Family Manufacturer Still Going Strong after 100 Years

摘要

Staying in business for 100 years is certainly something to celebrate. While Bard Mfg. Co. Inc. is doing plenty of that this year, the company is also looking forward. "As an equipment manufacturer, we find we need to be as innovative with the control systems running our air conditioners, heat pumps, and furnaces as we are with the tra- ditional innovations we build into our units," said Bill Steel, president and CEO of Bard. "Regarding the future, the demand for green, climate-friendly technology will continue to increase." Bill is one of three fourth-generation family members involved in the management of the business. Joining Bill is Scott Bard, vice president of sales administration, and Pam Bard Steel, marketing communications and president of the Bard Family Foundation. In 1906, Dale Bard left his home in northwest Ohio and headed to California to find work, helping to rebuild the area after the great San Francisco earthquake. He returned to his hometown of Bryan, Ohio, several years later with perfected metal working skills. In 1914, Dale Bard started a company in Bryan that specialized in heating and plumbing contracting. That business would one day become Bard Mfg. Co. Inc. Early manufactured products included patented oil furnaces, metal roofing cleats, sheet metal ductwork, and wheelbarrows for export to Africa.