1930's | 1940's | 1950's | 1960's
1970's | 1980's | 1990's
1930's | 1940's | 1950's | 1960's
1970's | 1980's | 1990's
In 1937, when his employer decided to move its offices from Elyria, Ohio, Reginald Beckett had to make a choice. His decision, to follow his life-long dream of starting his own company, would play a major role in the development of the oil heating industry in North America.
Working from his home, Reg Beckett began work on a design for an oil burner. Introduced at an industry trade show in 1938, the Beckett Commodore was the company's first product. The C.A. Olsen company, a local furnace manufacturer, placed the first order for 50 burners that year.
The 1930's were an eventful decade for Reg and his wife, Jean. They were married, founded a new company, moved the company's operations twice, and became parents for the first time with the birth of a son, John.
World War II brought major set-backs to many businesses in the United States, and Beckett was no exception. With fuel in tight supply and components unavailable, burner production came to a halt. However, Reg found a way to keep the company's doors open by installing insulation in area homes. Fuel rationing created a need to conserve energy, and the company survived by shifting it's emphasis to this task.
The war's end once again made burner production possible and brought a surge of interest in home construction and improvements. Oil burners were ideal for use with new automatic heating systems that provided constant comfort levels without the need to shovel coal. The company was back in the oil burner business!
Reg Beckett's commitment to quality engineering and the growth of the market led to significant sales increases. As the demand for burners increased, so did the need for additional production space.
A new plant was built on land Reg had purchased during the depression and had been used by employees for victory gardens during the war. The office portion of the building, still in use today, was designed to look like a home to make the plant fit into its rural residential surroundings.
Construction meant total "hands on" involvement by Reg. He did the surveying and was the general contractor, tending to most every detail, including the planting of a vibrant array of flowers, shrubs and trees. The gardens around the plant are still enjoyed by company employees today.
Beckett became involved in legal battles during the 1950's. The company contended with the Ohio Turnpike's attempt to usurp a critical portion of its land and took action against competitors who had infringed on its patents.
However, the legal distractions, combined with questions about the long-term viability of the oil heat industry, delayed Beckett's introduction of new products. In hindsight, this delay undermined the company's position in the market and sales dropped. After substantial growth during the first half of the 1950's, sales and profitability were at critically low levels by the end of the decade.
P.O. Box 1289, Elyria, Ohio 44036-1289
All rights reserved. Copyright 1999 © R.W. Beckett Corporation
The Beckett family celebrated two weddings in 1961. Their daughter Bev was married in June. In August, John, a recent graduate of MIT, married Wendy Hunt.
John spent much of the mid-1960's recruiting the management team that would propel the company's future growth. Approximately three months after his father's death, John hired Robert Cook, an executive from Standard Oil of Ohio to head the company's marketing efforts. Bob's insights into the marketing and finance aspects of business have been highly instrumental in the company's success. During the past 34 years, the two have managed the expansion of R.W. Beckett Corporation and started a number of other successful businesses.