From One-Car Garage to World-Wide Firm

In a one-car garage behind a carpet installation workroom on La Cienega Boulevard in Los Angeles, early in September, 1938, three young men who had created a new product, looked proudly at their handiwork and wondered if it could be sold.

The men were Roy Roberts, Hugh Livie and Ken Bishop.

The product was Smoothedge Carpet Gripper.

This year, oelebrating its 25th anniversary, the three-man "company" of 1938 has become Roberts Consolidated Industries fnc., a multimillion dollar public corporation with hundreds of employees and lines of products which are known and used throughout the world.

In 1963, two modern buildings housing administrative offices and major manufacturing facilities sprawl over five acres in California's City of Industry. Plans for additions are on the drawing board with construction scheduled for early 1964 to meet space requirements for expanding operations. In reserve for future expansion are five recently.acquired acres adjacent to the site.

Roberts' subsidiary factories in Dayton,

Ohio; Canada, Great Britain, Holland, New Zealand and Australia turn out a multitude of Roberts productso for distribution throughout North America and the rest of the world.

In the intervening years, one of the founding trio, Roy Roberts, has retired, but Hugh S. Livie serves the corporation as president. Kenneth M. Bishop is senior vice-president and secretary, and Charles E. Hopping, who joined the fledgling Rob. erts Co. early in 1940 is now chairman of the board.

President Hugh Livie admits that in the very beginning the three young men were determined to be successful.

"But if any one of us had dared predict the possibility of becoming a corporation with international subsidiaries, producing miles upon miles of tackless carpet gripper, thousands of carpet installation tools, tank car quantities of adhesives, metal mouldings and metal bifold doors, the other two fellows would have run for a doctor," he chuckled.

According to Ken Bishop, the original Roberts Co. began in that l2'x2U garage as a formal partnership. "Each of us made an initial total investment of $100G-all the money we had and could borrow. Out of that $3000 we bought some plywood, a Sears-Roebuck table saw, a keg of shingle nailq pliers, hammers and things like that. We called ourselves Roberts Tackless Carpet Strip Company."

Despite its long name, the little threeman company was a genuine working partnership. One partner cut plywood into strips on the table saw. Another, with a pair of side-cutting pliers, snipped shingle nails to the desired length. The last man on the "produclion line" placed these short headless nails in a handmade jig and, with a carpenter's hammer, tapped them into the plywood strips. Then all three took time off from these specialized jobs to pack the strips for shipping.

The idea for tackless carpet stripping originated with experienced carpet installer Roy Roberts. He figured that a wood strip, with a preset row of prongs, could anchor carpet smoothly,and thus eliminate the tack marks and scallops which customers oomplained about on wall-to-wall carpet installations, according to Hugh Livie.

"Since Ken Bishop, Roy and I had ocToBER, 1963 lirrl evt'n litli pclsrrnll instruction. thc tlt'mitntl [or tacklt,ss r.arpt'l str.ip tli<l not zootn ott'rnight irrto astronornical salt,s.

\r orked togt'ther as installt,rs for lt.ars."

I-ivit' tontitrued. ''ne all got inlo tht' at't. It'sting llrt' idea llrcnevt'r \\r' gol l r.hanct'nrrtl st'llirrg er-elr l,ot:lt- ut' r'oultl on letlin!l lrs use tlris nen nrethocl of carpt't irrstallatiorr. l)t,o1rle sct'mr'<l irnpr-r.sserl. So" f1 1111' tirne ut, lrarl rlrrit our' .jolrs anrl sr.t up 'l-ht' liol-rtrts'l'at'klt,.. (iarptl Strilr (.omparrr'. l c ltatl a harrrlf trl of orrlcls. a fr.l satisfitri ('ustonrels anrl lrright tlrt'irrns of glrrr."

.'Evt'rr then." Kerr Iiishop pointert out. "altlrough r.arlrct deplltmenl lrrrvers arrtl stor(' lnanag('rs ortlelt'rl the protlrrct. uorkroonr forenrt'n iurtl t.ar'pet irstallt'rs slrrlr. bornlt- resislctl the rrt'r nrtlhorl. insisting tit u-on'l uork"."

'['lrt' thrt'r' J)rrrtn(,rs fourrd Ilrt'solrrtion to this Prolrlt'nr lrv follorling rr1, 6.rt'rr- salt' rlitlr persorral instrtrtliorrs lo installers.

"lt took a u.hilt'." Hugh l.ir.it. said. "to figrrre out. that tht'rc rras arrother link irr st'lling out pro(lu('t-thc r.arpt't salt,smlrr hinrself. He'd nevt,r hearrl of ta<,klt'ss c,arPt'l rlrilr or he f0rg()l {s',nletint{,: olt lriltlrost: ) to rnt:ntion it lo llte (.rrstorners. ol. lrr uas afraid to risk a srrre salt' lrl adding itn e\trlr installation e\lx,nse.

"\\'e contat-lt'<l salt'srnen. got tlre rrarncs o{ th('if cuslornt'rs anrl called orr lhem personallv to explairr hou thr. strip functiorrt'd.

\\ihert.r'er 1\e \\('nt \\(' gairrt,rl ( ustollr(,r' ac( r'l)lan('e oI llrc prolrlcm. I:irrl tliert' u t,r't' tocl ltrlrrr- salt'smen lntl trot t'rrough,rf LIS.

"So u.'t. tlt'r'irlcd thal thc lhirrg to rlo {i r'.t \rils:('ler'l tht mosl l)r'omising c'ities for r-rur plodut t. ther st'lt'r't tlrt' lcatlirrg stol'e in t'aclr t il'r'. Orrt'c 'wt' Iorrrrrl tlrt' r'ieht rlt'alcr. rrt' .rorrlcl givr' hinr t'rtlrrsirt' r'iglrts to tht: tat'klt'ss mt'tlrorl in his citr'."'

Asrecing orr this lrasic stlatc'gr-. lht' r'ornJ)ilnl pronrl)tlv hiltrl a full-tirnt plarrt marr. ag.er antl a lralt-tinrt' lrookkt,eper I to l atr.h tlrt' stort'. so to slrt'lk t . 1'lre liirltrrcrs thtrr Lrarled tlrt'ir cars rlith sanrlrles. tlt'rnorrstraIors. panrphlcts lrrrl tht'il uirt's and st'l oLrt earll irr Jarrulrv to (.o\er tht'lt'aelirrl ciLrpet storcs irr t'r crl t'ilv irr Anrerir.a u itlr x pollLrlation oI nrorr llran 25.(XX). \ot rrrrtil nrirl-lJect'rnlrcr dirl thev gt't lrur.k honrt' to Los Angerlcs.

Irr 1963. l ithin its olelall <'orporltt' stru('lllr(. tht'r't' c-rists a netrrork oI rlir i. sions antl dt'purtnterrts. liut the men llro nurtule<l l'hc llolrerts (.o. throrrlrh its earlrr*lrs lo,rk ulrorr llris rr.ur- llrr,5ilr.r \rnri\-crsilrl as gr,lrlen davs. tht'rlar.s o[ rt'r.ognitiorr for a (ompanl rlliiclr alnrost singleharrrlt'<llv revolutionized t.arpt't irrstallatiorr throrrghoul the trorld.

As Prt'sitlt,nt Hugh [,ir ic .runs it all verr .irn1,l1': "'l lri. js orrlv llrr.I't.!irrrrirrS."

Cuaranteed saructurally I or the liletime ol the original strvcaure . . -t-

MATERIAL IS KILN DRIED HEMTOCK AND HAS THESE ADVANTAGES.

ACCURACY - lrom oulomoric producrion rcchines oisurer o perfect permonent seol.

AtIGNMENT - of rofing i: controlled by thi: ptecision clorure strip.

USES - forfiberglos o. m6tol roofing, polios. f€nces, corporb. shods.

RAPID INSIALLATION - ged long lengthr to hondle will rove yosr tirc. Pocked 24 piecer per bundle.

SUPERIOR WEAIHERABILITY - A rcst duroble wod reody for rtoin, point or ou nclurol.

INEXPENSIVE - A new price breqkthru becoure of lobor-rving methods.

$$ Compore prices I