The Making of a Champion

It's true - necessity really is the mother of invention!
Back in 1980, the family business that is now Champion Motor Graders was a local contracting firm in Charlotte, North Carolina. As anyone in the business would expect, operating exactly the right equipment was essential to the success of the operation. But at the time, our founders were unable to find a motor grader that suited the business. We needed a grader that would:

• Work efficiently in close quarters
• Run a consistent power profile, even at slow speeds
• Perform reliably every day
• Adapt to various job applications

Since no equipment manufacturer was ready to build that kind of grader for us, we built it ourselves: the first of the new compact hydrostatic-drive graders. We soon found that other contractors were looking for our kind of grader, too, so we produced more, improving the design with each build. As demand grew, the family business transformed into a full-fledged engineering, machining and manufacturing operation.

Champion: The Motor Grader Specialists
With the family's next generation came the opportunity to expand horizons and join forces with a world-renowned leader in the motor grader business. The Compact Graders built by our family became part of the Champion Motor Graders family of graders in 1993. Unlike other grader manufacturers, Champion specialized in motor grader applications and equipment. Champion built the first horse-drawn grader in 1875 and later the first motor-driven grader. The Champion product line-up covered the most diverse range of full-size graders in the industry. By taking on the Compact Grader line, Champion could fill every possible grading requirement. Our factory in Charlotte, NC continued to produce the Champion Compact Series, now with support and expertise from the world's recognized grader specialists.

Volvo: Bigger ideas for Compact Graders
Champion's business evolution took another step up in 1997 when Champion Motor Graders, including our compact line, was purchased by Volvo Construction Equipment. Champion Compact Graders were now part of a global enterprise with a legendary reputation for quality. Again, we were asked to continue managing production and support for the Compact Graders. All operations at Champion were introduced to the Volvo way of manufacturing with world-class quality assurance, engineering and business discipline plus outstanding customer service and support systems.

In 2002, the Charlotte facility earned its ISO 9001 registration, then updated to ISO 9000:2000 in 2004. Other manufacturers were building Compact Graders by this time, only Champion achieved this level of assured quality.



The Champion story goes full circle
Today, Champion Motor Graders has returned to its roots as a family-owned business specializing in Compact Motor Graders. Recognizing that the compact line fills a unique niche in contracting and public works operations, Volvo returned the reins and the name of the Charlotte-based operations to Gary and Bryan Abernathy.

Champion is carrying forward a century of motor grading tradition with highly advanced processes for manufacturing and engineering. Based in the production facilities of Champion Industries LLC, ISO-certified under Volvo, the new Champion Motor Graders organization offers a complete capability for:

• Leading the development of new models and features in Compact Graders
• Designing and manufacturing specialty grader attachments
• Supporting nationwide service to Champion customers and dealers

To see how far we've really come, take a tour through our online walkaround of a Champion Compact Grader.

Always a leader, Champion now stands in a league of its own!