Johnson Brothers
Location
Johnson Bros. beginning occurred when Edwin Johnson, Sr. decided to go into business himself. In 1947, he started constructing the company's first roll forming machine (now in storage) in his basement. He had offered his five brothers and equal share of the business if they matched his life savings, $700 investment. One brother, Harold Johnson, did; hence the name Johnson Bros.
When the first machine was finished and tested it had to be disassembled, carried from his basement and reassembled in Edwin's garage. After a few months the neighbors complained about the noise as production of small orders began and Edwin was forced to find new quarters. He found an uninsulated, dirt-floor garage that had formerly been a stable at Cicero Ave. and Chicago Blvd. in Chicago. The brothers, Edwin Sr. and Harold, insulated the garage/plant, built a small office and heated the building with a small stove in the cold months.
In 1950, Edwin Sr.'s son, Edwin Jr., who had been working parttime for the brothers since 1947 while going to college, and another brother of Edwin Sr. and Harold, not active in the business, poured a concrete floor in the garage. This brought stability to say the least to the roll form operation.
In 1951, they rented a storefront on the garage property, built two more roll form machines and grew the business. Besides conducting all sales, Edwin Sr. designed all the dies (rolls and cutoff) and the equipment (roll formers and flying cutoffs) in his attic from 10 pm. (at the end of his factory workday) until 2 or 3 am. He built his dies and equipment during the day with some help from Harold who spent most of his time in production and who, by the way, was the best roll form machine operator/setup man the business ever had.
Two more brothers, Rudolf and Arnold, and a neighbor were hired and the growing business was moved to Bellwood, IL, in 1954 to a building formerly occupied by an old millwright. It was located behind Borg-Warner, Spring Division. The toolroom and the roll form departments were laid out by Edwin Jr., who used the adventure as part of his masters degree thesis. When Edwin Jr. returned from military service he worked in the production and tooling departments, and in administration and accounting. In 1958, the business was incorporated with Edwin Sr. as president, Harold as vice president and Edwin Jr. as secretary/treasurer. The most exciting incident in the company's history occurred in this Bellwood plant when the FBI used it for a stakeout to catch some thieves in Borg-Warner.
In 1963, Edwin Jr. designed (in the rough) a new plant (modular for expansion), which the architect of course finished. The building was completed and the company moved into its new plant in Berkeley, IL, in 1964. A 10,000 sq. ft. addition was completed in 1969, additional offices were built in 1978 and the business purchased its neighbor to the west's plant in 1998. Harold had retired in 1965 and Edwin Jr. became vice president/treasurer.
Edwin Sr. stayed active until 1984 when illness at the age of 81 forced his retirement. After Edwin Sr.'s death in 1988, Edwin Jr. became president/treasurer/chairman.
In 1978, Brad Johnson, Edwin Jr.'s son, had joined the business working in the plant and learning the mechanical aspects very well. Their purchasing agent's open heart surgery moved Brad into purchasing. From there he moved into sales and in 1985, Brad became vice president/sales manager. Today Brad is vice president/general manager. For seven years, Johnson Bros. was a three-generation company.
The nature of Johnson Bros. roll forming has seen an evolution from a lockseam and openseam tubing emphasis, which accelerated their growth, to a diversity of shapes for many industrial uses and now to sophisticated computer controlled in-line fabrication. Their forming of all types of metals prefinished or plain, in thickness from .004" to .188", into many shapes have virtually gone to every state in the continental U.S., Canada, Mexico and parts of Europe. Sales have grown to seven million with 36 fulltime and six part-time employees. Outsourcing has made it difficult for American manufacturers and Johnson Bros. in the last few years but the future now looks very promising.
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