Homepage
Related Photos
-
David E. Dale/Allied News
Discussion
Forge resumes production at ex-Bessemer
Only one die lost in March 6 fire
Story was published March 13, 2010.
Within five days of a devastating fire that destroyed the Wendell August Forge plant and showroom in Grove City, the company opened a new chapter in its history.
Employees, their families and friends had pulled together to salvage everything they could and moved it to temporary quarters in the former Cooper-Bessemer building on Lincoln Avenue, Grove City, with plans to reopen.
“Last Saturday we closed the book on a chapter in our history and today we are on page one of a new chapter,” said Will Knecht, owner and president of Wendell August Forge, at a press conference on Thursday.
“We were a team – now we are family.”
The company has 55 employees at the Grove City location, all of whom have been working this week. Instead of their regular duties, the employees have been recovering what they could from the site of the fire.
Knecht said that the company has heard from people in western Pennsylvania – from Erie to Pittsburgh, in eastern Ohio, across the country and around the world. They have called, sent e-mails and posted messages on Wendell August’s Facebook page.
In a short ceremony that Knecht started with prayer, the first of a 20,000-piece order was hammered by Jeff Brown, director of operations. The design is a replica of the ticket for the Pittsburgh Penquins’ final regular season game to take place in the Mellon Arena.
Master engraver, Dave Bruck, worked around the clock in his friend’s basement finishing the die of the ticket so that production could begin. The rectangular aluminum piece has the Penquins logo and the image of Mellon Arena.
Knecht said that the craftsmen have been divided into two teams. One team is beginning production of the Penguins order, which is to be completed by April 6. The other team is focused on restoring the 2,800 dies recovered from their former building.
“The insurance people say that after a week, the dies will begin to get pitted and oxidate,” Knecht said. “Our goal is to have all of the dies restored by the end of the week. I am so glad that my father had the foresight to have the dies stored in a fire proof area.”
The restoration is a three-step process. First the surface craftman sands the die with a very fine sandpaper. Then, the surface of the die is rubbed with an oil-water mixture. Finally, the surface of the die is rubbed with a very fine stone.
“It takes about 15 minutes to restore each die,” said Joseph Campbell, who was rubbing the surface of a die with the oil solution. The restored dies were lined up on metal shelves and it was estimated that about 500 were completed. Some were damaged more than others. Campbell said that those that were not too badly impacted by the fire only took about 5 minutes to restore.
“We only lost one die,” Knecht said. “It was split in half.”
The temporary quarters for the production line is located in an area that the company had vacated in April 2009. The owner of the property had not been able to find another tenant, so the space was still laid out and wired the same as when Wendell August had left it.
The executive offices will be located in space on the second level. People were in the process of painting the offices in bright colors. Office furniture will be delivered the first of the week.
Besides the press, several business leaders from the community attended the ceremonial restart of production for the company.
“We are looking for retail space in the Grove City area,” Knecht said. “We hope to have something open by April 1.”
It is hoped that phone service will be restored by Monday: 724-458-8360 and fax 724-458-0906. Patrons may also visit their Web site at www.wendellaugust.com.
- Local News
-
-
Bullies beware
Picked on. Teased. Bullied.
However you want to say it, students harassing their peers in today’s schools has become a major social problem.
“It usually ends up in the school’s lap on Monday,” said assistant superintendent Tom Bell, of Grove City Area School District. -
Reins put on dogs, parents
Parents and pets will have to make some changes at Hunter Farm.
Parents rushing to get their kids to Grove City Little Eagles Football and Cheerleading practice, will have to slow down--or else. -
911 call results in lake search
A call to Mercer County 911 on Friday morning (Aug. 20) prompted a search of an older man who was apparently drowning with another person in Lake Wilhelm.
Around 9:05 a.m. Friday, 911 received a call from a man who kept yelling “help, help,” said Denny Winger, supervisor with the 911 center in Mercer.
“He said there were two in the water and they’d fallen off a boat in Lake Wilhelm,” Winger said.
“You could tell he was outside. There was a lot of background noise.” -
The bus stops here
Grove City was among the last stops for a bus tour that denounced “so-called pro-life Democrats” who voted for President Obama’s national health care bill in March.
Susan B. Anthony List stopped at Grove City Memorial Park on Monday (Aug. 16) along with a crowd of about 50 supporters and 10 protesters of its “Votes Have Consequences” tour. -
Creating a windstream of kindness across U.S.
Customers at Anchors Away, a convenience store, and Subway, both Stoneboro, were in for a treat Wednesday.
Representatives from Windstream--area phone, Internet and Dish Network providers--stopped in and surprised local customers with “random acts of kindness.”
“Really?” was a common response.
-
Bullies beware
- Sports
-
Grove City College junior Blaine Miller takes a handoff last season from quarterback Andrew DiDonato en route to a touchdown in a win over Westminster. Miller is expected to again be the Wolverines' go-to rusher. Allied News file photo.
-
NCAA Football: PAC promises to be tough
The Presidents’ Athletic Conference is bigger than it’s ever been. It seems only natural then for the conference’s football coaches to expect big things.
-
NCAA Football: Presidents’ Athletic Conference at a glance
A breakdown of the football teams this season in the conference.
-
Stay up to date with the Mercer County Sports Blog
Looking ahead at the 2010 high school football season. Today, a glimpse at the West Middlesex and Reynolds schedules. Click here to read all about it and other local tidbits on the Mercer County Sports Blog.
-
Leading Off: Aug. 18, 2010
News and notes from the local, regional and national sports scene.
-
NFL: Steelers, Smith work out kinks
For some, the NFL preseason is just part of the grind, the beginning of a long, strenuous campaign the league and its owners are looking to make longer. But for others, it’s a bit more than just going through the motions. It’s a time to try to secure a spot on the roster or - as the case for Pittsburgh Steelers’ defensive end Aaron Smith - a time to work out the kinks from a year ago when you saw your season cut too short by injury.
-
NCAA Football: PAC promises to be tough
- Death Listings
-
-
Deaths from September 1, 2010
Braine, Paul J., 90, of Elizabethtown, Pa.
Cresswell, John “Jack” H., 81, Hempfield Township
Elekes, William, 88, Port Charlotte, Fla.
Estes, Paul E., 72, Worth Township
Foltz, Anna M., 84, Masury, Ohio
Heckman, Patrick J., 27, Jackson Center - Deaths from August 28, 2010
- Deaths from August 25, 2010
- Deaths from August 21, 2010
- Deaths from August 18, 2010
-
Deaths from September 1, 2010
