April 12, 1951: Local Fibre Firm Uses Airport Facilities

Originally published in The Vidette-Messenger of Porter County on April 12, 1951.

Local Fibre Firm Uses Airport Facilities

FACILITIES AT the county municipal airport are being used by the Continental-Diamond Fibre company to receive and transport rush orders and supplies to and from Indianapolis. The firm Wednesday afternoon received a shipment of synthetic rubber from there and dispatched delete parts for condensers and transformers used in high altitude bombers. In the photo above workmen for Ferguson Transfer, Inc., are shown loading the outgoing shipment. It is the opinion of local C. of C. officials that if more firms would use the airport facilities for feeder service the Civil Aeronautics board would certify the airport for direct feeder service by plane for mail, passenger and cargo between Chicago and Indianapolis. A recent petition made by the local group to that effect was turned down by the CAA because of lack of existing use of the facilities.

March 8, 1951: Instructions On Business Are Praised - Local Teachers Find Plant Tour Is Educational

Originally published in The Vidette-Messenger of Porter County on March 8, 1951.

Instructions On Business Are Praised

Local Teachers Find Plant Tour Is Educational

Valparaiso’s public and elementary grade teachers had high praise today for “instructions” in business and industry they received Wednesday afternoon from representatives of various factory and business establishments in the community.

And businessmen said they are looking forward to the time when they will sit in on academic proceedings at the local schools.

The whole program was initiated by the educational committee of the Valparaiso Chamber of Commerce, with the cooperation of the Valparaiso city, St. Paul’s Catholic and Immanuel Lutheran school administrators. It is planned to hold similar meetings, either at business houses or in the schools, in each of the next two years.

Some 80 teachers of the community toured, in small units, five industrial plants, Continental Diamond Fibre company, McGill Manufacturing company, Indiana Steel Products company. The Robert L. Miller Laboratory and Urschel Laboratories; three stores, J. Lowenstine and Sons, Stambaugh Farm Equipment company and J.C. Penney company; two financial institutions, Farmers’ State and First State banks; Hotel Lembke; and The Vidette-Messenger, Indiana Associated Telephone company and Northern Indiana Public Service company plants.

Spends Entire Afternoon

The teachers reported at their assigned tour place at one o’clock and spent the entire afternoon inspecting the facilities and learning of some of the problems of conducting the particular business that they were visiting.

Climax of the day came when 120 teachers and businessmen attended a banquet at Hotel Lembke sponsored by the C of C. Lester Milne, chairman of the education committee, served as master of ceremonies.

Representatives of the 14 firms who acted as hosts during the afternoon were introduced, as were members of the city school board, committee members who arranged details for the day and James Patricn[sic], C of C secretary-manager.

Featured speaker of the evening was Dr. Virgil M. Rogers, superintendent of schools, Battle Creek, Mich. He was introduced by G. Warren Phillips, superintendent of the local city schools.

Stake In Schools

In his address, Rogers reminded the businessmen that they have a stake in the public schools, which he labeled as the nation’s greatest enterprise today. He said all people in a community have a direct or indirect part in the school, and he warned that if America permits public education to die, democracy will die with it.

He pointed out that the growth of education has aided America to build more cars, more homes, more radios and similar advantages than exists in any other nation.

Rogers advised that the schools should furnish their pupils with a more dramatic meaning of American citizenship, that they must appeal to community leaders to help keep the academic standards on a high level.

As a closing warning the speaker asserted that if totalitarianism ever strangles the American way of life it will because education has lost its objective.

TWO OF THE PLANTS toured Wednesday afternoon by local teacher groups during the Business-Industry-Education event sponsored by the Valparaiso Chamber of Commerce were that of The Vidette-Messenger and the Continental Diamond Fibre company. In the upper photo teachers are viewing the teletype and morgue operations in the editorial department. In this group were the following teachers: Emma R. Food, Mary Miller, Mary Stoner, Mary Phillips, Francis May and Verna Randert. Shown in the mica press room Burton Conklin, Glen Gierke, Milton Marten, Sister Miriam Loretto and Sister M. Juliette. George Nelson and D.K. Appleby were in charge of the tour there.

Feb. 21, 1936: CONTINENTAL TO EXPAND VALPARAISO TO BE WESTERN HUB FOR NEW OPERATIONS

Originally published in The Vidette-Messenger of Porter County on February 21, 1936.

CONTINENTAL TO EXPAND

VALPARAISO TO BE WESTERN HUB FOR NEW OPERATIONS

Continental-Diamond Fibre Company, One of Nation’s Largest Electrical Insulation Industries, Launches What May Become Large Expansion Program for City.

LETS CONTRACT FOR $40,000 WAREHOUSE; TO BUILD AT ONCE

BY LYNN M. WHIPPLE

Put several seemingly unrelated facts and incidents together and you have the “making” of the following news-storyーpotentially the most important of its kind to break in Valparaiso in many a year.

FACT NUMBER ONE: Detroit, Mich., has become the automobile and automotive parts center of the United States.

FACT NUMBER TWO: Chicago, Ill., and Cleveland, O., are today the electrical supplies, equipment and fabrication centers of the United States.

FACT NUMBER THREE: Some thirty-six years ago, a Philadelphia capitalist ventured “west” to establish a mica fabricating plant and chose Valparaiso as the scene of operations.

FACT NUMBER FOUR: the automotive and electrical fabrication industries create the largest demand and market for mica and its associated products, laminated fibroc or bakelite.

FACT NUMBER FIVE: Six years ago the Continental Diamond Fibre Company, one of the largest mica and bakelite manufacturing concerns in the world, became owner of the Valparaiso company, then known as the Chicago Mica and Fibroc Insulation Company.

Now for the news-story: Through L.L. Howard, manager of its Valparaiso plant, Continental-Diamond Fibre Company today announced a decision to make Valparaiso, instead of Chicago, its western headquarters and the letting of a contract for a new unit for its plant here, to cost approximately $40,000.

The new unit will be a two-floor (first food and basement) structure, sixty feet wide and one hundred feet long, to be built as a north-wing to the present plant.

This building will be used for storage of large quantities of vulcanized fibre and bakelite which formerly were stored in Chicago plants.

If present plans are realized upon in the future, the new storage building will be but the first unit of a large construction program here which eventually would mean work for 100 or more workers than ever employed by the local plant.

In the production season the Valparaiso division of Continental Diamond Fibre employs 300 workers. Even in the seasonal slack period, employment is now given to over 200 workers.

It is with future expansion plans in mind that, at the instance of the Continental-Diamond Fibre Company legal steps are being taken to make additional building space available by the abandonment of what is known as Factory street, located directly south of the Continental Diamond plant.

Today’s announcement of the letting of the contract for the large storage unit for the Valparaiso plant is taken to mean that Continental-Diamond Manager L.L. Howard, now serving a second term as president of Valparaiso Chamber of Commerce has “sold” the company management upon the idea of centering western division operations in Valparaiso.

The Smith-Nuppnau Company, of this city, has been awarded the general contract for the new unit. Contract for plumbing, heating and electric service installation have not been let. Building operations will start March 1, or as soon as possible thereafter.

Manager Howard today expressed confidence that the spring and summer season will find the valparaiso plant at the height of operations. Chicago plants of Continental-Diamond have discontinued operations and the Valparaiso unit has been given enlarged trade and service territory to the east.

This means that the Valparaiso plant will now fill orders originating in eastern Michigan, including Detroit, Indiana, Ohio and parts of Kentucky and West Virginia.

Continental-Diamond-Fibre company industrial operations are far-flung. With Valparaiso as its western headquarters Continental-Diamond operates two other establishments in the United States, one in Canada, one in England and one in France. The two American plants are located in Bridgeport, Pennsylvania, and Newark, Delaware. That in Canada, at Toronto; that in England, at Maidstone; that in France at Paris.

Background for Continental-Diamond operations in Valparaiso is most interesting. It was back in 1899 that the Chicago Mica Company, organized a year before, with eastern capital, decided upon location here and purchased one of the city’s oldest factory buildings about which successive expansion units have been built.

M. A. Snyder came here as the first superintendent. Mr. Snyder was secretary to a Philadelphia capitalist by the name of Adams who made his money in sandpaper.

In some five years Mr. Snyder was succeeded as superintendent by F.W. Boyer who in turn was followed by Edward Heilstedt (now employment manager for U.S. Steel mills at Gary).

Next step in operations came in 1920 and centered in A.W. Pickford, vice-president of the old Girard National Bank, Philadelphia. Through Mr. Pickford, L.T. Frederick was brought to Valparaiso and Mr. Frederick with John Griffin, of this city, who, starting with the Chicago Mica company as an office boy, had been made superintendent, a large expansion program was inaugurated. Mr. Frederick was in charge of sales.

Then came a broadening of operations to include the manufacture of fibroc products.

Then followed a period of rapid expansion and in 1926 a preferred stock issue of $100,000 was placed on the market, much of it being bought by Valparaiso investors. Most of this issue has been retired, it is understood.

Two years later Victor R. Despard, long associated with the McGill industries here, severed connections therewith and with Mr. Frederick purchased Mr. Griffin’s holdings. Another large addition to the plant was built. Steps were taken to merge the local plants with others of associated industries. Shortly thereafter friction developed in the management and Mr. Despard sold his interests to the Continental-Diamond Fibre Company, Mr. Frederick remained in charge for a few months but finally withdrew from the company. With the passing of Mr. Frederick, L.L. Howard was placed at the head of the Valparaiso operations.

Prior to the organization of the Chicago Mica Company several industries had operated in the original factory building built, it is understood, some seventy-five years ago for a pin plant operated by the Fontaine Brothers. Then the Powell family established its knitting mill in it. This plant moved to Chicago and finally to Muskegon, Michigan where one of the sons of the founders is still operating a knitting mill.

Then Mike Barry took over the building for his wagon works. This plant was operated for several years and was succeeded by the Cosmo Buttermilk Soap Company which came here from Elkhart, Ind., and finally returned to Elkhart.

This brings the story up to the organization of the Chicago Mica Company whose history has been sketched above.

Speaking of future prospects of the Continental-Diamond Fibre Company in Valparaiso, Manager Howard states: “Because of the demand for electrical insulation products created by the automotive industry in and about Detroit and the rapid centering of the electrical supplies industries in and about Chicago and Cleveland, major operations in our field are now centering in the middle-west, rather than in the east, where they originated. Valparaiso now has the largest plant of its kind in the west and unless all signs fail, it will continue to expand its operations.”