Vander Haag's Celebrates
80 Years in Business
When my grandfather, John C. Vander Haag, Sr., started South Side Junkyard in Sanborn, Iowa, I don’t think he ever dreamed it would grow into the business we are today! In 1939 he began collecting and selling scrap iron and various items from farmers around the countryside. My father, John C. Vander Haag, Jr., began working in the business in January 1948. He changed our business from being a “junkyard” to a late model automotive salvage yard and renamed the company South Side Salvage. In 1970, as the business continued to grow, Dad saw the need to expand to Spencer, Iowa, and modernized our name to Vander Haag’s, Inc., eventually making the decision to change to heavy duty truck parts sales.
Since our move to Spencer, we have expanded our business to include locations in Des Moines & Council Bluffs, Iowa; Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Kansas City, Missouri; and most recently in Winamac & Indianapolis, Indiana. We attribute our continued growth to our loyal employees and our commitment to providing quality products and service for our customers.
Having grown up in the business, I worked many summers trying to get a feel for all the aspects of our industry and joined the company full time after graduating from Dordt College in 1990. I’ve seen how hard my father worked to make Vander Haag’s, Inc. what it is today, and am proud to carry on his legacy.
