Our family has built high quality ladders one at a time, for almost 60 years.
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The secret to our success and longevity is actually quite simple: we engineer quality, durability, safety and excellence into every ladder we make. We are so focused on this that a customer compliment has become our mantra and our promise: Standing on a Stokes ladder is “like standing on the ground.”
Our passion is in helping people reach what they need to reach and climb to where they need to climb as safely as possible. That is why you will find that we don’t cut corners on materials or craftsmanship, and all of our ladders have features that improve their stability and durability, and useability – and a stable, durable, well-built ladder is a safer ladder.
We are proud of our ladders, and are delighted to show them to you. We hope you will give Stokes’ ladders a try. You’ll be glad you did.
Happy Climbing,
Greg and Allison Panella
President
Greg grew up working on the farm and at Stokes Ladders. Greg enlisted in the United States Marine Corps after high school, spending the next 4 years cutting his teeth as an Artilleryman in the deserts of Iraq, to the jungles of the Southern Philippines, and many places in between.
After his service, Greg returned to his hometown to set down roots, marrying the love of his life, starting a family, and acquiring Stokes Ladders, Inc. With a background in fabricating and machining, Greg modernized the operations of Stokes improving quality and increasing production. Additionally, Greg owns and operates Panella Orchards, a producer of 1500 tons of pears each year.
General Manager
Kirk came to Stokes in 2013 to run daily operations. Kirk’s mechanical mind, excellent problem-solving skills, amazing work ethic, and integrity makes him the perfect fit to keep Stokes running smoothly. Kirk has been instrumental in forming Stokes Ladder’s manufacturing facility and processes into what they are today.
Kirk is an avid outdoorsman, spending his free time running, hiking, hunting, off-roading, and camping.
F.R. “Russ” Stokes began building aluminum ladders in his garage on the corner of Merritt Road and Renfro Drive in Kelseyville, CA in the early 1960’s because, as a pear grower, he didn’t like the cumbersome design of the orchard ladders coming into Lake County. He used his Structural Engineering education and his background at Lockheed during World War II to design his own aluminum orchard ladder. Local area farmers liked the ladders so much that production soon outgrew the garage. In 1966, the business incorporated as F. R. Stokes, Inc., and the operation moved about 1/2 mile to a new building erected in the corner of the Stokes pear orchard at 4545 Renfro Drive. Mr. Stokes hired his brother-in-law Don Hook to oversee sales and some day-to-day operations.
In 1974, a small satellite manufacturing plant was set up in Grandview, WA, to sell to the Northwest market. Jerry Hook, Don’s son, who built ladders during high school as a summer job in Mr. Stokes’s garage in the 1960’s, was hired away from Del Monte Corporation to set up and run the Washington Plant. In late 1977, Mr. Stokes passed away, and in early 1978 Jerry and his family moved to Kelseyville to manage the plant there.
In 1978, Stokes Ladders, Inc. was formed as a wholly owned subsidiary to F.R. Stokes, Inc., and the Washington plant was sold. In 1984, Jerry and Don purchased Stokes Ladders, Inc. In 2001, Don retired and Jerry became the owner. He and his wife, Karen, operated Stokes Ladders until Oct. 5, 2012 when Greg Panella, the grandson of “Russ” Stokes, and his wife purchased the family business. Although Greg never knew his grandfather, he inherited many of his traits. Greg has a mechanical mind, and a love for agriculture and things related. He worked summers at the ladder shop while attending Kelseyville schools, and while in FFA he became one of the best ag. mechanic students in the state of California. Greg then spent 4 years in the United States Marine Corps, honorably serving in Iraq, before moving back to Kelseyville to live.
Since its formation, F.R. Stokes, Inc., and Stokes Ladders, Inc., have manufactured high quality aluminum agricultural ladders. The tripod ladder has now become widely popular in the landscape maintenance and arborist industries. With the addition of the telescoping third leg and hard surface kit, the Stokes tripod can now be used in locations that were previously unsafe for an orchard ladder to be used. The export market has increased also, and there are now Stokes Ladders in a good number of countries. Stokes aluminum orchard ladders are known as the orchardists’ choice because of their stability and durability.
While building and selling orchard ladders was Stokes’ main thrust, other ladders also came into being. In the 1970’s, various models of step stools and industrial ladders were developed and sold. In the late 1980’s, Stokes began building and selling aluminum posting ladders. In the early 1990’s, they began making posting ladders from fiberglass. In the mid 1990’s, the first rolling winery ladders were built.
