Midwest Wheel Companies of Des Moines, Iowa, celebrated its 100th anniversary yesterday.

Founded in 1911 by Fred Prior and George Koons, Midwest Wheel Companies was the first rubber vulcanizer west of the Mississippi. In the early days, the company specialized in rebuilding and repairing solid rubber tires and wooden wheels crafted of hickory.

The business evolved over the years with changes in the transportation industry and eventually expanded from just wheels to many other heavy-duty truck parts - it even provided wheel services to early race car drivers along the way. Today it has grown to be the largest truck parts distributor in the Midwest with seven locations and 180 employees. President Mike Callison is the great grandson of Koons and the fourth-generation owner.

As part of the year-long celebration, the company donated $20,000 to the Iowa Motor Truck Association's Iowa Motor Carrier's Foundation, and $10,000 to the Des Moines Area Community College.

"As we turned 100 years young, we felt that it was appropriate to show our appreciation of the trucking industry by establishing scholarship programs that promote the industry," said Callison.