The roots of Johnston's Ports reach back to 1893, when Willis Boyd Johnston established W.B. Johnston Grain Company in Enid, Oklahoma. The young entrepreneur based his business on service, providing grain, seed, flour, coal, hay and livestock to the Cherokee Strip settlers and sucessfully carved out a place for himself and his company in the highly competitive agriculture industry of the Southwest. In 1910, he built a 40,000-bushel elevator complete with corn shucking equipment that served as the centerpiece of his business. Today, there are 22 country elevators and two 50,000 bushel-per-hour grain terminals with shuttle rail capability, and Johnston Enterprises has diversified its operations to include water ports in two states, a major seed company, a trucking company, and an experimental research farm.

In 1976, Lew Meibergen purchased the company from his uncle, W.B. Johnston’s son, Dale Johnston, to continue the family ownership. Shortly after, in the 1980s, railroads across the country changed their rate structures and diverted services from grain to more high value products. Meibergen successfully contracted to lease a port facility on the Verdigris River, east of Tulsa,  then called Johnston Barge Terminal and was able to ship grain by waterway.

In 1983, Johnston's bought Port Verdigris 33, which is known today as Johnston’s Port 33 Inc. and since has expanded its scope to include handling of large and small volumes of dry bulk commodities, fertilizer, pig iron, coal and petroleum products. It currently operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of W.B. Johnston Grain Company. In addition, Port 33 operates Johnston Terminal Muskogee in the Port of Muskogee, and Johnston’s of Chalmette and Johnston’s of Gramercy in Louisiana.

With today’s critical emphasis on cost control and increased profitability, more companies are realizing the substantial financial benefits of inland waterway shipping. Products ship by barge at a fraction of railroad costs, due to increased cargo capacity resulting in greater energy and operational efficiencies. Waterway shipping also provides excellent accessibility and Johnston’s Port 33 has the furthest north, ice-free, year-round operation on the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System.

The key to optimizing the benefits of waterway transportation is to provide quality service.  Just as W.B. Johnston based his business on this principle over 119 years ago, Johnston Ports continue to set the standard for service, meeting customers’ needs through experience, responsiveness and flexibility.