Sharp Drywall history

Patented in 1894 by Augustine Sackett, the original gypsum board was brittle, rough, combustible, and did not have a smooth layer for finish.

By 1916, Sackett’s product was a ready-to-finish board for use in construction, similar in concept to today’s modern gypsum board.

One example is the Virginia Baptist Hospital, built around 1925 in Lynchburg, Virginia.

Looking toward the commercial market, the Gypsum Association and its member companies had run a series of fire tests and published a manual on fire resistance since 1931.

By mid-1932, he had developed his plan, and founded General House, Inc.

According to Fortune magazine (April 1933,) Fisher approached the Pullman Car Corporation and said, “You have had more experience with prefabricated housing in metal than any other manufacturer.

In February of 1939, AISI’s Committee on Building Codes sponsored a research project at Cornell University, to develop information specifically for a design specification.

He developed his business plan, and began taking orders for homes in 1946.

In 1947, he requested and obtained federal loans totaling over $33 million.

In 1953, television sets produced by Tokuji Hayakawa's company account for 60% of Japan’s industry total.

By 1955, half of all new homes were built using gypsum wallboard, and the other half was built using gypsum lath and plaster.

The company moved the materials' office to 2201 Judiway Street, in late 1960.

In 1961, with the strong recommendations from Bill Marek, they decided that it was time to form a new company and created Commercial Drywall Incorporated (CDI).

In 1962, the Company's establishes its first overseas sales subsidiary -- Sharp Electronics Corporation (SEC) -- in New York City.

In 1963, a homebuilder J.B. Bone approached Bill Marek and asked him to handle the interior wall construction for a new movie theater, the Windsor Theater at Richmond and Loop 610.

In 1966, the Marek’s implemented a retirement/pension plan to help with the turnover issue.

In 1969, the average employee working for the Marek’s enjoyed 15-20% in raises in comparison to the national average of 6%.

George Winter, often referred to as “the father of cold-formed steel,” led this effort at Cornell, and continued cold-formed steel research there until his retirement in 1975.

Tokuji Hayakawa, Sharp's founder and the chief architect of its success, passes away at the age of 86 on June 24, 1980.

USG Corportation. “Gypsum Construction Handbook, 2nd Edition.” 1982, United States Gypsum.

To help provide design guidance, technical information, and user-friendly information to engineers, the Light Gauge Steel Engineers Association (LGSEA) was formed in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1994.

Sharp didn't limit itself to sales and manufacturing in the United States In 1995, Sharp opened Sharp Laboratories of America, its United States-based research and development laboratory designed to take advantage of American ingenuity and research.

As the array of products offered by Sharp grew, Sharp Electronics Corporation expanded to include a new sales office in Los Angeles, California, in 1996.

Yu, Wei-Wen. “Cold-Formed Steel Design, Third Edition.” 2000, John Wiley & Sons.

The Gypsum Association. “75 Years of service.” 2005, the Gypsum Association, Washington, DC pages 16, 19, 20.

Metal Building Manufacturers Association. “50th Anniversary Collectors Edition: a Supplement to Metal Construction News and Metal Architecture.” July, 2006.

Sharp develops a 108V-inch LCD TV that it shows at the 2007 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada.

In December 2012, drywall purchasers began to file class action lawsuits against USG and the seven other major North American manufacturers for price-fixing.

Locations | Corporate Office: 3539 Oak Forest Drive | Houston, Texas 77018 | 713.681.2626 | Contact Us | © 2014 Marek Brothers Systems, Inc. | All rights reserved.

According to available information, 100% of projects in 2020 had no reported payment incidents.