IOWA 500: Meet Eric Hahn, managing partner of Bazooka Farmstar

The list includes leaders representing 14 categories, which we believe reflect the scope of business sectors in our state. Eric Hahn’s profile introduced the Agriculture and Ag Tech category.

Eric Hahn wasn’t sure what he’d be stepping into when he started at Bazooka Farmstar, but the agricultural manufacturing company has been flourishing under his leadership for more than a decade.

Originally from Middle Amana before moving to Homestead in high school, Mr. Hahn, 42, did not have any farm experience before joining the Washington, Iowa-based company in 2011.                                                     

“Not being in the business, there was a learning curve,” he said, “but that’s also allowed us to innovate and to think outside the box.”

The manufacturer formed in the 1970s after a merger between Bazooka Grain Handling Systems and Farmstar Manure Handling Systems, moving to southeast Iowa in 1993.

Bazooka Farmstar’s headquarters grew to 330,000 square feet with the purchase of a building next door in 2017, and an addition in 2021-22 with higher ceiling heights for a paint booth and final assembly space.                                                                         

Mr. Hahn drove growth and innovation as general manager for five years and as managing partner the past eight years, steering the company to become a leader in the manure industry through strategic diversification, product category expansion and dealer partnerships.

Under his tenure, the company quadrupled its workforce to about 100 employees, who develop and manufacture the liquid manure equipment that is sold through a nationwide dealer network and in Canada.

“We’ve been pushing out east for our growth,” Mr. Hahn said, adding “what we sell in New York is different than what we sell in Iowa or Indiana.” 

Some of that equipment can cost up to $500,000, sold to dairy and hog producers and companies that specialize in manure management.

Mr. Hahn began his career as an engineer at Rockwell Collins before working for the HON Company for five years in various roles, including manufacturing project manager and material flow group supervisor. He holds three degrees from the University of Iowa: a bachelor’s degree and master’s in industrial engineering and an executive MBA.

He and his wife, Ashley Hahn, previously operated a Jimmy John’s restaurant franchise, as an exploration into entrepreneurship.                                                                               

“For me, corporate America has its place, but I wanted to be part of something bigger,” Mr. Hahn said. “I always wanted to contribute more.”                                                                                                                   

While the original company was split between Bazooka’s augers and Farmstar’s liquid waste management equipment, the majority of revenue now comes from the liquid waste side, with annual sales growing under his leadership from $4 million to about $30 million.

Mr. Hahn cited falling interest rates that could bode well for future sales. The company often engages with customers for feedback to make their products more efficient and to keep innovating. 

  “Our goal is to manufacture products that generate a greater ROI to make our customers more successful,” he said. 

Bazooka Farmstar’s top sellers include engine and pump units, toolbars and hose reels — all manufactured at the plant — as well as hose that the company sells, but does not make. The company also sells agitation equipment, which moves the solids that settle at the bottom of manure pits.

Manure is injected into fields to use as fertilizer or, in some states, is still allowed to be sprayed on top of the ground.

All of that was new to Mr. Hahn when he started at the company.

“I never thought I’d be doing this,” he said, but his background gave him a competitive spirit. 

Mr. Hahn competed on the University of Iowa swim team from 2001 to 2005, and his father and stepmother, Brad and Lynn Hahn, were entrepreneurs who encouraged their sons to follow their own passions.                                                                                                    

“My dad would always say, ‘I don’t care what sports you play or what career you have, but whatever you do, always give 100%,’” he said. “This mindset has gotten me to where I am today and I give my parents all the credit for instilling that value in me.”  

Mr. Hahn met his wife at the University of Iowa. They have three daughters who enjoy hunting and going to Hawkeye games with their parents.

While his engineering expertise has been an advantage, Mr. Hahn relies upon the company’s engineers and the rest of the team for day-to-day operations.

“I keep the focus on strategy and where we’re headed,” he said, and just as in his swim team days, “we push each other through challenges and find new limits. We’re always striving to get better.”