Through Two Wars, Lyon Shows Its Mettle

According to a Beacon-News story of May 8, 1907, Montgomery was in a boom phase.

It started with the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy sheep yards in the 1880s, and continued with the building of the Riverside Hotel at the southwest corner of River and Webster streets, as well as a string of small businesses.

In 1906, Vine Watkins, a son-in-law to Daniel Gray, was an enterprising businessman living with his wife, the former Catherine Gray, on Michigan Avenue in Chicago. Before moving to Chicago, he was a partner in early businesses in Montgomery, and had a home in Aurora where he was a vice president of Old Second National Bank.

While serving on the board of directors for what would become known as Lyon Metallic in Chicago, he convinced his friends, the brothers B. L. and F. S. Waters, to relocate their growing Chicago company to Montgomery. 

They were in the business of manufacturing hand-cut sheet metal products, such as waste containers and animal feeders. A major attraction here was the easy access to transportation, as well as the availability of a suitable building site and a reliable workforce.

The company rapidly grew, and offered steady employment to many local people. In the early years it paid 17 and a half cents per hour and introduced the five-and-a-half-day workweek. By 1923, the going wage was $5.50 a day for factory labor. Contractors in the area were paying 90 cents an hour when my father, Ira Mosley, wrote to his friend in Portage, Wisconsin coaxing him to come to Montgomery where jobs were plentiful.

Not only did Lyon provide residents with a steady paycheck, but also helped to stabilize Montgomery’s future. Their contribution to the war effort was considerable in both major wars. During World War I, the company manufactured mobile repair shops on truck frames that were moved from place to place to repair damaged equipment during battle. 

World War II again brought a halt to peacetime production, but the company made a bold move and unleashed a very aggressive sales force to head to Washington D.C. and convince the powers that be of their ability to fulfill the government war contracts. Their reputation for excellence in manufacturing was well known.

Soon they were manufacturing a wide range of products, ranging from ammunition racks and footlockers to landing mats that went out to every corner of the globe, filling more than 3,800 separate war contracts.

Lyon continued to enjoy a worldwide reputation for excellence in its products.  From the top grades of steel they used, to the best fabrication and paint finishes, the quality stood out. The employees took great pride in their workmanship that contributed to this excellence. The company welcomed input from the workers, and when their ideas were adopted they were rewarded with a substantial check.    

Housewives were recruited to fill heavy manufacturing jobs for the first time in history. They became a vital part of the workforce and, replaced the 650 men who were recruited by Uncle Sam.  

Each new contract required special tooling, new dies and jigs, and new processes to be learned by the workforce. Special training was required to teach the new skills as the women learned to rivet and weld. Farmers were hired for the night shift and met the challenge. The government recognized the accomplishments of the company and its employees with a special Army/Navy “E” award, and a large red, white and blue banner which hung over the front entrance.

After the war, as sufficient steel and other raw materials became available, Lyon Metal returned to peacetime production. Their products now included kitchen cabinets, ironing boards, folding chairs and filing cabinets, in addition to lockers and shelving.

One of the first ironing boards was donated to the Montgomery P.T.A. and was the ultimate prize in a drawing held at their annual fun fair. A much-admired steel ironing board was a rare and beautiful thing in a time when ordinary families were used to “making do.” The lucky mother who won the coveted prize was raising her brood in the little Settler’s Cottage. It brightened her chores for many years. Today, some of the folding chairs manufactured at Lyon Metal can be seen in the Settler’s Cottage Museum.

Gerry Gosselin, who incidentally was a grandson of the Beremans of the , went to work as a salesman at Lyon. Eventually he became Vice President of Sales, and his secretary was Ella Livsey. Many people remember seeing her walking down Main Street each evening after work. Ella’s entire career was spent at Lyon, and she retired two years later.

In 1989, Mr. Gosselin and a partner, Peter Washington, bought the company, and renamed it Lyon Workspace Products. Mr. Gosselin eventually sold his half of the business to Mr. Washington, who runs it today.

Lyon has factories in other U.S. locations, but still handles shipping and office management from the Montgomery location.

Lyon’s earliest contributions to the village were significant. They built a row of homes on Case Street that were purchased by employees for their families. They contributed materially to such things as the formation of the Fire Department, local fundraisers, and many causes to benefit the community.

In return they were rewarded by a loyal workforce, with a record of longevity that would be the envy of any company.