May 28, 2023
Joe Keller, son of the late Louis Keller, at the National Inventors Hall of Fame
Bobcat Co., West Fargo, N.D., has its history on display in a new exhibit within the National Inventors Hall of Fame® (NIHF) Museum in Alexandria, Va.
The opening of the museum exhibit follows an announcement from earlier in 2023 that Cyril and Louis Keller, the brothers who invented the world’s first compact loader — later named the Bobcat® skid-steer loader — have been selected as 2023 inductees for the NIHF.
“As Bobcat celebrates 65 years since the invention of the machine that created the compact equipment industry, we are thrilled to uplift our history to museum attendees of all ages,” said Mike Ballweber, Doosan Bobcat North America president. “As a company we continue to grow and evolve, but we stay connected to our roots through our spirit of innovation sparked by the Keller brothers.”
The museum exhibit features one of the Keller brothers’ original three-wheel loaders, along with a timeline of Bobcat’s history and a video display highlighting various aspects of Bobcat’s products, people and initiatives.
The loader on display in the exhibit was one of the first 10 compact loaders built in the late 1950s by the Keller brothers and has been offered on loan from the Keller family.
The Bobcat exhibit will be on display through April 2024. The NIHF Museum is located inside the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, 600 Dulany St., Alexandria, Va.
Cyril and Louis Keller will be inducted posthumously into the NIHF on Oct. 26.
