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Washington Cutlery Co
Village Blacksmith
LEFT
WATERTOWN IN 1972
New location for Fisher Barton
Fisher Barton Technology Center
201 Frederick
&
700 S. Water Street
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to enlarge
WASHINGTON CUTLERY CO
W. C.
Co. stands for "Washington Cutlery Co.," which became Village
Blacksmith, a firm that made cutlery, farm knives and tools from the early
1900s through the 1960s in Watertown.
1906
03 20 MOVED FACTORY FROM MILWAUKEE TO
WATERTOWN
Monday,
representatives of the Washington Cutlery Company were here and a conference
held with the executive committee of the advancement association consisting of
Mayor Wertheimer, Fred Keck, Eugene Meyer, Henry Mulberger, W. H. Woodard, S.
A. Hoffman and Ferd. Schmutzler.
The
committee agreed that in case the company moved its factory from Milwaukee to
this city to raise as a bonus the sum of $3000 which was satisfactory, and work
will be begun at an early day. On Milwaukee street, will be erected a building,
50 x 150 feet, part of which will be one story high and part two stories high.
The
company at the present time employs 30 men and will increase its force when its
new building is ready for occupancy. Twenty of the employees are expert workmen
who will move to this city with their families who will need homes in which to
live and every available home will be taken.
08 21 NEW WASHINGTON CUTLERY PLANT
Work
is progressing rapidly on the construction of the plant for the Washington
Cutlery company on South River Street.
Although work was started only a week ago on the superstructure, the
frame work is well under way and the work is being pushed by Contractor L. J.
Larson of Milwaukee, who is on the ground giving the work his personal
supervision. The plans for the new
factory building were drawn up by O. C. Uehling of Milwaukee. The building is to be 60x144 feet, the front
end and main portion, 60x36 feet to be two stories. Contractor Larson stated yesterday that
according to the terms of his contracts the building is to be completed by Oct.
1st, but he assured a representative of the Leader that his labors would end
before that time . . . The factory, it is expected, will begin operations at
least by the 15th of October and will give steady employment at the start of
about sixty employees, which number will be augmented from time to time, as the
demands of the business will warrant.
1906
05 23 PLANS FOR NEW FACTORY BUILDING
The
news comes from Milwaukee that the gentlemen behind the Washington-Cutlery
Company, which is soon to be removed to Watertown, are actively engaged in
drawing plans for their new factory building on Water Street. The members of the firm are expected here in
a few days to start building operations.
1906
12 06 NEW WASHINGTON CUTLERY PLANT
The wheels of another industry in Watertown will begin their activity
today and contribute to the industrial progress that has been the slogan in
this city for the past few years.
Reference
is made to the new plant of the Washington Cutlery company,
the building for which was recently completed and which is now equipped with
the necessary machinery for carrying on the manufacturing business. A representative of the Leader paid a visit to the plant yesterday and was agreeably
surprised as a result of his observations and believes that there is a great
future in store for the concern ... a trial run of the machinery will be made
today and the factory will start in a small way, increasing throughout the week
and it is expected that by the first of [next] week, everything will be running
full blast. By tonight five of the ten
grinding stones will be ready for action and . . . four trip-hammers ready to
pound away . . .
c.1907
-- -- THE WASHINGTON CUTLERY PLANT
1908
09 15 1908,
U.S. Patent, Villiage Blacksmith, Hugo Volkmann
c.1908
c.1910
SHIPPING DEPARTMENT IN PLANT
ATTACHING WOOD HANDLES TO KNIVES
GRINDING AND FINISHING ON LARGE STONES
1912
03 28 THE TWO ANVIL METHOD manufacturing
process
Before
we made calculations, we were astounded to have it told us that it would take
the Washington Cutlery Company of this city about 50 years to make one of their
High-Grade, Hand-Wrought, VILLAGE BLACKSMITH Butcher Knives for each family in
the United States.
The
company, on account of the home sound of their trade mark-throughout the United
States, are familiarly known as the VILLAGE BLACKSMITH FOLKS.
Their
shop is not remarkable for its large size, these people in fact taking pride in
their limited production of about 150 dozen per day, preferring, as they say,
to make goods for the exacting public, and wanting to retain the feeling that
they had in the starting of their business, with two anvils, that the goods
would always be so good that they could sell them to some particular friend,
whom they didn't want to disappoint.
The TWO
ANVIL METHOD, as it is referred to, is still followed out in its essential
processes. In the beginning a workman
took out a bar of steel and returned the finished knives, but now with its half
a hundred workmen, the business has been systematized so that the work is
passed on from one workman to another, each one, who has become proficient in
one special operation, thereby enabling the company to have a much more uniform
product as to style and finish, than was formerly the case, and has also enabled
them to manufacture their goods so as to be able to sell them within the reach
of more people.
We
were very much surprised to see their nicely finished Hand Wrought Knives that
had been ground on the old time sandstone, tempered by the old oven method, and
whetted to a keen useable edge, that could be sold as low as 50 cents for a
nice house knife.
Having
visited large automatic producing eastern knife factories, we were very much
struck by the thoroughness and the care given the goods, going through the
VILLAGE BLACSMITH shop.
We
were shown through the various rooms by Mr. Hugo Volekmann,
one of the founders of the business, and by the way, this family has lived here
since 1850, and we are pleased to note from his conversation, that the
company's customers were scattered throughout the United States, and that
letters from interested customers, addressed to "The VILLAGE
BLACKSMITH" promised the necessity of larger output soon. WGazette
c.1912
1913
01 02 NEW POWER BUILDING AT THE PLANT
Last
week Tuesday thirty-five employees of the Cutlery Co. enjoyed a smoker and
luncheon in the
new power building at the plant.
Speeches were made by J. B. Radford and Otto Steinagel, and quartette
singing was rendered by Emil Rehbaum, Bert Hadley, Henry Lueck and Abe
McKinney. WG
1914
03 31 1914,
U.S. Patent, Villiage Blacksmith, Hugo Volkmann
1915
10 07 INJURED
IN AUTO ACCIDENT
While
driving a Ford car on the Plank Road about three miles west of this city last
Thursday afternoon Hugo Volkmann, secretary and treasurer of the ., had one of his legs badly torn by his
machine turning turtle. Edward Maldaner
was in the machine with him at the time, but escaped injury. The machine turned a complete somersault, the
four wheels thereof pointing heavenward, as the two men crawled from under the
machine. They certainly had a miraculous
escape. Farmers who witnessed the
accident rushed to the scene and were greatly surprised that a more serious
accident was not the result of the tipover.
A passing autoist brought Messrs. Volkmann and Maldaner to the city, and
employees of a local garage brought the Ford to the city. It was not very badly damaged. WG
1917
Jefferson County
WI and its People
Prominent
among the industrial concerns of Watertown is the Washington Cutlery Company,
which was incorporated in 1906 with a capital of thirteen thousand.
The
company manufactures the "Village
Blacksmith" brand of butcher knives, cleavers, tools, corn knives,
sickles, cold chisels, screw drivers, punches, etc., and their products are
sold principally in the United States.
They
furnish employment to from fifty to sixty hands, fifty per cent of whom are
skilled workmen. Their plant has a floor space of sixteen thousand square feet
and is supplied with the latest equipment, being remodeled, enlarged and new
machinery being installed in 1917.
The
equipment now includes automatic grinding machines, forges burning fuel oil,
oil tempering machines, punch presses and trip hammers, all of the latest
design and the best to be found in the market.
The
business has grown rapidly and the plant is now behind in its orders.
The
officers of the company are Gustave H. Lehrkind, president and sales manager;
Charles Richenbaum, vice president; and Hugo E. Volckmann, secretary, treasurer
and manager. They are all men of long experience in metal manufacturing and
their plant is one of Watertown's prized assets.
________________________________________________________
1921
Watertown High School Orbit
Noon
Hour at Village Blacksmith
click
to enlarge
The
Village Blacksmith Folks have been established over twenty-five years and up to
twelve years ago were located at Milwaukee. The shops were removed to Watertown
because of the superior advantages of this city, and the energetic solicitation
of the Watertown Advancement Association.
From time to time additions have been built, and it is planned to
develop the plant still farther, when normal and stabilized business conditions
warrant it.
Since
its establishment, no changes have taken place in the ownership or officers of
this company, who are: G. H. Lehrkind, President; H. E. Volkmann, Secretary and
Treasurer, and Charles Reichenbaum, Vice-President.
In the
early years, only a limited line of Household Knives was made. The output at
this time was only ten to fifteen dozen per day. The knives were sold to the
retail stores in Wisconsin.
The
product now consists of Knives, Cleavers, Grass Hooks, Corn and Hedge Knives,
Screw Drivers, Chisels, Punches, Draw Shaves, and other tools. All of these are
high quality goods, and the production reaches some 700,000 pieces annually,
which are sold in more than 3,000 hardware stores, as well as in Restaurant and
Butcher Supply, Auto Supply, and in Seed and Implement Houses throughout the
United States.
Jobbers
take care of the major portion of the distribution under the trademark: “The
Village Blacksmith Folks.”
The
goods which are listed and illustrated in a large number of catalogues are
estimated as follows:
120,000
in Hardware Lines.
10,000 in Butcher and Restaurant Supply
Lines.
25,000 in Auto Supply Lines.
200,000
in Seed and Implement Supply Lines.
The company
maintains a western selling and distributing branch at 731 Market Street, San
Francisco, as well as a local agent at Chicago.
1931
1934
03 26 KNIFE FOUND ON BATTLEFIELD IN FRANCE
A
knife made in Watertown was recently picked up on a battlefield in France. It went the rounds of the State Capitol at
Madison on Thursday when Superintendent of Public Property, M. F. Blumenfeld
exhibited it. The knife was sent to Mr.
Blumenfeld with a section of a German airplane wing which was found on the same
field and the mark on the knife read, "Made by the Village Blacksmith,
Watertown, Wisconsin."
c.1940s
Uncertain date
c.1950
-- -- CUTLERY FIRM HAS GAINED RENOWN
WDTimes profile of the
company
For centuries
past, Toledo, Spain, and Damascus, Syria have been noted for the excellent
quality of their steel implements and the careful workmanship which went into
the swords and blades turned out in their shops.
Watertown,
too, has a concern that has achieved similar renown. It is the cutlery plant which for many years
was known as the Village Blacksmith Folks, but which now goes by the name of
Village Blacksmith Co. It is housed in a
rambling plant which sprawls on the west shores of Rock river.
The
Village Blacksmith Co. has operated in Watertown since 1907. At that time the old Watertown Advancement
Association induced the concern to move from Milwaukee to Watertown. The firm had been operating in Milwaukee from
the time of its founding in 1894. The
firm then was known as Lehrkind, Davil Co., but two years after the
organization was launched it became the Washington Cutlery Co., using the
brand, “Village Blacksmith” on its products.
The company makes cutlery of all kinds, including garden tools.
Hand-Wrought
Products
The
term “Village Blacksmith” was selected because it was felt to be a fitting
description of the forged, hand-wrought products of the concern. From 1907 to 1920 the factory operated under
the title Washington Cutlery; then the corporate name was changed to Village
Blacksmith Folks, retaining the blacksmith brand.
The
factory is unique in that newer methods of manufacture have been introduced
only when the quality of the product was not impaired thereby. The company never has gone in for hurried or
stepped up production, but has maintained a policy of careful work down to the
most minute detail.
Today
its products are sold all over America.
They include professional and household cutlery and cleavers. Thousands of the latter were manufactured
during the war for the quartermaster corps of the Army.
Officers: Roy M. Henry, president; Henry Winogrond,
vice president and treasurer; and Joseph N. Grinnell, secretary.
1952 FIRE
RAKES PLANT
Village Blacksmith Co. to rebuild
after fire rakes plant on 07 25 1952
1952
07 26 FIRE RAKES
PLANT
Officials of the
Village Blacksmith Company, manufacturers of cutlery and garden tools,
announced here today they plan to rebuild as soon as possible the forge unit of
their plant which was swept by a $50,000 fire last night. They said 90 men are employed at the
plant. They hope to be in full operation
at the earliest possible time.
The fire, which broke
out sometime before 9:30 p.m., was reported by telephone to the City Hall by
Mrs. Joseph Stacy, 615 South Washington Street who told the Police Department
that the building was on fire, that there was a lot of noise in the place and
she could “hear” the fire. The message
was relayed to the Fire Department immediately and all available equipment was
sent to the plant on Frederick Street, near the banks of Rock River. Firemen fought the blaze until 2:30 a.m. It was the worst fire in the city since the
$50,000 Savoy theatre building blaze on June 6,
1950.
Blast Suspected
The fire is believed to
have started in a minor heating unit of some of the equipment in the forge
shop. The blaze set off the automatic
sprinkler system. The forge shop is located
in the newest part of the plant, erected some years ago directly to the rear of
the company offices. A blast of some
kind is suspected.
Fire Chief Al Linde put
in a call for help to Oconomowoc, Ixonia and Lebanon Fire Department, all of
which responded with one truck each.
The fire reddened the
sky and it could be seen for miles. The
smell of smoke filled the air over the city and it was noticeable as far as
three miles away near the northeastern limits of the city.
The fire attracted one
of the largest crowds at any here in years.
Not only did Watertown residents rush to the spot, but people from
surrounding farm areas and nearby localities were attracted by the blaze. There were many people from Oconomowoc in the
crowds that milled about.
Chief Linde said he
wanted to commend the Police Department for the way it handled the crowd. The crowds were kept pretty well back on the
whole so as not to interfere too much with the fire fighters. All available police helpers were called out
and all volunteer firemen also were on hand to augment the regular department
members.
Fireman Injured
On fire fighter,
Francis Pirkel, 38, was injured. He
suffered severe hand lacerations. He
lives at 602 Lafayette Street.
The estimate of damage
was made by Chief Linde who said it was entirely unofficial. Officers of the company would place no
definite estimate on the possible loss, but said it will be heavy. However, they announced that several large
presses used in the forge department appeared undamaged and Fire Department
officials said they believed the ovens also escaped major damage.
Damage to much of the
plant is great. There was much damage by
water and smoke, in addition to the actual blaze damage. Firemen said that the fire would have been a
major disaster if the blaze had reached the paint and chemical supplies used in
the plant.
No One on Duty
There was no one
working in the place at the time of the fire.
It has no regular night watchman but is served by the Merchant
Police. Everything appeared in order
when the last check was made. The fire -probably started suddenly, if it was a
blast of any kind that set it off, as appears likely.
The company was founded
in Milwaukee in the 1890’s and operated there for some 12 or 15 years before it
relocated, moving to Watertown about 1908.
It was brought here largely through the efforts of the Watertown Advancement
Association, which was then active in the city’s industrial development.
In its early years the
company made a product known as Household Knives. The output in the early years was only ten to
15 dozen per day. The knives were sold
to retail stores in Wisconsin.
The company, as it
expanded, added knives of all kinds to its products. Clevers,
grass hooks, corn and hedge knives, screw drivers, chisels, punches, shaves and
other tools were among products that were manufactured at various times.
In recent years the
company has turned out a widely known line of fine cutlery and garden tools.
By 1921 the company was
turning out between 700,000 and 1,000,000 individual pieces annually. Its products were sold by more than 3,000
hardware stores as well as in restaurant and butcher supply stores throughout the
United States.
In addition to its
present products, the company also does some small contract order work and it
has also been doing some work under defense contracts.
During its years in
Watertown two of the men here who played a large part in developing the concern
were the late G. H. Lehrkind, who was for many years its president, and the
late H. E. Volkmann, its secretary and treasurer. The late Charles Reichenbaum of Milwaukee was
for many years its vice president.
Current officers of the
company are R. M. Henry, president; Joseph Roti, vice president; Joseph
Calderini, secretary.
For many years the
concern was known as the Village Blacksmith Folks, but in recent years the name
was changed to the Village Blacksmith Company.
07 27 DEMOLITION AT
BLACKSMITH CO. TO START HERE
Demolition and salvage
work at the fire-swept plant of the Village Blacksmith Company will begin
tomorrow or Wednesday, C. M. Towne of the company told the Times this morning. He said
an insurance check is still being made and when that is completed work on
clearing away the debris and paving the way for rebuilding and repairs will be
undertaken. Mr. Towne said the plant
carried full insurance.
1954
12 16 OFFICERS AND DELEGATES ELECTED
Officers
and delegates were elected this week in Watertown by Machinists Local No. 1367
of the International Association of Machinists, AFL, it was announced today.
The local represents the Parts Engineering Co., the Village Blacksmith Co., the
Otto Biefeld Co., the Syncromatic Corp., the Kusel Dairy Equipment Co., and the
Brandt Automatic Cashier Co., all of this city. The following officers were
re-elected: Kurt Rex, president; Eric Loeffler, vice president; George
Havlicek, treasurer; Fred Harder, financial secretary; Roland Schauer,
recording secretary; and Melvin Gruenewald, sentinel. WDT
1956
03 17 50th
ANNIVERSARY
The
Village Blacksmith Company this year is observing the 50th anniversary of
operation in Watertown, Henry Winogrond, head of the firm, told the Rotary Club
at its noonday luncheon. The firm actually was established 62 years ago, he
said. It was founded in Milwaukee as the Washington Cutlery Company. The plant
moved its operations to Watertown 50 years ago. Mr. Winogrond commented on the
changes in buying habits and living standards of the American people which has
resulted in changes in items manufactured by the firm since World War II.
Professional cutlery has become an important item at the plant. This line of
knives and other cutting equipment is sold to meat packing houses, hotels and
restaurants, and in recent years this phase of the business has become more and
more important. More people eating out, he said, is to a large extent
responsible for the growth of this phase of the business.
09 26 RESIDENTIAL
MAIL BOXES
A Watertown merchant and a Watertown
manufacturer have combined talents to provide the community with an example of
products “Made in Watertown - Sold in Watertown.” The result is currently on display at 220
South First Street, the Hutson-Braun Lumber Co. It is here that the Hutson-Braun Lumber Co.
has designed a complete display window for the showing of Village Blacksmith's
new line of “Galaxy Letter Boxes.” Local
residents had a preview of these residential mail boxes last spring at the
Jaycee Industrial Fair at the National Guard Armory. Since that time they have been acclaimed as
the most beautiful line of home mail boxes produced anywhere in the
nation. WDT
1969
07 01 REPORT
ON TRIP TO JAPAN
Henry
Winogrond, vice president and general manager of the Village Blacksmith Corporation,
gave a report and some observations on a recent business trip to Japan and
other countries in Asia at this week’s meeting of the Watertown Rotary Club,
held at the Green Bowl. Japan, he said,
is moving ahead extremely rapidly. “The
are working hard and are way past the copying stage,” he stated. He said he commented to people in Japan on
the rapid changes, and the great progress.
They answered by saying that for 20 years progress had not been slow
because the United States had held an umbrella over them.
1972
05 13 VILLAGE BLACKSMITH IS LEAVING
WATERTOWN
Plans
to transfer the operations of the Village Blacksmith Division of McGraw-Edison
Company from Watertown to Jefferson City, Mo., were announced by company
officials in Elgin, IL., home of the parent firm.
The
Watertown plant, which employs approximately 150 persons, is located at 201
Frederick Street and has a plant located at 1012 South Third Street.
McGraw-Edison
officials said the move was dictated by the changing character of the lawn and
garden tool market where the emphasis is now on electrical products.
Jefferson
City, Mo., is McGraw Company’s major manufacturing facility for electrical
power tools of all kinds. The company also has five other electrical products
plants in close proximity to Jefferson City.
The
transfer of the Village Blacksmith operations will take place during the late
summer and early autumn, officials said. Some of the present personnel will be
offered positions with the firm in
its
new location.
Henry
Winogrond, an official with the firm said the firm, which is nearly 70 years
old, has seen a gradual change in its product lines over the years. He said
much more of the equipment in its lines are being made to operate with
electricity and the number of tools operating without electricity is becoming
less and as a result the local business will be moved to Jefferson City, Mo.,
where the electrical units are manufactured.
1990
03 24 VILLAGE BLACKSMITH NAME RESURRECTED
Dick
Davis, a Los Angeles businessman who has resurrected the Village Blacksmith
name, owns a firm called SMS Industries.
Some years ago Village Blacksmith was sold to McGraw Edison and later it
was sold to Shopsmith, an Ohio firm.
Then about five years ago, Davis and his associates purchased the
Village Blacksmith name and began manufacturing and marketing some of the
original Village products under the Village name.
The
firm has been marketing basically in the west coast area, making hedge shears
and basic garden tools. More recently the firm expanded into the agricultural
field, specializing in tools for vineyards and orchards.
Davis
said business has been good, but has really taken off with the firm’s newest
product. Originally it was called a
“landscaper’s blade” which was designed to cut off tap roots from bushes and
shrubs. The bad news is that almost no
one uses it for that purpose, but the good news is that it’s used for
everything else imaginable. “The
response has been incredible. Some
people say it’s the best ice scraper on the market. Others use it as a paint scraper, and some
use it to remove asphalt.”
WDTimes
of 03 24 1990. “In Times Square /
Village Blacksmith Recalled.” In Village
Blacksmith collection
1990
08 08 PHILIP
A. PARMLEY
Although
Philip A. Parmley will take over as president of Fisher-Barton Inc. this month,
succeeding Richard Wilkey in that position, no major changes in leadership are
expected. Parmley, currently vice
president of manufacturing functions, has been with Fisher-Barton since its
beginnings in 1973, so his role with the firm has been a continuous one. And Wilkey will continue his ownership role,
although he will phase out his day-to-day involvement. Given the firm’s success, a shake-up
certainly isn’t warranted. Parmley said
business at the company is as good as it ever has been during his 17 years at
Fisher-Barton. “I can’t recall a time
when we’ve ever been caught up,” he said.
“We have a half-million pounds (of metal) to do this month and we’ll
have to push to do it.” WDT
1993
06 23 LARGEST
MANUFACTURER OF CARBON STEEL LAWN MOWER BLADES IN THE WORLD
Local
homeowners sweating behind their lawn mowers should feel a sense of civic pride
when cutting the lush lawns produced by recent rains. Chances are the grass is being cut by a lawn
mower blade made in Watertown. Forging
ahead with new ideas has kept Fisher-Barton Inc. of Watertown heading up the
sales charts to become the largest manufacturer of carbon steel lawn mower
blades in the world. The recent addition
of a new press and a new plant will help the company keep its lofty status on
top of two other companies which are its only other major competitors. Fisher-Barton makes too many blades to count
by number -- output is measured in pounds.
The company has orders for a record 600,000 pounds of steel blades to
make in July which is usually a slow month.
Business used to be so slow in July that the company shut down for two
weeks. Now it must push to keep up with
orders. Most of the thousands of pounds
of residential and commercial blades ranging 10 to 33 inches in size have
already left the plant in time for the summer grass-growing season. The company has outgrown its
35,000-square-foot plant at 201 Frederick St. and added a new plant on eight
acres off South Twelfth Street which houses a new punch press capable of 1,000
tons of pressure. A large part of the
company's growth over the last 20 years is credited to Philip A. Parmley, 63,
who was recently promoted from president to chairman. Parmley has seen the company grow from a
small, rented shop with used equipment to one with two plants and 170
employees. WDT
2013
05 15 FIRE
AT FISHER-BARTON
Fire at Fisher-Barton,
portion of the former Village Blacksmith building.
06 28 NEW
GLOBAL HEADQUARTERS & MOWER BLADE OPERATION
Fisher Barton Blades, part of The Fisher Barton Group, announces the relocation of
their Watertown, Wisconsin lawn mower blade operation and global headquarters,
into a larger modern 90,000 square foot facility located adjacent to the
Watertown airport.
The
new facility doubles manufacturing space to accommodating the company’s
continued growth and allows Fisher Barton Blades to provide even more value to
the turf care and lawn & garden equipment OEMs it serves, with expanded
product packaging and direct order fulfillment services.
“The
former Fisher Barton Blades manufacturing plant had some areas that were more
than 90 years old,” said Shane Bonner, Fisher Barton Blades president. “The
plant grew with the company over the years, requiring multiple additions that
resulted in a disjointed and inefficient floor plan. The facility just did not
lend itself to modern manufacturing methodologies such as cellular
manufacturing and in-line flow. These challenges, coupled with our OEM
customer’s requests to assist with order fulfillment and distribution,
motivated us to consider other locations. We were very pleased to find an
existing building located in Watertown, just two miles from the former
facility.”
The
decision to remain in Watertown reaffirms Fisher Barton Blades’ four-decade
commitment to the community and retains 65 family-sustaining jobs.
Fisher
Barton Blades, the world’s largest producer of lawn mower blades and part of
The Fisher Barton Group, has been producing high quality blades and wear
components for the turf care and lawn & garden equipment industry’s leading
OEMs for over 40 years. In addition to
this manufacturing facility and global headquarters in Watertown, they also
have a second 94,000 square foot manufacturing facility in Fountain Inn, South
Carolina.
2015
09 09 FISHER BARTON’S NEW
TECHNOLOGY CENTER
click to enlarge
Fisher Barton has renovated its facility at 201 Frederick St. for its
new state of the arts technology center to focus on innovation and process
development.
Having once housed the Village Blacksmith, Fisher Barton has taken
many precautions to preserve the history of the building while adding the
center adjacent to the shipping and receiving areas. It blends old with new. Trying to preserve as much as possible of the
old character of the building created a lot of challenges for construction and
design. The time and effort in
preserving the building is evident, with the building’s original bricks
aligning rooms and old massive beams supporting the very spacious office and
meeting rooms. One of the beams from
the middle of the building was moved but saved and counter tops were made out
of it. WDTimes
article
The
center is Fisher Barton's third location in Watertown. For more than four decades, Fisher Barton has
operated in Wisconsin, beginning with a 2,400-square-foot rented building in
Oconomowoc in 1973. The company outgrew
that building a year later, and relocated to the former Village Blacksmith
location on Frederick Street in Watertown.
It was from this location that Fisher Barton Blades operated for the
next 40 years. In 2013, Fisher Barton
Blades moved from Frederick Street to Air Park Drive, and in doing so, doubled
its manufacturing space. Then, late last
year, the company began renovations for the new technology center. The center currently has 12 employees.
12 11 WEDO HONORS FISHER BARTON
Fisher
Barton and Richard and Susan Wilkey, founders, were awarded the Watertown
Economic Development Corporation Community Impact Award for the company's work
in revitalizing its facility on South Water Street into a state of the art
Technology Center and their commitment to Watertown. WDTimes
article
2016
09 15 FISHER BARTON NAMES GROUP
PRESIDENT
Fisher Barton announced Wednesday the appointment of Igor
Zelenovskiy to the role of group president as of Sept. 6. As group president, Zelenovskiy will have
responsibility for all of the company’s operating units worldwide. He will build on the solid foundation and
momentum achieved by the Fisher Barton team under former Group President Greg
Wilkey’s leadership and will be responsible for driving Fisher Barton’s future
growth initiatives. Zelenovskiy joined
Fisher Barton in 2014 as president of the Fisher Barton Technology Center here
in Watertown. During his tenure with the
company, he successfully helped establish the state-of-the-art technology
center — a long-term vision for the Fisher Barton Group. Under his leadership,
the company engaged in the development of new products and processes to
accelerate Fisher Barton’s growth.
An accomplished leader, Zelenovskiy has a track record of
working with high-growth companies.
Prior to joining Fisher Barton, he served in various leadership
positions with Rexnord Corp., Joy Global and Rockwell Automation. In addition to his technical experience,
Zelenovskiy has extensive experience in product marketing and sales.
Zelenovskiy earned a Master of Science degree in manufacturing
engineering management from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and a
Bachelor of Science degree in electromechanical engineering from Donetsk State
Polytechnic University, Ukraine.
2017
07 21 FISHER BARTON TO ADD 80
POSITIONS IN WATERTOWN
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel online article
2021
07 21 BONUS AWARD PAYMENT FOR
EMPLOYEES
Fisher Barton awards bonus payment Fisher Barton, a leading
metallurgical science company that develops high wear and cutting components,
announced a bonus award payment for all US-based employees.
The bonus payment of $1,250 will be distributed in mid March and represents the company’s gratitude for the
employee support and commitment to serving customers during the recent pandemic
and time of disruptive business conditions.
Fisher Barton based in Watertown, is a metallurgical science
innovation partner for high wear and cutting components. Its expertise stems from its employees who
understand the behavior of material and the application of proprietary heat
treating and thermal spray solutions that reimagine a component’s lifespan
beyond the core manufacturing capabilities of stamping, bending, forming,
cutting, welding, machining and casting.
The company has eight locations in Wisconsin, Illinois, and Vietnam that
manufacture innovate blades and turf care components, bronze motion control
products, industrial knives
and various other wear components.
09 29 NEXT-GENERATION
INDUSTRIAL BREAKING TECHNOLOGY
WATERTOWN, WI <> Fisher Barton a
metallurgical science innovation company, releases its Multi-Disc Tension Brake
System at the 2021 Utility Expo in Louisville, Kentucky. Designed specifically for utility construction
applications, the next-generation brake system is engineered to provide smooth,
consistent braking with higher torque and cooler operating temperatures. The three-point design provides consistent
braking tension-reducing pulses and surges on the line. The aluminum-bronze composite rotor radiates
heat away from the braking surface better than solid bronze rotors improving
thermal conductivity, creating longer pad life, and decreased maintenance
downtime. The Fisher Barton Multi-Disc Tension Brake Systems easily mounts to
trailer systems and reel stands.
10 13 FISHER BARTON PERFORMANCE
PLAZA at Town Square
The city’s Town Square recently received
a financial boost to help construct its main stage and lawn seating area, which
will be named the Fisher Barton Performance Plaza. The amount of the donation was not released.
The area encompasses an expansive green space skirted by a naturally landscaped
area with boulder seating. Audiences of
250 or more can enjoy a solo musician, a multi-piece band or dance/theatrical
groups performing on an open air, elevated wood platform. “
Earlier this year, Fisher Barton
sponsored a memorial bench on the Town Square to commemorate the production of
its 300 millionth lawn mower blade and to recognize founder Richard L. Wilke.
Fisher Barton started as Washington Co.
Cutlery, relocating from Milwaukee to Watertown in 1906. By 1910, it employed between 50 and 60
people. In 1974, Fisher Barton started manufacturing
lawn mower blades at its original 1910 location. In its 111-year history, Fisher Barton has
led the industry by establishing the first metallurgical lab for research,
patenting steel technology and production of more than 300 million lawn mower
blades. Fisher Barton employs 144 people
at its Watertown locations.
2023 50TH ANNIVERSARY YEAR
http://www.wisbusiness.com/2023/fisher-barton-celebrates-50-years-of-innovation-and-excellence/
09 27 LAWN MOWER BLADE: CONTENDER IN COOLEST THING MADE
Watertown, WI – – Fisher Barton, the world’s leading
manufacturer of lawn mower blades, is
thrilled to announce that its innovative LaserEdge
Lawn Mower Blade has been selected as
one of the Top 16 contenders in the prestigious 2023 Coolest Things Made
In Wisconsin contest [link
to press release]
Cross-References:
Prior
to the 1940s the Village Blacksmith name was incised or stamped directly into
the blades of cleavers.
Afterwards it was stamped on the handles.
Architecture
and History Inventory report
History of Watertown,
Wisconsin