Triumphs & Trials of an Organ Builder
The Venture Resumes (continued)
I was never too busy to talk to people about organs
and the organ business. Luckily, others shared my
interest in the subject. They heard classical organ music
in their church and popular organ music from the
Hammond on the radio, in movies, and at concerts. I
truly enjoyed talking to people about all aspects of the
organ field. However, I must admit that because of
limited, personal funds I very often would find myself
scrutinizing these good folks for any signs of their having
some spare cash -- money that "I" knew could be put to
use as an investment in Allen Organ Company.
At some point during the first half of 1945, I decided
that Allen Organ Company should become a
corporation which subsequently occurred on July 17,
1945. I reasoned that a "corporate" structure would
make a strong statement that the Allen Organ
Company was "for real" and that I was committed to
turning my hometown venture into a full-blown,
business enterprise. It also allowed me to solicit
investment money from friends and relatives in the
traditional way -- by selling stock. My initial effort was
moderately successful; the Corporation obtained enough
capital to lease factory space, to buy some equipment,
and to hire some people. By the end of the year, the
Company had fifteen employees, a cabinet shop for
building consoles and pedalboards, an electronics area,
and a small testing area.
In 1946, I was able to sell eight to ten organs all in
the local area. This along with acquired capital was
enough to keep the Company going. In fact, my
confidence was high enough to allow me to move to a
new location at 8th and Pittston Streets in Allentown,
which provided 14,000 square feet of leased factory
space. Also, in this time frame, I realized that I could
not adequately handle sales, engineering, accounting,
production, personnel, and supervision myself. So, I
asked a college friend, Michale J. MyLymuk, about
joining the Company as shop manager; he agreed. He
played an important role in the day-to-day operation of
the company and eventually became Vice President of
Production. There was an element of fate in our
relationship. We became friends because we sat near
each other in various classes at Muhlenberg; also, we
both had some common hobbies. We sat near each
other in college only because seating students in
alphabetical order was customary in those days.
I must say that the Allentown area seemed to be an
ideal place to set up the Company back in 1946. There
was a good supply of capable "radio technicians" and
cabinetmakers who responded to my help-wanted ads.
The people of the area were known for their
conscientious hard work. In addition, I related well to
them. Again, fate was on my side by placing me in the
right place at that critical time in the life of the
Company.
|