 In 1899, Joseph Oppenheim, the inventor of the first mechanized manure spreader, established the New Idea Spreader works in Maria Stein.He and his son-in-law, Henry Synck, also a resident of Maria Stein, subsequently moved New Idea to Coldwater.New Idea, once owned by Avco, continues to prosper as a part of a larger conglomerate now known as AGCO.