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 Pilliod Lumber Company, Swanton, Ohio 

Louis Napoleon Pilliod, Founder

The Pilliod Lumber Co -- A Brief History

A History of the Piliod Lumber Company -- Pilliod Tool Chest History

Pilliod Lumber Company, of Swanton, Ohio, was established by Louis N Pilliod in 1896. The Pilliod Lumber Company, was organized July 8 1902 (some references say: 1901). ... Since 1909 the Company has discontinued the sale of lumber and has engaged in the manufacture of tool chests. ... The boiler blew up and destroyed the sawmill end of the business, and when the firm rebuilt, they engaged exclusively in the manufacture of chests and cabinets. In 1913 the factory burned, but it has since been rebuilt, and chests and cabinets are manufactured again.

The Pilliod Lumber Company of Swanton, Ohio, was later renamed: The Pilliod Cabinet Company, of Swanton, Ohio. The Pilliod Cabinet Companies line of products included: their "Built for Service" line of Wooden Tool Chests "for Machinists, Carpenters, Salesmen, Repairmen and Fishermen," they made various other wooden boxes, like: Jewelry Boxes, Silverware Chests, lines of Salesmen and Sample Cases and, during the first World War, boxes for Military Medals.

There are even some references, that say they also made a children's 'Kite Flying Kit' (but this has not yet been confirmed). Under the direction of Thomas Joseph Pilliod), beginning in the 1920's the Pilliod Cabinet Company was the beneficiary of several exclusive, US Patents, that were assigned to: The Pilliod Cabinet Company, Swanton, Ohio. Most of the companies various US Patents were related to the Cabinet and Tool Chest lines of business - one Patent specifically being for the Lock Mechanism that was installed on flip down door of the Pilliod Cabinet Co's Wood Tool Chests [US Patent No: US 1368048 A -- Patented February 8 1921] while others had to do with the Display Cases used in the Silverware Display Chest lines. Thomas and the Pilliod Cabinet Company, also held Patents for non-Cabinet inventions, like a Patent that he held jointly with Ferdinand C. Muller, also of Swanton, for a Self Sharpening Safety Razor, under the company name of: De Haven Razor Corporation - with a trade name of: Shake Sharp [US Patent No: US 2059744 A and US 2041680 -- Patented November 3 1936] - It is through this De Haven association that the Kite Flying Kits are referenced.

According to the company records, the Pilliod Cabinet Company stopped production of its own line of Wooden Tool Chests in 1926. They did, however, continued to make 'Re-Branded' Wooden Tool Chests for various other vendors, up until the late 1950's or early 1960's. At which time they ceased all Wooden Tool Chest production and referred all their Wooden Tool Chest inquiries to one of their rival tool chest competitors: Harry H Gerstner, [H Gerstner & Sons], of Dayton, Ohio.

After the Pilliod Cabinet Company ceased production of their Wooden Tool Chest, the company moved into the production of bedroom and misc occasional furniture (end table, night stands, etc).

In 1994, the Pilliod Cabinet Company was acquired by LADD Furniture Inc, of High Point, North Carolina - at the time the fourth largest, North American manufacturer of residential furniture. LADD Furniture, renamed the company: Pilliod Furniture, with manufacturing branches in Alabama and South Carolina. LADD also moved the Management Headquarters to High Point. By 1999, LADD Furniture, and its subsidiary, Pilliod Furniture, were acquired by Michigan-based La-Z-Boy Inc.

In September 2000, it was announced that the Swanton, Ohio, manufacturing plant would cease all operations by November 2000, and the 130 local employees would be without a job. It was also announced that the 700 employees at the Pilliod Furniture plants in Nichols, South Carolina, and Selma, Alabama would NOT be affected by the Swanton closing. This effectively brought a close, a 104 year old storied history, for the original, Swanton, Ohio manufacturing plant that was locally known as: LN Pilliod Company - Pilliod Lumber Company - Pilliod Cabinet Company and the Pilliod Furniture Company.

In July 2001, La-Z-Boy Inc announced an organizational restructuring of its company. Some time after the November 2000 closure of the Swanton plant and the 2001 restructuring, the Selma, Alabama plant was also shuttered. The Pilliod Furniture Company (Nichols, South Carolina - with its 300 employees) was retained as part of the newly restructured Casegoods Division of the company. Then in December 2001, Michigan-based La-Z-Boy Inc. said that it had sold its remaining Pilliod Furniture division to Michels South Carolina Inc., a subsidiary of California-based Michels & Company, of Lynwood, California. "The product line produced by Pilliod did not strategically align with our other product lines, and we are glad we were able to find a buyer who is already in this segment of the industry," said Jerry Kiser, La-Z-Boy president and CEO.

As part of the sale to Michels & company, they agreed to keep the Nichols, South Carolina operations open, and retain the 300 employees. At the time Pilliod was making low-priced, entry-level furniture of pressed-wood products and wooden veneers at its manufacturing plant in Nichols, South Carolina, they also made promotional case goods, youth and home entertainment furniture, and puts the finishing touches on imports, at the 500,000-square-foot Nichols plant. Michels also agreed to keep Pilliod's showrooms in High Point and Tupelo. Michels inherited most of Pilliod's management team. Since Pilliod had been based at the Ladd office in Greensboro, North Carolina, and those offices stayed with La-Z-Boy, Michels had to find a new location for its 'East Coast' offices.

At this point in time, Pilliod could trace its origins back to 1896. It remained a privately held company up until the publicly held Ladd Furniture Company, acquired it in February 1994 for $54 million. After acquiring Ladd Furniture in January 2000, La-Z-Boy closed two of Pilliod's three plants - the original Swanton, Ohio Plant and the Selma, Alabama Plant.

In November 2004 the Nichols, South Carolina headlines read: Michels & Co. closes Pilliod plant. Manufacturing operations ceased Wednesday at the 391,000-square-foot plant, which Michels had acquired from La-Z-Boy in late 2001. Difficulty in obtaining raw materials, combined with a significant and unexpected downturn in business, drove the decision to close the facility, the company said. Some employees will remain at the Nichols facility as it winds down its business. Michels said the South Carolina closure will not have any affect on operations at the company's 300,000-square-foot plant in Lynwood, Calif.

In December 2009 the Los Angeles newpapers reported: Michels and Company, a producer of promotional bedroom and home entertainment furniture, has filed for: Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection. Various articles went on to say; The company, which was formerly known as: Michels/Pilliod, once had showrooms at High Point, Las Vegas and Tupelo marketplaces. Michels/Pilliod has produced a line of mostly contemporary laminate bedroom and home entertainment furniture. They also had a line of dining room furniture, bars and youth furniture. The Michels Company also was among the original petitioners in the 2004 antidumping case, on Chinese made wood bedroom furniture.

And so at the dawn of the new year, 2010, the Pilliod Lumber Company story had come to its final chapter, in Lynwood, California, by way of Greenville and High Point, North Carolina, Selma, Alabama and Nichols, South Carolina - thousands of miles away from its humble beginnings, 114 years later, first as a practical Lumberyard, then as a high quality Wooden Tool Chest and specialty Wooden Box Manufacturer, located in the town of Swanton, Fulton County, Ohio.

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A Historical Biography of: Louis Napoleon Pilliod - Founder of the Pilliod Lumber Company

Louis Napoleon Pilliod, President of the Farmer's and Merchants' Deposit Company and the Pilliod Lumber Company, of Swanton, was born in Napoleon, Henry County, Ohio, on May 24th 1859. He is the son of Augustin and Amelia (Harris) Pilliod, both deceased, the former a native of France and the latter of Genesee, New York. Augustin Pilliod was a Miller and Merchant by occupation, which business he conducted with unusual success, amassing quite a fair compentency. They were the parents of seven children, five sons and two daughters, of whom the subject of this sketch is the eldest.

Louis N Pilliod was educated in the Public and Parochial Schools of Toledo, Ohio, and at the University of Notre Dame, Indiana. He began his business career in the milling business, following that occupation successfully for fifteen years, and then took up his present line of work.

The Pilliod Lumber Company, with a capitalization of $25,000, was incorporated in 1901. This establishment does wholesale lumber business and manufactures all kinds of building material, giving regular employment to twenty five skilled workmen.

Mr Pilliod was the principal organizer of the Merchants' and Farmer's bank at Swanton, and institution capitalized at $25,000, and of which he is the head.

He is the owner of considerable property and the director of extensive business interests. All recognize him as an active and progressive business man and one of the leading citizens of Fulton County. While he has always led a strenuous business life, he has, nevertheless, found time to look after public matters, having served on the Villiage Council. In politics he is identified with the Democratic party and in Secret Society affairs, with the Knights of Pythias.

Louis N Pilliod was first married to Miss Emma Hill, of Swanton, who died in August 1890, leaving her husband and one son, Thomas Joseph, to mourn her demise.

His second wife was Miss Lillian Mabry, of Swanton. This union has been blesssed with three children. Their names are: Lawrence Louis, Esther Lucile and Agnes Lorine.

Thomas J Pilliod is at present engaged as Manager of the Pilliod Milling Company.

Source: The County of Fulton - A History of Fulton Co, Ohio, from the Earliest Days  -- By: Thomas Mikesell - 1905

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Additional Info: Re-Branded Pilliod Wooden Tool Chests: (as per various internet sources) ~ Ehlert Supply Co -- Ehlertbilt -- Milwaulkee, Wisconsin (1927-1953) ~ Union Tool Chest Co - Rochester, New York (1926-1953) ~ JM Waterston -- Detroit, Michigan (1915-1924) ~ Lufkin Rule Co -- Saginaw, Michigan (1937-1944) ~ Sears -- Craftsman -- Chicago, Illinois (1943-1949) -- Thru: Union Steel Chest Corp

Various Pilliod Lumber Co Names: ~ LN Pilliod Co ~ TJ Pilliod Co ~ Pilliod Lumber Co ~ Swanton Box Factory (Local Nickname) ~ Pilliod Box Makers Association (Employee Organization) ~ Pilliod Tool Chest Co ~ Pilliod Cabinet Co ~ Pilliod Furniture Co ~ Pilliod Furniture of Alabama ~ Pilliod Furniture of South Carolina ~ Pilliod Fruniture a Division of La-Z-Boy Inc ~ Michels-Pilliod Furniture of South Carolina

Various Swanton Addresses: PILLIOD FURNITURE INC 105 Woodland Ave Swanton, Ohio 43558

PILLIOD CABINET COMPANY 105-117 Woodland Ave Swanton, Ohio 43558

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The PILLIOD COMPANY & AD BAKER:

The Pilliod Company now (circa 2017): Swanton Welding & Machining Company, metal fabricators and manufacturers of precision parts, is NOT part of the Pilliod Lumber Company history. The Pilliod Company is directly related to Frederick Pilliod and his business partner, Adner DeHaven Baker. The Baker Locomotive Valve Gear and the Baker Uniflow Cylinder, both were the invention of Abner D. Baker and the AD Baker Co (later to be called: The Pilliod Company). The locomotive business was an entirely separate business, associated with an entirely different branch of the Pilliod family and had absolutley nothing to do with the formation or growth of the Pilliod Lumber Company and its subsequent companies.