Kohler Co. history

In November 1878, at the end of the depression, Silberzahn sold his interest in the business to Herman Hayssen and John H. Stehn, who were employees of the enterprise.

Following a fire in 1880 that destroyed the original foundry, Kohler, Hayssen and Stehn, as the company was now called, built a new and larger facility that included an enameling shop, no doubt using techniques that John Michael’s brother-in-law, Andrew Vollrath, had brought back from Germany.

The transition to bathroom necessities began in 1883, when founder John Michael Kohler sprinkled some enamel onto a cast-iron hog trough and added legs, thereby creating his first bathtub.

In 1887 the company incorporated as the Kohler Co.

The Kohler Company encountered its first labor difficulties in March 1897, when 21 members of the AFL Iron Molder's Union struck over new pay rates.

By 1900 Kohler employed more than 250 people, with 98 percent of its revenues coming from enameled iron products such as tubs, sinks, and water fountains.

Herman Hayssen and John Stehn's widow sold their interests in the company to the Kohler family, and in February 1902 the company was reorganized as the J.M. Kohler Sons Company under the leadership of Robert, Walter, and Carl Kohler, the oldest sons of John Michael Kohler.

John Michael’s third son, Walter Kohler, succeeded his father in running the company beginning in 1905.

As far back as 1911, Kohler became one of the first companies in America to provide workers’ compensation.

The village of Kohler, meanwhile, had grown to 40 houses, and was incorporated in 1912 with a population of 254.

In 1917 the Kohler Improvement Company began building houses in the planned community, selling them to Kohler Co. employees at cost.

Constructed in 1918 to house newly arrived immigrants, The American Club is now the crown jewel of a five-diamond resort.

In 1920, the company introduced its first generator model, the Automatic Power and Light – Model A, which provided 1,500 watts of 110-volt DC power from a generator driven by a four cylinder gasoline engine.

A second development was started in 1923, and others followed.

The company was revisited by labor unrest in July 1934 when a portion of the workforce struck Kohler for the right to be represented by the Federal Union.

In 1938, the Kohler Credit Union began providing much-needed financial services to Kohler employees.

1940: Walter's younger brother, Herbert Kohler, takes control of company.

In 1951 Walter Kohler, Jr., a former officer and director of the company, followed in his father's footsteps to become the governor of Wisconsin.

By 1963, Kohler was “one of the leading small engine parts suppliers in the industry.”

Grandson of John Michael Kohler, Herbert Kohler Jr. became Vice President of Operations upon his father’s death in 1968.

In 1972, at just 29 years old, Herbert V. Kohler, Jr. became Vice-President – Operations.

In 1978, concerned about the company slipping from family control, Kohler engineered a 1-for-20 reverse stock split, which reduced the number of shareholders in the private company from more than 400 to about 250 and the number of outstanding shares from 161,105 to about 8,000.

As the need for these properties became obviated, in 1981 Herb Kohler Jr. restored the grounds and introduced the company’s first golf course, which led to the development of others around the world.

Serving a similar function was the Kohler Design Center, which opened in Sheboygan in 1985 as a 36,000-square-foot showcase of Kohler plumbing fixtures, faucets, engines, and generators; Baker and McGuire furniture; Ann Sacks tile and stone; and other company products.

1986: Company enters furniture manufacturing through acquisition of Grand Rapids, Michigan-based Baker, Knapp & Tubbs.

In 1989 Kohler purchased the McGuire Furniture Company, a San Francisco-based manufacturer, Oakland-based Kallista, Inc., Portland-based Ann Sacks Tile and Stone, and Dupont Sanitaire-Chauffage, in Paris.

In 1993 Kohler Company sales reached a record $1.53 billion; earnings stood at $15.5 million, a figure substantially reduced by a $33 million charge resulting from a change in accounting for retiree health benefits.

Another France-based firm, Holdiam, S.A., was added in 1995, bringing to Kohler the leading French maker of acrylic baths, whirlpools, synthetic kitchen sinks, and artistic faucets.

By 1997 earnings had increased to $88 million on sales of $2.2 billion.

In 2002, Kohler’s Courage engine entered the market with features including a crankcase for leak-proof operation, dual camshaft, ported powering intake, and a cross-flow cylinder head.

Thomas C. Reeves, Distinguished Service: The Life of Wisconsin Governor Walter J. Kohler, Jr. (2006)

Kohler has received a Water Sense award every year since 2008

Echo Ice Auger: Going fishing this winter? December 21, 2015

2017 was an unprecedented year for hurricane activity with storms Harvey, Irma and Maria leaving millions of people without power, including 95 percent of Puerto Rican Residents.

Fast-forward to 2018 and Kohler is again at the forefront of technology with KOHLER Konnect.

Written by Home Forever Baths on 19th February 2021