Another busy year – Agricultural production and research is expanding.

  • Red Bluff CA – Facility for blueberry production – insect exclusion with vestibules and controls
  • Winters CA – 100,000+ square ft Solar Light transplant facility
  • Holtville CA – 16 Thermolator 35 x 156’ x 8’ eave - transplant houses with drop down sidewalls
  • Fresno CA – 64K sq ft  - 8 Insulator 35 transplant houses with drop down sidewalls
  • Pleasant Grove, CA – CSP Labs, Solar Light 42 greenhouses for tree research
  • Encinitas, CA – Large range of Continental 40’ hydroponic greenhouse with curtain

2013

A very busy year in the greenhouse industry 

  • Idaho Research facility $1 million dollar contract providing with Solar Light 24 headhouse as center aisle and 
  • Solar Light 36 structures divided into separate rooms for research. Also a 11,000 breeding greenhouse
  • California Transplants 312,000 square ft additional transplant houses - Thermolator 35 with drop down sidewalls
  • Woodland, CA - Seed company. $1 million contract to upgrade existing facility – Solar Light 42 greenhouses
  • Florida, a 10 acre Insulator 30 insect exclusion facility for the citrus industry

2012

Agra Tech again improves the website so you can view it on your mobile device.

2011

Agra Tech introduced our newest sales engineer, Jim Bergantz.  Jim's superior customer service skills have helped him build many relationships with our customers in the Central Valley of California.  

Agra Tech is awarded a $2 million contract to remodel an existing customers facility in Gilroy CA.

2010

Agra Tech begins relationships with many Citrus growers to eliminate the chance of the Psyllid bug, which has proven to be very dangerous to all citrus crops.

Agra Tech is awarded a contract that sends over 20 Containers of Greenhouses to the country of Guatemala.

2009

The new and improved Agratech.com website is introduced.  As the leader in the Greenhouse Industry, Agra Tech continues to improve the website to provide customers with more information and helpful articles.

2005

Agra Tech designs the Sawtooth Gutter Connected house and sells over 250,000 sq ft in its first year of production.

2004

Agra Tech introduces the Agra Tunnel.  The Agra Tunnel is an inexpensive field cover house which is manufactured to provide acres of field crop protection from the elements including sun, wind and frost.

2003

Agra Tech combines its Shade House and Energy Curtain to create the Retractable Shade House. This house is perfect for hardening off your plants and can easily be upgraded to a Solar Light, Insulator, or Continental.

2002

Agra Tech manufactured and sold over 850,000 sq ft of Cold Frame and Thermolator houses.

2001

Agra Tech upgrades the Energy Shield to offer a new flat Curtain option.

Agra Tech survives the Energy Crisis (Rolling Blackouts) with slimmed staff down to a lean and mean operating crew.

Agra Tech lowers the price on Quonsets to better assist our customers in dealing with raising energy costs.

2000

Agra Tech manufactured and sold over 650,000 Sq. Ft. of Cold Frame and Thermolator houses.

PERIOD: 1999 TO 1990

1999

Agra Tech upgrades the Roll-Up Wall into a Center roll-up design, which cuts roll up time in half.

1998

Agra Tech introduces its Dropwall, an opening poly wall system that opens from the top of the sidewall down.

Agra Tech sells just under 600,000 Sq. Ft. of Thermolator houses.

1997

Agra Tech introduces the roll-A-roof, a fully retractable rolling poly roof.

Agra Tech manufactures and sells over 550,000 Sq. Ft. of Cold Frame and Thermolator houses.

1996

Agra Tech sells over 750,000 Sq. Ft. of Thermolator greenhouses.

1994

Agra Tech introduces their sixth line of greenhouses, the Continental. This structure is designed as their latest "state of the art" greenhouse. It performs well in all climate zones in the world.

1993

Agra Tech introduces the Trol series, a line of controls and drives for rack and pinion vents, rollup walls, and energy curtains.

1992

Agra Tech introduces the Energy Shield, a retractable curtain system for inside the greenhouse.

The company introduces Agri Cool, a positive pressure cooling system designed to prevent insect entry into the greenhouse growing area.

1991

The company completes an industry analysis in which Agra Tech is reputed to be the leader in "state of the art greenhouses". It is decided to focus the future growth and identity of Agra Tech around "Tech." A line of environmental controls, a retractable curtain system, and a new positive pressure cooling system are added to the product line.

Agra Tech starts working to provide single source responsibility to their customers. Agra Tech is now able to provide the unique service of delivering a complete line of greenhouses with a complete line of greenhouse accessories, using the latest technology, with single source responsibility, and faster than the competition.

1990

Agra Tech introduces their fifth line of greenhouses, the North Slope, a Quonset structure that features a gothic arch roof. It is also offered as the Garden Showcase, a transportable spring retail structure.

PERIOD: 1989 to 1973

1989

Agra Tech introduces the Power Lift rack and pinion assembly for rack and pinion vents.

1987

The company sells its construction division to focus their full attention on greenhouse manufacturing. The division manager, Ray Pound is the new owner and renames his construction company AG CON Construction with the mission to build Agra Tech greenhouses.

The company introduces Agra Bench rolling and stationary benches. This is the beginning of their full line of greenhouse accessories, helping them become a full service manufacturer to the greenhouse industry.

1986

John Pound is granted US patent # 4,566,236 for the invention of Agra Lock. Agra Lock is universally accepted as the best poly attachment device on the market.

The company is the first US greenhouse manufacturer to purchase computer aided manufacturing (CAM) equipment. This equipment allows high flexibility in product design and exact product repeatability. It is used for bending, forming, rolling and drilling. The CAD and CAM equipment are robotics compatible but robotics are not yet feasible for greenhouse manufacturing.

1985

The company purchases an adjoining 24,000 sq. ft. lot and builds a 10,000 sq. ft. inventory storage facility. The factory now runs to build and maintain inventories, not just to manufacture individual orders. Agra Tech carries the largest inventory of completed greenhouses in the US; normally in excess of 750,000 sq. ft.  Agra Tech can now deliver complete greenhouses faster than their competition.

1984

Agra Tech is the first US greenhouse manufacturer to purchase computer aided design (CAD) equipment. The CAD equipment, added to the existing system, allowed Agra Tech to integrate design, engineering, estimating, inventory retrieval, shipping, construction, and accounting into one management system.

1982

Agra Tech introduces their fourth line of greenhouses, the Cold Frame, an inexpensive Quonset greenhouse designed for the entry-level greenhouse grower. (This is Agra Tech's most popular greenhouse with 13,000,000 sq. ft. of this greenhouse sold through 1994. Many small tube benders have copied it as their first greenhouse product.)

The company purchases a 24,000 sq. ft. lot and builds a 10,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility in Pittsburg.

1977

The company incorporates as Agra Tech, Inc. a privately held California corporation of John and Eloise Pound and it is a family ran business.

Ball Seed becomes Agra Tech's first distributor. Sales through distribution are now the foundation of Agra Tech's sales, accounting for 75% of the sales of manufactured products.

Agra Tech introduces their third greenhouse line, the Thermolator, an inexpensive Quonset greenhouse.

The company moves to Pittsburg, California into a 5,000 sq. ft. leased facility.

1976

The company introduces their second greenhouse line, the Insulator, a gutter connected arch structure featuring a double poly roof.

1974

The company moves from Salinas, CA to Berkeley, CA into a 3,000 sq. ft. leased facility. The company introduces their first greenhouse, the Solar Light, a revolutionary design that features a steel frame incorporating condensate control. (Today it is still recognized as a "state of the art" greenhouse and is the top of Agra Tech's product line.)

1973

Agra Techniques is established, by founder John A. Pound as a greenhouse construction company. The original location was Salinas, California operating under California contractor's license number 300716.

We hope you've enjoyed reading the History of Agra Tech, come back soon our History changes quite often.