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1934 - .

1901 - Reynolds Electric incorporates in Chicago, Illinois. President William L. Laib intends to market illuminated, flashing signs for catchy advertising.:

Singer Corporation is an American manufacturer of domestic sewing machines, first established as I. M. Singer & Co. in 1851 by Isaac Merritt Singer with New York lawyer Edward Clark. Best known for its sewing machines, it was renamed Singer Manufacturing Company in 1865, then the Singer Company in 1963. It is based in La Vergne, Tennessee, near Nashville. Its first large factory for mass production was built in Elizabeth, New Jersey, in 1863. - Wikipedia].

"Howard Colman grew up in Wisconsin, subsequently moved to Rockford, Illinois and his company operated under the name of Barber Colman. For decades, Rockfordians assumed Mr. Barber and Mr. Colman were partners. That was not the case at all. Mr. Barber was an entrepreneur who took an interest in Colman's endeavors (actually Barber was the father of a boyhood friend of Howard Colman) and assisted financially in the start of his many inventions. To the integrity and credit of Colman, he always gave credit to Mr. Barber and the return on Mr. Barber's investment was not only monumental financially but also historically. Howard Colman is perhaps one of the world's top inventors with over 140 patents to his name. He started inventing at age 5" - "The Hub Pages", Ken Kline Howard Colman died in a car accident in 1942. Harry Severson, one of the three original directors, took over leadership of the company. In 1953, the "Park Plant" was built, a one-story, 125,000-square-foot (11,600 m2) building in nearby Loves Park. In 1954, the company purchased the Hendey Machine Company. By 1965, three other additions were complete on the Loves Park facility. In 1968, a 200,000-square-foot (19,000 m2) facility was built just north of the original plant. By 1975, Barber–Colman employed 4000 workers among its 150 locations. The company was family-owned until the death of Walter Colman (Howard's son) in 1983. Following Colman's death, the company was sold off to various companies. Reed–Chatwood purchased the textile operations and continued to manufacture from the original factory until 2001. The machine tool division was sold to fellow Rockford company Bourn & Koch, who provides parts, service, and support for their machines to this day. Barber–Colman henceforth focused on cutting tools and process controls. The remaining divisions were eventually sold off. The Barber–Colman trademark is held by Eurotherm Controls, Inc. The historic complex has been vacated since Reed–Chatwood relocated in 2001. The City of Rockford currently owns the property, purchasing it for $750,000 in 2002. On August 8, 2006, it was recognized by the National Park Service with a listing on the National Register of Historic Places. - Wikipedia. A rare image of Howard Colman: