Thank You for Joining Us at the Economy Ball Mill Open House
On May 1, 2026, we opened the doors of Economy Ball Mill to our community, and we are still feeling grateful for the turnout. To everyone who took time out of their day to celebrate with us, walk the floor, ask questions, and celebrate with us: thank you.
This event marked more than the unveiling of a new building. It marked 70 years of Economy Ball Mill and the start of a new chapter for our team, our customers, and the community that has stood behind us.
A New Facility, A New Chapter
The Open House celebrated the moment our new building officially becomes the main hub of Economy Ball Mill operations. Starting in 2026, the new facility is our primary manufacturing site, and the original Tollesboro location is transitioning to a dedicated test site for our product development and toll milling work. This shift allows us to do two things well at the same time:
- Build more, build better. The new building gives our team the floor space, layout, and equipment access needed to grow custom ball mill production for clients across the U.S. and overseas.
- Test smarter. Dedicating the original facility to testing means our product development and testing services have a permanent home including our 20" x 28" tester ball mill, scalable batch validation, and the wet and dry process simulation work that helps customers de-risk a project before they ever commit to a custom build.
- It also strengthens our toll milling services — the contract grinding work we do for customers who send us their raw materials and want a trusted partner to process them.
With a dedicated test site and an expanded production facility, we are better equipped than ever to handle pilot batches, scale-up runs, and full toll milling projects without slowing down custom equipment manufacturing.
What's Ahead
To everyone who joined us on May 1, thank you for being part of the story. We are grateful for your support, and we are looking forward to what comes next together. The new facility is a commitment to the next 70 years: more capacity, deeper testing capabilities, and the same hands-on partnership our customers have counted on for decades.
Seventy years in, Economy Ball Mill remains a solution for custom pulverization: designed, built, and supported in Tollesboro, Kentucky, with customers served internationally.
70 Years of Economy Ball Mill: A Quick Look Back
Economy Ball Mill traces its roots to 1957, when the company was founded as Economy Manufacturing in East Liverpool, Ohio. From the start, the focus was on building custom ball mills that solved real size-reduction problems for the manufacturers driving the Rust Belt economy. By the mid-1970s, the company merged with a blending technology firm to become Crossley Economy Company, relocating to East Palestine, Ohio, with a product line that grew to include mixers, blenders, and valves alongside ball mills.
When the Rust Belt slowed in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the company refocused — selling off the mixer, blender, and valve lines and operating exclusively as Economy Ball Mill Company.
In 2013, owner Shane Wallingford brought the operation home to Tollesboro, Kentucky. Under Shane's leadership, the company has continued building quality batch, continuous, and continuous overflow ball mills for customers across the country and around the world.
Seven decades after the company started, the mission has not changed: solve real grinding problems for real manufacturers, where we treat every customer like a partner in the process.
A Special Thank You to Our Hosts and Speakers
The Open House would not have been possible without the support of our chamber partners and the leaders who took the stage to share their perspectives. Our sincere thanks go to:
- Fleming County Chamber of Commerce
- Lewis County Chamber of Commerce
- Maysville Area Chamber of Commerce
And to our guests, whose words made the day meaningful:
- George Sparks, Lewis County Judge Executive
- Congressman Andy Barr, U.S. representative for Kentucky's 6th congressional district
- Dr. Ahmad Zargari, Professor and Dean of the College of Science and Engineering at Morehead State University
- Kevin Cornette, Executive Director of the Buffalo Trace Area Development District
- Scott McIntyre, Attorney & Partner with BakerHosterler & Life-Long Friend
A thank you as well to Harrison Events for the wonderful lunch, and to every neighbor, customer, vendor, family member, and friend who stopped by to celebrate with us.
Experience The Legacy of Ball Mill Production
If you couldn’t make it to the Open House and want to learn more about our new facility, our toll milling services, or how we can support your next project, we'd love to hear from you.
Contact us online or give us a call at (606) 715-2094. Here's to 70 years — and the next chapter ahead.
