A-Maze-ing longevity – Firm nails a 175-year milestone
In 1848, simply 30 years after Illinois turned a state, Samuel Maze began his lumber firm alongside the Illinois River. It will definitely grew to incorporate manufacturing the nation’s largest choice of Specialty Nails.
To at the present time, Maze’s firm remains to be going robust. Maze Lumber is the state’s oldest lumberyard – Samuel’s great-great-grandson, Roelif Loveland is president of Maze Firm – and the enterprise is proudly celebrating its a hundred and seventy fifth anniversary. Serving to Loveland are a dozen different Maze descendants – aunts, nieces, nephews, cousins, brothers, sisters and youngsters – every with experience and dedication to the corporate.
“We have now been blessed with many generations of nice associates — each non-family and household workers,” Loveland stated. “An enormous a part of longevity is having top-quality folks….and the opposite half is having high-quality merchandise which can be frequently demanded within the market.”
“As my brother, Jim, stated on the anniversary of his 150-year-old dwelling in Spring Valley, IL, we’re all merely caretakers of outdated companies and outdated homes. It’s our job to nurture them and make sure that they survive and thrive for the following technology. I’m very proud to be spending my years doing precisely that.”
He additionally stated he’s impressed by his ancestors’ ingenuity, which arrange Maze Co. for longevity.
“It looks like entrepreneurship was the rule slightly than the exception again in these days,” Loveland stated. “Household-owned and operated retailer fronts and small companies sprang up all over the place. The Maze boys have been fairly intelligent fellows and constructed a really robust enterprise for future generations.”
Through the years, Loveland stated there have been regular adjustments to the household enterprise.
Within the late 1880’s, Maze Lumber was promoting white cedar shingles to space residents for roofing – together with no matter model of nails was accessible. After receiving quite a few complaints in regards to the nails rusting and inflicting roof failures, 2nd technology Walter H. Maze purchased a small lower nail machine and commenced making his personal nails out of pure zinc strips. They weren’t very robust – however they certain didn’t rust. And, when you purchased your shingles from Maze Lumber – you bought the nails totally free. It wasn’t lengthy earlier than neighboring lumberyards confirmed up at Maze – asking to purchase a few of their manufacturing. The little machine started to run extra typically – and was quickly adopted by further tools. Maze Nails was born.
In 1916 – throughout World Battle I – the value of many “base metals” (together with zinc) skyrocketed attributable to their use within the conflict effort. By necessity, Maze invented a technique of taking metal nails and dipping them into molten zinc to provide them a wonderful, rust-resistant zinc-coating. These nails have been tradenamed Zinclad® – and so they have been quickly being offered to lumberyards all through the USA.
The dipping was achieved by hand throughout these early years. In 1955, 3rd technology brothers James and Hamilton Maze designed a dipping machine to do the work. Their STORMGUARD® nails have been truly DOUBLE dipped – to vastly improve their longevity. Now – for the primary time – contractors and householders had nails they might rely on to remain stunning and rust-free for the lifetime of their tasks.
Maze engineers went on to invent threaded nails – nails with ring and screw shanks – to actually maintain tight. Lastly the trade had nails that wouldn’t pop again out on roofing, siding and decking. The Illinois manufacturing plant went on to begin offering the development commerce with MADE IN USA nails that have been hardened, plated, painted and collated – in lots of forms of packages appropriate for each builders and shoppers. The number of particular processing achieved on the Maze mill result in their designation as a Specialty Nail maker.
Apart from nails for development, Maze Nails manufactures all kinds of nails for distinctive functions. They embody particular spikes for anchoring synthetic grass, fasteners for the oil and gasoline trade, flintknapping nails for making modern-day arrowheads, nails to lock shovel and rake heads to their wood handles, nails with particular head designs and dates on them, particular aluminum pins for marking utility poles, fasteners offered by skylight makers as a part of their set up package, nails for assembling field frames for beds…and tons of extra!
With 175 years within the rearview, Loveland stated issues will proceed to evolve. “We alter with the occasions, together with updating the merchandise we deal with at Maze Lumber and creating new nails that we manufacture and promote from the Maze Nail manufacturing facility. We’re now trying ahead to our bicentennial yr!”
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