HAROLD HOFFMAN
1928
The 1920s continued to be an epoch of expansion for Smead. Filing needs were addressed with pockets, expandable folders, and a new line called Vertical File Folders, a heavily purchased product sold by Smead today. In 1928, Harold Hoffman stepped in to run Smead after his father had suffered a stroke and the Great Depression hit the U.S. less than a year later. During this dark period, Smead persevered as a company by finding ways to offer needed filing and organization products to its customers. Following the Great Depression, Smead endured the Second World War. New-age sciences and technology not only contributed to the war efforts but to the company’s product development as well. When WWII began, staffing was never an issue, as most employees were female and unaffected by the military draft. The success of Smead through the war helped shed light on the fact that women could produce great work and keep the company running while also earning profits. Women had made their mark on Smead, which was only the beginning.
Among the new products introduced during the 1920s was a new line called Vertical File Folders.
1906 The Smead Manufacturing Company is founded
1905 Albert Einstein proposes his Theory of Relativity
1908 Henry Ford introduces his new Model T, the “Tin Lizzie”
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