S W Mfg. Inc. history

British weaver Thomas Kay laid the foundation when he arrived in Oregon in 1863.

The mill, originally built in 1893, began as a wool scouring plant, which washed raw wool before shipping.

Our history began in 1903 with the founding of the Shaw-Walker Company.

In 1909, the Bishops opened the facility and constructed a new, more efficient mill with aid of a local bond issue.

Jones opened his first Ford dealership in Oklahoma City in 1922.

In 1924, the legendary Pendleton virgin wool men's shirt was born.

By 1926 programs such as all-night service, low payment plans, and a used-car program established Jones as the largest Ford dealer in the Southwest.

By 1929, Pendleton was making a full line of men's virgin wool sportswear.

In September 1938 four men began reconditioning engines and component parts in a four-hundred-square-foot corner of the service department of Jones's Oklahoma City dealership.

Appointed to the National Defense Advisory Commission (War Production Board) in 1940, Jones became a "dollar-a-year" man, his entire compensation for services to his country.

In 1947 he opened a new assembly plant in downtown Oklahoma City to rebuild Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury products.

A new thread was woven into the Pendleton corporate cloth in 1949 - womenswear manufacturing.

In 1955 he was the nation's number-one seller of Ford cars and trucks, operating ten dealerships.

Holland Manufacturing Co. was established by Jack W. Holland in 1958 as a manufacturing facility to produce water activated sealing tape for the packaging industry.

In 1968 Jones acquired and remodeled the old Ford assembly plant and moved his remanufacturing company to its four-story building.

Involved in every aspect of the automotive parts industry including remanufacturing, distribution, and servicing vehicles, Jones died on June 1, 1971, in Oklahoma City.

In 1972, Pendleton became a year-round sportswear resource, introducing distinctively styled, non-wool menswear and womenswear for spring and summer wear.

Fred Jones Industries: Forward Unlimited (Oklahoma City, Okla.: Pate Organization, 1979).

The company changed its name and ownership in 1990 when the assets of Shaw-Walker Information System Division were acquired by its management.

Most recently, Curry, a well-known local veterinarian, bought the firm in 1991 and held it until his death.

In 1992, S&W purchased the ACME® Visible Records paper based filing systems division.

By 1993 Fred Jones Industries, the parent firm composed of dealerships, automotive groups, and an electronics business, opened a second plant, in Bethany, Oklahoma, to rebuild General Motors transmission assemblies and electromechanical products.

The company also hit ninth place in the 1994 Metro Awards, which is designed to recongnize the fastest-growing privately-held companies in the area.

In 1995 the company's remanufactured transmissions division moved to Westhall Commerce Center (an industrial park in west Oklahoma City). It was hailed as the nation's largest automatic transmission operation.

Curry, the former owner, passed away in July 1996.

The Jones plant reconditioned its last engine in August 2000.

Our February, 2001 acquisition by SMEAD® Manufacturing assures that the tradition will continue for decades to come.

In 2002 Fred Jones Enterprises added to its corporate offices, creating the Fred Jones Business Development Center to provide support services and resources to Oklahoma entrepreneurs.