The original fertilizer manufacturing business was replaced as exclusive warehousing and bagging of fertilizers for The Olin-Mathieson Chemical Company in the 1950s. Olin was to be the only customer for Lange-Stegmann, a seemingly high-risk yet secure position for almost 25 years. In December 1979, Olin announced an intention to get out of the fertilizer business. Lange-Stegmann lost its only customer, and they were forced to refocus and rebuild. However, the company’s vision was clear and focused. They knew that the key to success in the fertilizer industry would be materials handling: the ability to outflank competitors with smarter logistics and faster transportation, to move large volumes of product and have it in place at precisely the right time. When the agricultural boom of the 1970s hit, Lange-Stegmann was acknowledged as the pioneer of precision in bulk commodities handling. In 1979, Henry Lange’s grandson Mike Stegmann joined the family business. Like his father Rich, he started out working in the warehouse. Mike’s brother Rick and sister Debbie also joined the team in the early 1980s.

Lange-Stegmann diversified into moving commodities for other manufacturers – chemicals, feed ingredients, salt, and more. The fertilizer business developed rapidly as well, moving into blended fertilizers; they even entered into the retail arena with consumer products such as Ice Melter.

In 1984, they embarked on an ambitious expansion program. As the company’s forefathers had taught them, they were envisioning far beyond the scale of the actual business. They built large storage domes with a self-engineered center pivot conveyor system—the first of its kind—and barge docks on the bank of the Mississippi (now less vulnerable to flooding due to the foresight of the company’s founders). Later, a 15,000 ton liquid storage facility was constructed on site. This proved to be among the fastest liquid transfer facilities on the upper Mississippi River.

The logo of the Lange-Stegmann Company notes the core values of the company: Quality, Service and Integrity. From a historical standpoint, the company has echoed these values with three other watchwords: