Industrial Nut history

In 1912, while trying to create erosion-resistant steel for an arms manufacturer’s weapons, Englishman Harry Brearley experimented with steel alloys that contained chromium.

He used different variations of the alloys and, eventually, in 1913, he produced steel made up of 12.8% chromium and 0.24% carbon, which is said to be the first official stainless steel.

Local rival, Peterson Nut, which had been founded by Charles Peterson in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1927, was twice the size of the King Nut Company.

Husband and wife, Earl and Edna Balliette, founded King Nut Company in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1937.

When Earl died in 1952, Edna Balliette took over the company, assisted by her brother, Michael Krempa.

In 1964 the International Organization for Standardization announced two universal thread systems: ISO Inch and ISO Metric.

The twentieth century saw steady growth for the industry in the United States, and by 1969 there were 450 companies, 600 plants, and more than 50,000 people employed in the manufacture of fasteners.

In 1985, the "bogus bolts" controversy began to surface, and reports of equipment failure and even loss of life due to faulty, substandard bolts prompted an investigation by a United States House subcommittee.

Much like the other dozen bolt companies that once operated in Southington alongside the Clarks, the Clark Brothers Bolt Company eventually shut its doors in 1987, after 133 years in operation.

Balliette later became president of the Peanut Butter and Nut Processors Association, a position she held until she retired in 1989, when she was over 80 years of age.

After an 18 month investigation, it was determined that the faulty and counterfeit bolts were largely foreign-made, which led to the passage in 1990 of the FQA, or Fastener Quality Act.

Martin Kanan went after business with the major airlines aggressively, and, after five years, King Nut landed its first airline contract with US Airways in 1994.

By 1995, King Nut had contracts with five national airlines, which accounted for 150 million bags of peanuts and pretzels a year.

By 1996, King Nut's snacks were in vending machines throughout the country and sold at major retailers, including Revco, Finast, Drug Emporium, and Stop-N-Shop.

Another son, Matthew, joined the company in 1997.

In 1998, King Nut Company, whose contracts now included American, Delta, and America West, in addition to other carriers, supplied 250 million bags of peanuts to the airlines.

In 2000, King Nut's front panels advertised the Weather Channel, the Winter Olympics, and Kenneth Cole.

However, after the terrorist attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001, the decrease in air travel led the airlines to default on their orders for in-flight snacks.

In 2004, King Nut supplied more than 500 million packages to most of the major airlines in the United States and several international carriers.

By 2007, the United States fastener industry was a $14 billion part of the economy.