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Maine’s Progressive Business
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6 | BANGOR DAILY NEWS | Friday | January 13, 2012
W.S. Emerson: 91 Years, from Hand-Made to High-Tech By David M. Fitzpatrick BANGOR DAILY NEWS
Walter S. Emerson’s business experience dates back to 1912, when he was in business as the Emerson Manufacturing Company, making ladies’ skirts at 121 Main Street. The same year, Titus & Smith, also skirtmakers, began at the same location. It seems the two companies were intertwined in some way, as they both moved to 125 Franklin Street in 1914, and both later to 123 Franklin. In 1921, both companies were gone, and W.S. Emerson was incorporated, initially making ladies’ wear but soon dealing in all manner of dry goods. That first year, Emerson hired 21-year-old John Vickery, who would be key to shaping the company’s destiny. The Brewer native had studied agriculture at the University of Maine with an eye on becoming a potato farmer, having worked at his uncle’s farm in Unity and another in Fort Fairfield. At first, Vickery was a traveling salesman who ultimately developed sales territories in Aroostook County and Western and Central Maine. Business growth and success depended on road sales; the company called on retail shops, as well logging camps and other remote locations, around the state. In those, travel was done by train or horse and buggy.
Emerson passed away (and would then acquire the company and later purchase the company’s downtown building), his brother Winslow joined him. Winslow, who held an engineering degree from Carnegie Tech, would later become instrumental in the company’s rebirth. He began by building a new sales organization, and continued by building a new location. When urban renewal hit in the 1960s, W.S. Emerson, like so many downtown businesses, found itself forced out. So in 1965, Winslow designed a 33,000square-foot facility that was built on the Acme Road in Brewer; the company relocated there in 1966. Although it was a much better space, leaving the business hub of downtown Bangor for Brewer at that time was a risky endeavor; nobody was sure the out-of-town customers would go to Brewer. But business boomed, in great part thanks to Winslow’s leadership and direction. Meanwhile, Winslow’s son, John A. Vickery, had attended Ricker College in Houlton for a year, served three years in the Marine Corps, and graduated from the University of Maine in 1964 with a civil engineering degree. After three years with a Boston engineering firm, John and his wife Liz returned to Maine to join the business at its new Brewer home. Winslow took over the firm when “Uncle John” Vickery
BDN PHOTO BY DAVID M. FITZPATRICK
The current executive team. From left: Betsy Vickery, John A. Vickery Jr., John A. Vickery Sr., Russ Vickery, and Phyllis Hawkes.
In 1927, the company relocated to 192 Exchange Street, where it would remain for about 40 years. But when the Great Depression hit, W.S. Emerson lost money for several years and was on the verge of failing. Its nervous investors wanted to liquidate the company and salvage something financially, but Emerson and Vickery, who became the general manager in 1933, convinced them to hold on for one more year. After President Roosevelt’s policies stimulated growth and ended the Depression, the company had survived. Post-Depression Growth Vickery’s family began to join in the business, starting with his wife, Eva, by 1949. When Vickery became president in 1950 after
passed in 1970, and ran it until he passed in 1982. By then, John A. Vickery took the reins; his brother Russ, a 1970 University of Maine graduate, had joined the business in 1976 and continued on as vice president. And John’s son, John A. Vickery, Jr., joined the business in 1988, representing the third generation of Vickerys there. The 1980s and 1990s the company expanded into retail, starting with Farrington’s in South China and Miller’s Discount in Caribou. The retail business eventually grew to eight Maine locations with healthy growth each year. But retail changed dramatically in the 1990s when Wal-Mart came to Maine. Miller’s stores began closing, with the final store
PHOTOS COURTESY OF W.S. EMERSON
Left: The first year of the new facility on the Acme Road in Brewer in 1966. At far left is Winslow Vickery; at far right is his brother, John Vickery. John started when W.S. Emerson’s business was first formed in 1921. Right: Probably the second year of the new facility. John A. Vickery Sr., Winslow’s son and John Vickery’s nephew, is at the far right.
shuttering in 2008. It still exists as Miller’s Workshop, the 5,000square-foot retail outlet at the company’s Brewer location, catering to working people by providing quality name brands at affordable prices. Changing with the World With the retail world changing, W.S. Emerson had to reinvent itself. It got into in-house embroidering in 1992, and soon followed with screen printing. In 2003, the company added a 10,000-square-foot expansion to accommodate more equipment. Today, that equipment includes a Bridge laser cutting system to produce applique work — the only company of its kind in the region using such equipment for this purpose. After a blank applique is applied to the fabric and a machine stitches letter or shape outlines, the laser cuts the excess from around it — far faster and more efficiently than by hand. Recently, the company added textile inkjet printers. Embroidery continues to be a mainstay, using machines with as many as 15 heads that enable fast production of big orders. Whether applique, inkjet, or embroidering, if you can imagine it, chances are W.S. Emerson can do it. The company even offers logodesign services and other promotional work to help clients create and establish their brands. As of Jan. 1, 2012, John Vickery Sr. stepped down as president, and his son, John Jr., assumed the presidency. John Jr. leads a workforce of about 50 people, with a reach across the country as it provides custom-imprinting services. The family remains strong with the company, with Russ and John Jr.’s wife, Betsy, working there. “We’ve built a very strong reputation for ourselves in terms of quality at wholesale prices and good, fast, dependable customer service,” said John Jr.“Our policy is customer satisfaction guaranteed.” And family involvement continues. John Jr.’s wife Betsy came to work at W.S. Emerson shortly after becoming engaged to John Jr. 15 years ago. Her early role was to learn how the business could grow, and she has been key to moving things forward technologically since her first day.
“We always are staying on the cutting edge of what we do by adding, and making things more efficient,” she said. She’s also deeply involved in the community, representing the company on many local boards such as at the Bangor Region Chamber of Commerce and UMaine. “We feel it’s so important to give back,” she said. Betsy said that every day is exciting and challenging. “But it’s nothing that we can’t handle,” she said. “Just figure out how to do it, and navigate through it — or over it.” Phyllis Hawkes joined the company 41 years ago, and she’s seen lots of changes. As the VP and general manager, she oversees day-to-day operations and the 40-50 employees. “I’ve got a fantastic crew working out there,” she said, and noted there’s a strong team environment. “It’s more of a family situation. That’s why I’ve been here for so long: I enjoy what I do.” John Jr. has experienced every aspect of working with the crew. He started there in the early 1980s at age 14, listing his career goal in his eighth-grade yearbook as working at W.S. Emerson. He has worked in almost every job: stocking, filling orders, shipping, sales, purchasing, and management, so he brings a wealth of experience to his new position. “I’ve always been proud to work here and proud to keep the family tradition going,” he said. “Hopefully we can keep it going for another generation… It’s going to be a challenge, and I’m looking forward to it. “You’ve got to have a good team, and you’ve got to want to do it every day,” he said. “That’s what brings success.” BDN PHOTOS BY DAVID M. FITZPATRICK
Top: A worker pulls a screenprinted shirt of the rotating, multiarmed wheel. These machines enable the company to screenprint many items very quickly. Second down: Finished embroidered caps. Third down: A Sierra Mist applique is stitched by multihead machines onto shirts. A laser cuts the fabric appliques; multiple layers can be added for a 3D sort of look. Bottom: A worker pulls a completed shirt off the textile inkjet printer, which uses textile-specific inks that bond to just about any fabric, creating vivid designs.