Driven by ambition and the will to advance, the family left for the United States at the beginning of the last century. After a long and uncertain journey, they arrived in Minnesota, where they built a farm and were introduced to agricultural mechanization for the first time. Life was challenging, but it also offered room to pioneer, discover new techniques, and think bigger. The family persevered, driven by the same mentality that led them to leave the Netherlands: continuing to seek growth and improvement, even when faced with adversity.
The family decides to return to the Netherlands. They leave America behind, but take something very valuable with them: new insights, experience with working on a larger scale, and above all, the conviction that things can be done differently and better.
In Brabant, the story begins anew. The land on which they start is cheap but difficult to cultivate. While many farmers continue working as they are accustomed, the Staadegaard family chooses a different path. They invest early in mechanization and switch to tractors, while others are still working with horse and cart.
Other farmers soon see the benefits of this new way of working. Tractors and machines are not only used on their own land but are also supplied to farmers in the region. The family helps farmers make the transition to mechanization, explains how the machines work, and guides them through this change. As a result, the work gradually grows from solely farming into a combination of agriculture and technology.
It is a choice that entails risk, but one that ultimately makes the difference. By investing, experimenting, and persevering, they manage to transform barren soil into productive farmland. At the same time, they are building a growing network of customers who rely on their knowledge and machinery. Here, a common thread emerges that is still visible today: progress begins with daring to make choices at moments when others are still hesitating.
The development of technology goes hand in hand with the development of the company. Service becomes an essential component. At first, it is the members of the Staadegaard family themselves who head out, sometimes for days at a time. With a toolbox on the back of a bicycle, and later on a motorcycle and even later in service vans, they go to their customers. Repairs are carried out on site, in the yard or simply in the field, where work comes to a standstill.
In 1950, the family moved to Lieshout, where an old machine factory was taken over. There, a mechanization company was established in which, just as always, it is not only about technology, but also about people.
Work and private life blend seamlessly. With a large family, a household goods store, and a growing business, life is always busy. On Dorpsstraat, the company is growing into a central hub where machines are sold, maintained, and repaired. But customers don't just come for repairs; they pull up a chair at the large kitchen table just as easily.
That culture, in which work, family, and community coincide, forms the basis of the collaboration. It is not just about machines, but about trust and relationships.
From the late 1960s, Staadegaard evolved from agricultural mechanization into a broader role in earthmoving and machinery. Excavators were introduced alongside tractors. New machines, new markets, and new partnerships propelled the company forward. It grew from a local mechanization company into a serious player in the sector.
In the early 1980s, another major step followed. The company moved from Dorpsstraat to a new location in Lieshout and simultaneously in Haelen (Limburg). There, large-scale construction took place at two sites at once: multiple halls, showrooms, and extensive workshops. For that time, it was an unprecedentedly ambitious choice.
In the years that follow, the company works with various brands and suppliers. Both the agricultural and earthmoving divisions develop side by side within a single organization. Some collaborations proceed smoothly, while others change due to market developments. Time and again, the company adapts, learns new skills, and its knowledge of machines as well as the sector grows.
Over those years, not only does the company grow, but so does insight. The organization broadens, the activities develop each in their own way, and the need for a clear focus grows.
The realization is dawning that things need to change. That means making choices that are not always easy, but are necessary to remain true to one's own way of working.
Agricultural mechanization remains in Lieshout under Staadegaard, while earthmoving activities go their own way. With that step, Staad is created.
For earthmoving, this marks a new beginning. The organization is moving to Veghel, where there is more space to determine a clear direction with focus. Staad is committed to a total concept in which everything comes together: earthmoving machinery, sales, and service. This means customers will find everything under one roof.
The initial period is demanding. It is a new organization with limited resources and no certainties. Decisions must be made quickly, and trust is more important than certainty.
It is precisely in that phase that the difference becomes apparent. Relationships endure, customers retain their trust, and people remain engaged. The company continues to grow on a foundation of entrepreneurship, trust, and staying close to the practical realities.
Over the years, it becomes clear where the strength truly lies: not only in processes or systems, but in the ability to quickly see what is needed and act accordingly.
From that conviction grows the need to provide more direction ourselves. Not a change of course, but a logical continuation of a way of working that has been in the DNA for generations: not waiting, but taking action.
Around 2019, another important decision point presents itself. Customers are increasingly asking for machines without diesel emissions and for solutions for inner-city work that allow for cleaner operations. Electric working is cautiously gaining ground, but at that time, it is still far from commonplace.
It is being viewed with doubt both within and outside the company. Does it actually work? Is the technology ready for it? And is the market ready for it yet?
Nevertheless, Staad chooses not to wait once again, but to take action. The first step is taken by converting diesel earthmoving machines to electric ones, under the name Electric. The process is not without challenges and requires perseverance, but the direction feels convincing from the start.
Gradually, the view on electric working is changing. What was initially seen as uncertain or even impossible is developing step by step into a serious and promising direction for the future.
The next step follows logically: not just adapting what already exists, but developing in-house. Staad begins designing and developing its own electric excavators under the brand name STAAD, conceived entirely from a practical perspective, with the needs of various operators at the forefront. In doing so, everything comes together under one roof once again. The R&D branch grows, and more and more people join to turn ideas into concrete solutions.
That means pioneering once again. New technologies, new collaborations, and new challenges follow in quick succession. But that is precisely familiar territory for the Staadegaard family. For generations, they have been thinking ahead and building new possibilities.
At the same time, this step also brings something else: freedom. The space to no longer be dependent on what is available, but to determine for oneself what is needed. This changes the role of the company: from dealer to an organization that directs its own development, not only as a dealer, but also as a manufacturer.
Staad aims to contribute to a sector ready for the future: cleaner, quieter, and more sustainable. In doing so, we look not only at what can be improved for the environment, but also at what can be improved for the operator. After all, they make the difference every day. That is why safety, comfort, and ease of use are central. This results in machines that bring progress not only to the sector, but also to the people who work with them daily.
When you look back on the whole story, you see the same pattern recurring. It starts with an idea that isn't yet self-evident. This is followed by questions, doubts, and moments when things sometimes turn out differently than expected. And yet, they persevere, time and time again. Not because it is easy, but because there is the confidence to look ahead and make decisions, precisely at moments when others are still waiting.
You see that thread reflected everywhere. In the trip to America, in the choice for mechanization, in the move to earthmoving, and in the transition to electrification. Time and again, it requires courage, entrepreneurship, and perseverance. It requires making choices without certainty, daring to take risks, and looking challenges straight in the eye.
But what truly characterizes this story goes beyond just innovation or technology. It lies in the way of working and the people behind it. Staad has always been a family business, and it still is. This means that the focus is not only on machines or processes, but above all on the people around them.
Staying close to the customer, seeking solutions together, and helping each other move forward. Not from a distance, but from a place of commitment. That combination of humanity and entrepreneurship has formed the foundation for generations and ensures that the company continues to develop, without ever losing sight of its origins.
From the Netherlands to America and back to the Netherlands, to a company that is helping to build the future of machines and technology today.
The story of Staadegaard, and today Staad, shows that progress does not happen by itself. It requires courage, perseverance, and the willingness to make choices before it is certain.
And perhaps that is the core of it all:
Don't wait for the future to become clear, but build it yourself.
The common thread of Staad: from petroleum-powered to diesel, and from diesel to electric.
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