About Us

Tradition of Quality since 1965

Wally Stocker’s tree moving business in the 1960’s wasn’t one of the giant operation that we see today, but for the era, it was a healthy business. A building boom meant Stocker needed to move a lot of trees. Tree spades were in their infancy, and Stocker, being an engineer by training knew that if he developed a tree moving system that was simple in design, it could be made to be reliable and versatile for his needs.

Stocker began experimenting with digging spades and head designs, mindful that each change needed to expand on the digging capabilities of the previous design. As Stocker visited nurseries, they began to inquire about when they might be able to purchase a Stocker tree Spade. By June 1977, Stocker had delivered several hundred Tree Spades, and patented his vehicle mounted tree spade system. Today, Stocker holds several patents in the tree spade business, and continually refines and expands its products, mindful to maintain the same features that make the Stocker the lowest cost of ownership of any commercial tree spade.

Novak Companies – Stocker manufacturer since 1980

In 1949, Francis E. Novak opened a small garage in Veseli, Minnesota to serve the local community. Most of his work involved repairing farm machinery & implements in the local farming area. By the 1970’s “Novak’s garage” was known as the place to have your work done, and the reputation of Francis and his son Ken gave the small business growth as they repaired and designed new custom products for their customers. Soon, the other Novak son’s, Bernie, Greg and Tim became part of an expanding company that included custom manufacturing. Today, the Novak Companies’ unique family business is the largest full time employer in the area with customers that include fortune 500 manufacturers and other high tech clients.