The year was 1945, Irvin Martinson, a young soldier from rural east-central Iowa, was returning home from the war to his family that he hadn’t seen in over a year. Irvin and his wife, Marcella, soon moved to Cedar Rapids. Since they lived in sleeping rooms and very small apartments, their three-year-old son, Larry, was left behind to live with his mother’s parents on a farm near Williamsburg, Iowa
. Irvin used his mechanical aptitude and his experience garnered in the Army to get a job as an automotive machinist at Auto-Parts Company in Cedar Rapids, while Marcella began work at Quaker Oats Company. Irvin soon decided to have a house built, in what was then, the edge of northeast Cedar Rapids. The house faced “J” Avenue, which in the summer was a narrow, dusty, gravel road, and in the spring a nearly impassable quagmire of mud. Out of the rear windows, fields of corn and pastures with livestock could be seen. The house was completed in time for Larry to start school at Garfield Elementary. Irvin soon decided to take advantage of the robust economy that was developing, and in particular, the home building industry. Martinson Grading and Sodding was established in 1949 to serve the needs of home owners and builders by giving them an “instant lawn” with sod. The business was operated out of their home, with repairs and equipment being built or modified in the attached two stall garage. An adjacent lot, which Irvin purchased, served as a storage yard for equipment. At this time Irvin was making friends and acquaintances that would be beneficial to him in the future. During these times, job materials and equipment were transported in trailers towed by Irvin’s car or by employee’s cars. The sod that was used was pasture sod, sometimes containing weeds, etc. If a better sod was needed, it had to be shipped from sod nurseries in the Chicago area. Irvin continued working at Auto-Parts Company during the winters, and Marcella continued working full-time at Quaker Oats. In 1953 a new pickup truck was purchased by the business. Soon after, Irvin purchased ground, on what was then highway 149, near Fairfax. On this ground Irvin began growing his own sod. Irrigation and other cultural practices were then employed to produce better sod in less time. Around this time Irvin built a 1,200 square foot shop several blocks from his house. Although this moved the trucks and equipment away from his house, Marcella continued doing all the office work at home. In the late fifties, the business, including the office, moved into a 5,000 square foot masonry building, which was built using recycled materials from a similar building. By this time, Irvin and Marcella’s family included not only Larry, but three daughters – Sherry, Sheila, and Holly. Larry began spending summers, weekends, and evenings helping and learning from his father. From almost the beginning, Milford, Irvin’s brother, contributed greatly in the growth of the business by being a long-term and loyal employee. Martinson Grading and Sodding now owned several trucks, pickups, tractors, and equipment which allowed the business to include excavation, snow removal, and sales and delivery of top soil. In the early sixties, Irvin diversified even more by becoming the Ford Tractor and Implement Dealer for the Cedar Rapids area. The fleet continued to grow throughout the next two decades. Due to the construction of I-380 through Cedar Rapids, the business was forced to move once again in 1978. This time, a 6,000 square foot building was built using all new materials at a site on Wenig Road. By this time, Larry was running the daily affairs of the business, and his wife, Cathy, began working in the office. Larry and Cathy’s two oldest sons, Larry L. and Dale, were beginning to be helpful in the business. In 1979, with Irvin’s health failing, Larry and Cathy bought the business from Irvin and Marcella. Larry and Cathy continued to operate the business as Larry I. Martinson Sodding Inc. by renting the office, shop facilities, and the sod farm from Irvin and Marcella. In 1983 the business was moved to a new location in Marion, Iowa. and Dale, after attending college, were both working full time in the business and were handling most of the daily affairs of running the business. By this time most of the work that was performed by Larry I. Martinson Sodding was growing and installing sod for other contractors or for commercial businesses. Larry and Cathy’s youngest son, Allen, was beginning to work for the business as well. In February of 1993, the shop and office facilities were destroyed by a fire originating in the shop. A new 4,000 square foot building was completed in the summer of 1993 upon the old site in Marion. In the spring of 1997, Larry and Cathy sold the “new” building in Marion and their home near Fairfax. They had a new home built on 45 acres of farmland they had purchased northeast of Center Point, Iowa. On this same site, a new shop and office building was built with Larry, Larry L. and Dale doing much of the work. On this farm, all of the sod that is needed is grown. In 2001, Larry Martinson Sodding diversified into the field of selling and installing nursery stock. In 2002 the business added hydro-seeding to the services that they provide for the building contractors and home owners. In 2012, we began to grow a new type of sod that is expected to stand up to heavy traffic, and once established, will require less watering. This new sod is grown from Regenerating Perennial Ryegrass (RPR) with a bluegrass mixture. As we learn more about RPR sod, we will use our knowledge to benefit our customers in the future. The business continues to be operated from the Center Point location serving the Cedar Rapids, Marion, Hiawatha and Waterloo areas. The business specializes in large sod jobs, often harvesting, delivering, and installing 15,000-20,000 square feet of sod per day with a crew of five. Larry I. is looking forward to serving its long list of loyal customers, as well as new customers, by creating beauty and providing practical solutions to your yard and grounds dilemmas through innovative landscaping ideas.
