COMPANY·HISTORIES
SIC 2521

Wood Office Furniture

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

20companies1899–1959founding years20still active0no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironment
FoundedHunt Manufacturing CompanyFoundedHunt Manufacturing Company
1899
FoundedThe Gunlocke CompanyFoundedThe Gunlocke Company
1902
FoundedDrexel Heritage Furnishings Inc.FoundedDrexel Heritage Furnishings Inc.FoundedHarley-Davidson, Inc.FoundedHarley-Davidson, Inc.
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
1908
TechnologyThe Ford Model T brings the automobile to the middle class.
FoundedSteelcase, Inc.FoundedThe Lane Co., Inc.FoundedThe Lane Co., Inc.
1912
1913
EconomyThe Federal Reserve is created.
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression begins.
1933
EconomyNew Deal reforms reshape banking and industry.
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
FoundedHON INDUSTRIES Inc.FoundedHON INDUSTRIES Inc.
1944
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long postwar expansion begins.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented at Bell Labs.
FoundedShelby Williams Industries, Inc.FoundedShelby Williams Industries, Inc.
1954
1956
EconomyThe Interstate Highway program remakes commerce.
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
FoundedBush Industries, Inc.FoundedBush Industries, Inc.FoundedHerman Miller, Inc.
1959
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
1970
EnvironmentThe EPA is founded; environmental regulation expands.
1971
EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; Nasdaq opens.
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins with the Altair.
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall 22% in a single day.
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
1997
EconomyThe Asian financial crisis rattles global markets.
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
2000
EconomyThe dot-com bubble bursts.
2001
EconomyThe September 11 attacks; a recession follows.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 begin to take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2008
EconomyThe global financial crisis freezes credit.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

Hunt Manufacturing Company →
Active · founded 1899
The Hunt Manufacturing Company is a leading producer and distributor of office supplies and arts and crafts products.
Hunt Manufacturing Company →
Active · founded 1899
The Hunt Manufacturing Company is a leading producer and distributor of office supplies and arts and crafts products.
The Gunlocke Company →
Active · founded 1902
The Gunlocke Company was manufacturing, in the late 1990s, executive desks, case goods such as bureaus and bookcases,…
The Gunlocke Company →
Active · founded 1902
The Gunlocke Company was manufacturing, in the late 1990s, executive desks, case goods such as bureaus and bookcases,…
Drexel Heritage Furnishings Inc. →
Active · founded 1903
Based in the foothills of North Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountains, Drexel Heritage Furnishings Inc.
Drexel Heritage Furnishings Inc. →
Active · founded 1903
Based in the foothills of North Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountains, Drexel Heritage Furnishings Inc.
Harley-Davidson, Inc. →
Active · founded 1903
The only motorcycle manufacturer in the United States, Harley-Davidson, Inc.
Harley-Davidson, Inc. →
Active · founded 1903
The only motorcycle manufacturer in the United States, Harley-Davidson, Inc.
Steelcase, Inc. →
Active · founded 1912
Known since 1984 as "The Office Environment Company," Steelcase, Inc.
Steelcase, Inc. →
Active · founded 1912
Known since 1984 as "The Office Environment Company," Steelcase, Inc.
The Lane Co., Inc. →
Active · founded 1912
The Lane Co., Inc.
The Lane Co., Inc. →
Active · founded 1912
The Lane Co., Inc.
HON INDUSTRIES Inc. →
Active · founded 1944
HON INDUSTRIES Inc.
HON INDUSTRIES Inc. →
Active · founded 1944
HON INDUSTRIES Inc.
Shelby Williams Industries, Inc. →
Active · founded 1954
Shelby Williams Industries, Inc., is a leading supplier of furnishings for the contract furniture market.
Shelby Williams Industries, Inc. →
Active · founded 1954
Shelby Williams Industries, Inc., is a leading supplier of furnishings for the contract furniture market.
Bush Industries, Inc. →
Active · founded 1959
Bush Industries, Inc.
Bush Industries, Inc. →
Active · founded 1959
Bush Industries, Inc.
Herman Miller, Inc. →
Active · founded 1959
Herman Miller, Inc., is one of the leading manufacturers of office furniture and furniture systems, second only to…
Herman Miller, Inc. →
Active · founded 1959
Herman Miller, Inc., is one of the leading manufacturers of office furniture and furniture systems, second only to…
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