Graham Engineering Corporation history

1941: Frederick D. Berkeley joins the enterprise.

While the company's headquarters have remained in Batavia, New York since 1942, its reputation has extended around the globe.

Most notably, he expanded the company beyond its New York base, in 1957 forming a Canadian subsidiary to service, market, and later manufacture the company's products in Canada.

Don Graham founded Graham Engineering Company in 1960, starting with no capital, in his farmhouse office in rural Pennsylvania.

Barber-Nichols, which was founded in 1966, brings its own rich history.

Founded in 1967, Welex quickly became the global standard in sheet extrusion equipment and plastic extrusion sheet lines.

In 1969 Graham established Gramex S.A., a Mexico City-based subsidiary to sell and service the company's products throughout Latin America.

A year later, in September 1970, a United Kingdom subsidiary was formed, Graham Process Equipment Ltd.

In October 1971 Graham completed the purchase of a company located in Abercarn, Wales, Heat Transfer Limited, paying nearly $160,000 in cash and assuming more than $1 million in debt.

Moreover, in early 1972 Graham Export, Inc. was created to handle export sales from United States operations.

First, in August 1983 he formed Graham Corporation to serve as a holding company for the growing roster of subsidiaries, then in November of that year paid nearly $1.85 million in cash and notes for L&A Engineering & Equipment, Inc., a California food processing equipment company.

During its first six months of operation in 1985, the subsidiary had turned a profit, but then its primary customer, British Nuclear Fuel Ltd., tightened quality control procedures, and the Hobal's management team was simply unable to adapt to the sudden change.

Therma, with the oil industry still far from recovering, had already been the first casualty, shuttered in the fall of 1986.

Instead of meeting projected earnings, the subsidiary produced an operating loss, and the price of Graham's stock steadily declined, so that by January 1991 it dipped below $12.

Another step that could be taken was to unload L&A Engineering, which was sold off in February 1992.

Faced with the choice of putting the business into receivership or making a quick sale, Graham opted for the later course, selling the operation in January 1995.

That number would more than double to $3.1 million in fiscal 1996.

Diagnosed with cancer, Berkeley, aged 68, took the first step toward transferring power in July 1997 by naming 53-year-old Alvaro Cadena, a long-time Graham executive, to the presidency of the firm.

When Berkeley died in April 1998 Bidlack became chairman, and Cadena became chief executive officer and the primary architect of Graham's future.

INTERVIEWEE: Doctor Lois Graham INTERVIEWER: Lauren Kata DATE: 2003 June 6 PLACE: Edwards, NY