In September 1946, William B. Casey received his discharge from the United States Marine Corps. Over dinner, Ed and Polly Rawls, Bill and Audrey Casey and Bertha Casey were celebrating and planning a new business venture.

Low Temp Manufacturing Company was co-founded by William B. Casey, a North Carolinian, who elected to leave the family sawmill to try his hand at a different business. Casey joined his brother-in-law Ed Rawls and sister Polly, owner of the Refrigeration Exchange Company in Atlanta, Georgia. Along with Casey’s sister, Bertha Casey Hammonds, Low Temp Manufacturing Company was founded. The first year of operation, Low Temp had five employees and turned a profit of $51.52.

After being in business for a short time, Low Temp relocated from the Pryor Street location in downtown Atlanta to its permanent home in Jonesboro.

The Casey Family: Seven of the 10 children of Will and Mattie Casey either made their career at Low Temp or their spouse retired from the company. They were Polly, Bill, Nancy, Bertha, Renville, Arnold and Frances.

Polly Rawls served as a Vice President and Bertha Hammonds was Secretary/Treasurer, making them the first female officers of Low Temp (Bertha pictured).

In 1958 a fire destroyed the plant, nearly ending our growing company. Nevertheless, operations continued with a reduced workforce consisting of family members and a handful of loyal employees. Working out of the basement of a downtown Jonesboro grocery store, the company survived.

In 1959, Low Temp Manufacturing constructed and moved into its new facility at 9192 Tara Boulevard. Shortly after, William B. Casey became the President & CEO and remained so until his death in 1994. Pictured: William B. and Audrey Casey and their children, Bill and Cheryl.

In the early 80s, William E. Casey was appointed as EVP of Sales, and Arnold Casey, Sr. was promoted to EVP of Manufacturing, overseeing all of production. Through the years, Arnold gained a wealth of knowledge and experience by working on the floor with employees in many areas of the shop. Some of his responsibilities included hand-drawn construction layout for production, the purchase of machinery for the floor, contracts, the purchase of metal and attendance at industry shows.

In the 80s, we introduced our workforce to computers, changing the way we communicate throughout the organization. Business was growing, and we were building equipment for several restaurants and hospitals, including Captain D’s, Hardee’s, Perkins, Shoney’s and HCA Hospital. At this time, our work started turning into more front-of-the-house serving lines rather than back-of-the-house work counters we’d built for so many years. Also in the 80s, the first Utility Distribution Systems (UDS) was built for the NAS Whiting Field, Florida.

In 1983, COLORPOINT was born, and fiberglass construction of equipment grew to be very successful. Projects among K-12 schools began to grow, and we were finding our niche in this market.

In 1994, upon the passing of his father William B. Casey, William E. (Bill) Casey was elected as President & CEO and Chairman of the Board. In 1995, Temp-est Aire technology was invented by Casey Hammonds and Ben Shackelford and was awarded a U.S. patent. This technology allows air flow to circulate below pans, preventing food and product from drying out. This created a huge advantage for Low Temp in the foodservice world.

In 1996, we embarked on an initiative to expand coverage in virtually every state by going nationwide with a network of Sales Representatives. These reps would sell on behalf of Low Temp in industries all over the country. In 1999, we hired our first-ever Human Resources Director, Faye Marion, who was instrumental in our recruitment efforts and labor compliance for many years ahead.

In 1999, Bill and Sue Casey and family became sole stakeholders and made a commitment to grow the company.

In 2003, we celebrated the company’s longest-tenured employee at the time, Red Brown. After countless contributions to our business, he retired with 50 years of service. We declared it to be “Red Brown Day.”

In 2005, we hired the first female employee to work in the shop area. This same year, Visions Planning & Décor was introduced, expanding our offering to an array of design elements, including signage, graphic art, paint, window treatments and seating options.

On November 1, 2007 Benjamin E. Casey, son of William E. (Bill) Casey, grandson of William B. Casey was appointed as President & CEO of the company.

In 2017, we celebrated 70 strong years and announced plans to build a new company headquarters. This signified the commitment to continue to grow and invest back into the business.

On March 8, 2018, we broke ground on the new facility and celebrated with the entire team this monumental occasion.

At the Groundbreaking Ceremony, Mayor Joy Day announced that Old Poston Road would be re-named Bill Casey Parkway in honor of the legacy created in Jonesboro over the last seven decades.

We continue to invest in technology to ensure high-quality work with increased productivity for our customers. Some of the new equipment we’ve invested in to help with efficiencies includes a state-of-the-art laser machine, a CNC router and a graphics printer to produce VisionDesign signage in-house.

On April 11, the building was dedicated to our past and present employees in recognition and sincere gratitude for their commitment to our purpose of enriching lives through leadership in food serving solutions.