65 years ago, Lindsay Hess started a three man tool and die shop on Minnie St. in Wallaceburg.
The shop increased in size over the years until in 1967, while working for International Harvester in Chatham, a buyer asked Lin if he was interested in supplying wiring harnesses.
He most certainly was.
That wiring business overshadowed the tool and die, which was sold to Five Star in 1979.
In 1996 St. Clair Tool and Die became St. Clair Technologies Inc. to better represent their services.
Today, they employ 1,000 people in Wallaceburg, Arizona and Mexico, where they produce wiring harnesses for automotive, marine, truck and bus, and most recently aerospace.
The Wallaceburg location has on going research and development of automotive connection systems.
Linsday’s sons, Dave and Paul, and they’re children, Charlie, Randy and Jodi, have all employed literally thousands of Chatham-Kent residents over the course of 65 years.
A celebration was held on Tuesday morning at their Dufferin Avenue location to mark their 65 years in business.
“I think our real strength is the continuity of the management team that is here,” said Charlie Hess, the current president of the company.
“A lot of the people in this office have been with us a very long time. Some of them worked when we had a manufacturing facility here in Wallaceburg. They’re very knowledgeable, I think everybody cares and I think everybody goes above and beyond in our company. I think we’re blessed to have that kind of a team.”
Hess added: “Wallaceburg is home and it is always going to be home for our company. Although we’re now in all three different countries, we feel we are one heck of a NAFTA family.”
Hess said business has been good to them.
“We’ve had record sales almost every month this year,” he said.
“We’re nearly 1,000 people in Mexico, which is amazing. 20 years ago we started and we had four people that worked on one shift for about three months and I think our sales were about $5,000 a month. Now we’re approaching $100 million in sales as a business, which is really exciting.”
St. Clair was recognized by the Municipality of Chatham-Kent during the celebration on Tuesday as well.
“The innovation that is taking place here and highly qualified personnel that work in this office and other locations around the continent is an opportunity to hold them in high regard,” said Geoff Wright, economic development officer for business development in Chatham-Kent.
“I get the pleasure of visiting three to five companies every week, two weeks and I don’t too often come across the sentiment of this family and what I’ve felt out on the floor talking the workers very often.”
Wallaceburg Coun. Carmen McGregor also offered congratulations.
“You talk about survivors, Wallaceburg was built on families and families that built the industries in this community,” McGregor said.
“You’re still here and that is very special, very great for our community. I know you’ve gone through transitions and broadened… you’ve worked with the times and dealt with what was given to you to deal with and you’re still standing, still going strong and you’re here in Wallaceburg, and that’s awesome.”
