Mohr Shade, less hassle

**Production of Mohr Shades will soon be underway in this building in south Denison. The company sold about 300 of the collapsible shades last year and aims to sell more than that in the coming year.** Photo by Dan mundt

A new building under construction in Denison will house a business Cody Mohr started in Schleswig about five years ago.

“I needed a shade for our cattle and a couple of the brands I was going to buy took you three hours or so to put it together,” Mohr said.

He instead decided to create a shade of his own.

“I invented a shade that cranks up and collapses just like an umbrella,” he said. “It comes all preassembled with the canvas and ready to go.”

He made two for himself, and two more for someone who liked the design.

As more people heard about his shade, a few more orders came in.

“Our first year, we sold 13,” he said. “The second year, it was 50.”

Last year, he sold 300.

“I didn’t really plan on it being much, but it turned into quite something,” Mohr said.

For the last five years, he and a few others have been making Mohr Shades at Bedrock Concrete Products in Schleswig.

Mohr Shades have been put to use by the Denison Community School District for softball, baseball, and track and field events.

A few have been placed in city parks, and the shades have proven to be popular with livestock producers.

“A lot of cattle guys use them,” he said.

Blank Park Zoo of Des Moines has purchased several to provide shade for their giraffe and rhinoceros enclosures.

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**Mohr Shades have proven to be popular with livestock producers - and livestock.** submitted photo

The new building in Denison is 150 feet by 80 feet, with an attached office, and will be dedicated to manufacturing Mohr Shades when complete.

“We’ll be doing all the fabrication down here instead of in Schleswig,” Mohr said.

The new building will allow the business to expand into additional products.

“We’re coming out with a couple other models and sizes,” he said. “We came out with a new one last year, and we’ll have right at five different models this upcoming year.”

The shades are popular, in part, because of their easy-to-use design.

“‘Mohr Shade, less hassle’ is our slogan,” Mohr said.

Concrete was poured at the new building in Denison on Monday.

Mohr said he expects construction to be complete and to move into the building within a month.

Because production of the shades has been ramping up over the last several years, most of the necessary staff is already in place, but Mohr plans to hire one or two additional individuals when production begins in the new building.

“We’ll build all winter,” he said. “We’re hoping to see more than 300 shades for next year.”

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