I found an article on the history of Prentiss Wabers. It's quite interesting. It is an article from Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune, October 18, 1943. Here's a link to a photo of the first building that Prentiss Wabers began production in: http://www.mcmillanlibrary.org/files/taylor-photos/photo230.JPG Here's a link to a photo of the second building that Prentiss Wabers manufactured products in: http://www.mcmillanlibrary.org/files/taylor-photos/photo218pan.JPG Here's the article: Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune October 18, 1943 Born in the First World War, Preway Serves Nation in Second Founded Here in 1915; Firm's History Traced Prentiss Wabers Products company, with a million-dollar payroll and an army-navy "E" proudly waving from its flagpole, was born in a disgruntled camper's mind on a rainy day. It was one of those soggy days preceded by other soggy days. Every stick in the woods seemed saturated and the fisherman swore to himself fitfully as he probed under logs and inside stumps for a bit of dry wood to start a fire. "Never again" he probably said to himself, so he headed back to civilization: "Never again will I be the victim of a campfire that won't burn, a fire that won't start, a vacation utterly and completely ruined." We can envision the evenings spent tinkering with sheet metal and burners and little air pressure tanks, evenings from which evolved the first "Preway" product, a gasoline stove. It was mid-winter, early in 1915 that G.N. Prentiss and H. H. Wabers of Racine had their camp stove idea sufficiently developed so they felt safe to go to the Wisconsin Rapids Merchants and Manufacturer's association and tell their plans, plans for establishing a manufacturing concern to be capitalized by local subscribers, a concern to manufacture a gasoline camp stove. Members of the association listened and nodded their heads. Most of them had knelt over wavering campfires, had probed here and there for a bit of dry wood, had borne the dismay of watching a campfire die a-burning. After careful consideration and investigation, the association recommended acceptance of the proposal by local businessmen. Plans for the new plant here were then formulated. A corporation was organized February 8, 1916 under the name of Prentiss Wabers Manufacturing company, with factory space in the Wipperman building near the Green Bay and Western railroad tracks. Original directors were D. B. Philleo, T. A. Taylor, C. W. Reed, G. N. Prentiss, and H. H. Wabers. A single camp stove model was manufactured. The factory location was moved in 1918 to the Reed Construction company building also situated near the Green Bay & Western tracks. Prentiss and Wabers were relieved of their duties and the management was assumed by the officers, who named Mr. Philleo as general manager and A. J. Hasbrunck as manufacturing superviser. Taylor Takes Charge T. A. Taylor president of the company, stepped into active charge of the company in the autumn of 1919, when capitalization was increased and limited expansion took place under a new corporate name, the Prentiss Wabers Stove company. Camp stoves, camp chairs and tables, and a camping utensil set were the products then manufactured. The company continued operation in a seasonal way from 1919 to 1922, with limited production but meager sales. Capitalization had been raised to $100,000 but in 1923 normal production was curtailed because of lack of financial backing. However the firm was reorganized the same year and through the efforts of Wisconsin Rapids Chamber of Commerce, R. S. Wiltrost was engaged as general manager and Michael Woolf, a native of London, England, was hired to direct the sales. Officers chosen at that reorganization period were C. F. Kruger, president, Amos J Hasbrouck, vice president, L. B. Philleo, secretary-treasurer, E. B. Redford, Gary O. Babcock, C. D. Searles, and Dr. Edward Hoagen, directors. Progress was rapidly accelerated under the new management. A national distribution program was established and within the space of two years it was necessary to plan for construction of additional manufacturing space, and for design of a wider range of products. Out of the Woods Thereafter followed a period of expansion. Prentiss Wabers was "out of the woods," out of the trying period of infancy when it had been beset by the economic childhood ill of an untried and unstable business. All of that was now behind. Economically, Prentiss Wabers had graduated into long pants. In 1925, the first new building was constructed on the site of the present factory, that first building including space for an office, enameling department, machine shop and assembly room. The next year saw an addition to this building, an additional space was needed for machining and warehousing. Another year went by, and in 1927 an extension of each of the two buildings built in 1925 and 1926 was made to increase the enameling facilities and provide additional warehousing space. Again it, was but one year before the physical plant grew to accommodate its expanding business, as in 1928 the size of the main office was increased and a service department, die room and boiler house were constructed. In 1929 and 1930 small additions were made in the factory to provide still more warehousing space for products in process of manufacture. Then in 1936 the warehouse sections within the plant were converted into extra plant space were filled with machinery and equipment and an entirely new and large warehouse room was built at the southern end of the main factory to provide ample storage space for the seasonal type of products manufactured. Complete Expansion in 1937 The present assembly department was added in 1937, and again the space provided for assembly work was converted to more space for machines and other types of equipment. The 1937 addition completed the expansion progress to date, and today there is ample space for separate assembly department, punch press department, cutting department, screw machine department, service department, enameling department, plating department, engineering and testing, machine tool division, and administrative offices. Significant in the growth of the company were several periods of expansion and change. The first coming in the late 1920s when the products of the company gained nationwide popularity in the days when automobiles and highways were improved, when Americans became a nation of tourists, sometimes characterized by urban Europeans as a nation of gypsies. The second significant change came in 1928 and 1929 when Prentiss Wabers surveyed the domestic household stove market, decided to cater to Mr. and Mrs. America's home needs as well as vacation equipment needs. Since 1923, when camp stoves and camp folding chairs and tables, and camp utensils sets were produced, continued additions to the line of products manufactured were made. It was in 1927 that fishing tackle boxes and picnic iceboxes were first produced, and in 1928 preparations were made for the manufacture of a complete line of domestic or household gasoline ranges. The manufacture of these stoves began with the sale of them exceeding in dollar volume all other products in the first year of stove manufacture. Another outlet came in 1931, when the making of gasoline blow torches were added. In 1932 came gasoline radiant heaters, in 1933 gasoline lanterns, in 1934 preparations for the manufacture of fuel oil circulating and radiant type heaters were made, and in 1935 the second major appliance was placed in production, added to the growing line of Preway products. Kerosene-burning stoves and ranges were manufactured in 1941, to replace the first major appliance manufactured – the gasoline range. Preway Goes to War Prentiss Wabers "enlisted" in the war effort in 1942, beginning the the production of war materials, which has furnished the most recent and greatest spurt in the company's activity. Today work on government contracts makes up the greatest percentage of sales volume, with a Victory model rangette being the only civilian product now in production. The progress of the company can be shown on adding machine tape with the volume of sales, payroll, and employment rising to steep peaks today. As new types of products have been added and seasonal employment gives way to full scale year-round production, the sales peak has climbed to $2,000,000 annually, as compared to $369,000 in 1926. The varied type of products now manufactured provide, too, a flexible manufacturing setup and at the same time permit full year employment. This is an important factor when post-war business readjustments must be made. The products which the company is now equipped to produce include camp stoves, picnic iceboxes, lanterns, blow torches, fuel oil heaters and kerosene stoves and ranges. Employment and Payroll Expand Along with plant expansion and sales increases has come at upward trend in employment and payroll expenditures. The 1926 payroll approximated $102,000, paid to 100 employees. When the gasoline stove was introduced in 1929, the number of employees had jumped to 160 and the payroll was increased to $176,000. When fuel oil heaters came along in 1935, this brought employment up to 238 and an annual payroll of $296,000. In 1941, a year before government work started, employment had increased to 320 men and expenditures for payroll are noted at $321,000. Figures for the first full year of operation as a war plant are not available, but it is anticipated that the payroll will exceed a million dollars.
Nice find, thanks Sam. Interesting that they managed to do OK, actually grew some, through the depression years.
