Barden history

Born in 1943, he was the ninth o f 13 children and grew up poor on a nine-acre farm in the Detroit sub urb of Inkster, Michigan.

1946 INA is founded by Doctor Wilhelm Schaeffler and his brother, Doctor-Ing.

The Barden Corporation (UK) started life in 1947 as EMO Instrumentation.

1953 FAG's first manufacturing plant in North America is established in Stratford, Canada.

After years of expansion, The Barden Corporation (US) purchased EMO Instrumentation and established The Barden Corporation (UK) Ltd in 1960.

1964 INA begins its United States operations - a joint venture with Fafnir Bearing Co. - in Cheraw, South Carolina.

1965 Partially owned by INA, LuK (Lamellen und Kupplungsbau) GmbH is founded in Buehl, Germany.

In 1966 Barden took $500 he had saved and opened a record shop called Don nie's, and also began to promote concerts, work as a disc jockey at p arties, and release records on his own small label.

With record sales slow due to competition from discount department st ores, in 1968 Barden sold his store and started a public relations an d marketing firm.

1969 Featuring a 240,000-sq.-ft. manufacturing plant, Joplin, Missouri, becomes the home of FAG's first production site in the United States

In 1971 Barden found out from a military recruiter that recruitme nt offices would soon be moving out of post offices into spaces of th eir own, and he quickly decided to buy a building and lease it to the military.

1977 A joint venture between LuK GmbH and Modern Tool & Die Co. results in the incorporation of LuK, Inc. in Wooster, Ohio.

1978 LuK starts shipping an 11-inch clutch - the first clutch to be designed, developed and manufactured in Wooster - for the Ford F-Series pickup.

1979 LuK's Wooster plant undergoes its first expansion with the construction of heat treat and stamping facilities, expanding the factory by over 50%.

1980 LuK launches its Tool and Die Apprenticeship Program in Wooster where employees are trained to develop and maintain tools for manufacturing.

In 1981 he formed Barden Communicatio ns, Inc., which bid on cable franchises in seven cities around the Un ited States.

When bidding was put off until December 1982, it ga ve Barden more time to prepare, and he spent $500,000 to create a n eight-volume proposal, which was declared the winner the following year.

1983: Barden wins bid to build Detroit cable system.

Barden moved to Detroit in late 1984 and immediately began the compli cated process of laying out the cable system.

1985 LuK, Inc. expands its press room in Wooster to accommodate a 2400-ton transfer press to produce heavy stampings and improve quality control.

In 1986 the five-year wiring process began.

1987 LuK, Inc. develops the first lock-up clutch.

1988: Barden founds Waycor Development to build jail, other pr ojects.

1989 INA's Plant 1 in Cheraw expands by 90,000 sq. ft. to augment its manufacturing and shipping capabilities.INA's manufacturing plant in Spartanburg, S.C., doubles its manufacturing space to begin production of standard high-volume rolling bearings.

1991 INA Linear Technik, Inc. is incorporated in Bensalem, Pennsylvania.

In 1993 Barden partnered with St Louis-based President Riverboat Cas inos to work on obtaining a license to operate a casino in Gary, Indi ana, where boat-based gaming had just been legalized.

In the fall of 1994 Barden sold the Detroit cable system to Comcast, Inc., after partner Maclean Hunter had been acquired by the cable gia nt.

1995 LuK, Inc. expands its engineering facilities in Wooster by 60,000 sq. ft.

1997: Barden loses bid for Detroit casino, begins working to o verturn ruling.

Also in 1998, the entrepre neur sold the five radio stations he owned in the suburbs of Chicago.

The year 1999 also saw the sale of B arden's educational software business.

In 2000 Barden began working on a deal to buy three casinos from the bankrupt Fitzgeralds Gaming Corp., which were located in Tunica, Miss issippi, Black Hawk, Colorado, and Las Vegas, Nevada.

Fitzgeralds Casinos Acquired in 2001

In 2002 Barden formed new companies called Barden Technologies and Ba rden Entertainment.

2003 The Schaeffler Group - consisting of LuK, INA and FAG - is officially launched.

2004: Barden wins half of $79 million Indian tribe casino settlement.

In October 2005 a judge awar ded him $33 million, slightly less than the claimed amount.

2006 Plant 1 in Cheraw, South Carolina, adds a 39,000-sq.-ft.

2008 Wooster's training academy is renamed the Schaeffler Academy as the facility becomes the official central training location for Schaeffler in North America.

2016 The Wooster campus officially breaks ground on its 20th major expansion.