History
Biography:
Originally this company was called Kennard & Elder, founded in 1972, Kennard and Elder was formed as a combination of the fiberglass experience of Kenneth Kennard Sr. and the engineering experience of Stanley Elder Sr. Servicing the local fiberglass market with a selection of laminating rollers mostly spiral groove and a few products for the pool and spa industries. This company originated in a building, that has since been demolished for the construction of the St. Petersburg Tropicana Field, that is now the home of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays major league baseball franchise.
In 1975, Kenneth Kennard died and Stanley Elder purchased Mr. Kennard's stock from his widow to form Elder & Sons Manufacturing, Inc. Shortly before the company moved to its current location from which its has currently tripled its square footage. The company focus shifted almost entirely into the fiberglass and composites industry, and prospered with the growth of such industries in the Southeastern United States. The company also benefited from the automation experience of Stanley Elder, and the eighteen U.S. Patents he held in the field of automation.
In 1979, I came into the company a the ripe old age of 17. My intent was to help my father out in the summer before leaving for college. I never left. I commuted back and forth to college at night starting in 1981 and finishing my masters in 1992. In 1982, I took over as President and CEO at the age of 20. I hope some day to have the same confidence in youth that my father had.
In 1984, the change to ES Manufacturing, Inc. from Elder & Sons was to emphasis the Engineered Solutions approach to the fiberglass and composite industry. During the last 20 years, we have grown to be the world's largest supplier of tools for the fiberglass and composites technologies. By starting as a small shop, we understand better than most that every dollar counts. We understand the need for simple, cost effective products. The simple and cost effective Engineered Solutions have gained world wide acceptance and are sold on every continent. ES Manufacturing has always believed in sharing information with not only its customers, but also its friends in the industry. This helps us to keep a better view of the dynamics of our industry. We constantly strive to find new and innovative products and to keep our products the most competitive in the world.
In recent years, many of our contemporaries have shifted away from their distributor networks. I believe strongly that this is a mistake. By supporting the distributor network, we facilitate strong service support for the composite fabricator. Our distributors are on site composite professionals who have knowledge of your entire manufacturing process. They can best help you to engineer solutions for your company’s best efficiency, not a faceless order taker in some distant land.
Best regards,
Thomas D. Elder,
M.I.B.
President, ES
Manufacturing, Inc.