L&M Radiator Gears Up for 2026 Heavy Duty Conference
By: Linda Nguyen Skoglund, Communications Director
linda@narsa.org
In just a couple of months, L&M Radiator will welcome NARSA members from around the world for the 2026 Spring Conference. The meeting will be held April 29 & 30 in Duluth, Minnesota, just a couple of hours from Hibbing, the headquarters of L&M Radiator and its MESABI products.
The two-day conference will focus on extreme duty and severe duty cooling applications, a topic that continues to grow in importance across heavy-duty, off-highway, mining, and industrial markets.
“NARSA members will have a fully immersive experience at our host L&M Radiator in Minnesota this Spring,” said Executive Director Nathan Ingrao. “Some people may not know the name L&M Radiator, but they know the name ‘MESABI,’ and this will be an opportunity to see how these kinds of extreme duty heat exchangers are applied up close.”
Based in Hibbing, Minnesota, L&M Radiator has been a powerhouse in cooling systems for more than 65 years serving industries including mining, power gen, agriculture, and construction. It was founded by George Langer (L) and Clay Murray (M) in 1957. L&M Radiator, Inc. acquired the rights to the individual replaceable cooling tube radiator concept originally developed by the British in WWII and brought this concept to the Minnesota Mesabi Iron Range.
“With rapid acceptance of the MESABI® Radiator in the mining industry, the concept skyrocketed into worldwide popularity as both an OEM and aftermarket product for mobile and stationary heavy-duty equipment,” said David “Sully” Sullender, L&M’s Eastern North America Representative. “Thus began the generation of MESABI® products.”
“Other than coming to NARSA’S Spring Conference, I'm not sure how many people would schedule a trip to northern Minnesota,” said Ryan Daley, who covers the central region of L&M Radiator. “So, this gives everyone a reason to come up here and see something that's a little bit different. It’s really important to me and my colleague David Sullender and all the people here at our team to make this event fun, informative, and interesting. When everyone leaves Northern Minnesota, we hope they're thinking, ‘Wow, that that, was one of the best conferences ever.’”
“While most other heat exchanger manufacturers make a very similar product to all other heat exchangers, L&M Radiator only makes the Mesabi style radiator,” said Sullender. “L&M has always been very guarded with their manufacturing, and we do have proprietary equipment and processes at our facility, so we continue to be careful with who is at our facility–especially now that there are copycat companies producing knock off Mesabis and selling them into various markets.”
How can you spot a MESABI? “I think the biggest giveaway is just the individual style tubes,” explains Daley. “If you see a bunch of holes in the headers in the top and bottom tank, you see those rubber grommets, and you see those tubes that can be removed one by one. Of course, we do oil coolers, air to air coolers, but there's always going to be some sort of rubber grommet and individual style tubes.”
During the conference, NARSA members will have a unique opportunity to see exactly how MESABI products are made.
“This is really one of the first times we’ve ever opened up our facility like this,” said Daley. “That’s one thing that gets me excited about the Spring Conference is people get to see our products up close and get to understand it a little bit better because it is really unique. A lot of people don't understand what a grommeted design means. They don't understand what a floating core is. It’s just so different from your typical radiator, something you see in a car, small equipment.”
During the visit at L&M on Thursday, April 30, NARSA members will also get to test products with L&M Radiator technicians. “We will have stations set up where we'll have each one of our coolers,” said Daley. “We’ve sought out all of our best guys for the plant tours and for speaking opportunities to make sure that we have the best of the best that really know industrial cooling inside and out. Of course they'll be open for questions, and I think that's really what we want is for people to understand the product better and build those relationships. That's our biggest goal. ”
Another part of the Spring Conference programming will be a Fireside Chat with Gary Dick, L&M’s North American Production Manager. With his engineering background, Gary will take a deep, hands-on look at severe-duty cooling failures and what they reveal about real-world operating conditions.
“Gary knows everything there is to know about our coolers,” said Daley. “He's designed them. He works streamlining the production process. If there's an issue with the MESABI, if there's any kind of knowledge anybody wants, Gary knows it.”
Another interesting part of the facility tour will be L&M’s R&D Department.
“We put a lot of work and spend a lot of money on our R&D, whether it's the formulation of the grommets, stress testing the tubes, vibration tests, all these different things,” said Daley. “We have an on-site wind tunnel that we do a lot of testing with. So, I think that'll be fascinating for people to sort of see the very top of the radiator industry from a fabrication standpoint.”
In 2023, L&M Radiator joined Wabtec, which has more than 27,000 employees worldwide.
“During the tour, you will also see our Wall of Fame,” said Sullender. “That wall has several plaques recognizing our employees with tenures of 20, 30, 40 and 50 years with our company. It is a recognition our company is very proud of.”
NARSA’s mission statement is One Idea, One Opportunity, and One Connection. When asked why L&M Radiator wanted to host the Spring Conference, Daley explained this event is going to help bolster relationships within the association.
“David Sullander and I have spearheaded this campaign to host the Spring Conference to really build relationships within NARSA, because it is extremely important,” said Daley. “You know we really depend on all these radiator shops. They've been such a big help to us over the years in supporting us, helping our customers with their coolers, and we want trained hands who know what they're doing. So, we want to just open our doors, show these shops we care and show them that we're happy about all the work they've done over all these years.”
NARSA members can register for the 2026 Spring Conference on our website http://narsa.org. For members in good standing, the cost is $395 per person. There is also a single day registration for Thursday at just $225. There is also a 10% discount if you bring 2 or more people from your company.