Cascade Manufacturing Company was founded in 1943 with a total capital investment of $7500 in Portland, Oregon as a small machine shop employing just four people. The first recorded sales revenues involved the machining and assembly of stainless steel valves, pipe fittings and other components. Sales for the first year of operation totaled $60,000.

 1948 At the end of five years of operation, annual sales volume had increased to $330,000 and the company had grown to approximately 40 employees. Design and production of the company's first hydraulic cylinder led the way in Cascade's aggressive pursuit of new business opportunities. Cascade Corporation is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of materials handling load engagement devices and related replacement parts, primarily for the lift truck industry and to a lesser extent, the construction industry.