One of the products John Boos sells is American Made Bar Stools / Barstools. A more complete list of their products is provided by Made in America Secrets, to review their list click here.

For more information about John Boos and its Made in the USA products see the following:

With over 125 years of adaptation to the markets, John Boos & Co. has become a primary provider of gourmet products and foodservice equipment throughout the industry. We have the capabilities of both wood and metal manufacturing all at the same location. This ability to fabricate and manufacture both wood and metal, gives us a large variety of opportunities to expand our product offerings to our customers in the foodservice industry.

JBC - CRAFTSMANSHIP WOOD










The Leading Manufacturer of Wood Production:

? Butcher Blocks
? Cutting Boards
? Gourmet Furnishing
? Kitchen Counter Tops
? Work Tables
? Much More!

JBC - CRAFTSMANSHIP METAL

The Leading Manufacturer of Stainless Steel Production:

? Dishtables
? Custom Fabrication
? Sinks
? Work Tables
? Shelving
? Much More!


conrad boos
How It All Started


John Boos & Co., based in Effingham, IL is one of the oldest manufacturers of premium quality foodservice equipment and butcher blocks in the U.S.A. Boos has been in business continuously since 1887. It was in his Effingham, IL blacksmith shop that founder, Conrad Boos first invented what would become the original Boos Block?. Having harvested sycamore from local wooded areas, and processed it in his sawmill, Conrad brought it to his blacksmith shop for finishing. That first block of sycamore slab placed on three legs evolved with sheer purpose of a block to absorb the shock of this smith's hammer against the anvil. It was the local butcher, who having seen and admired Conrad's block, became impassioned about owning a block for his meat market. Unknowingly, Conrad's son, John, who having made and sold that first block to the local butcher, took John Boos & Co. into the infancy of the 125 year reign of serving customers in the commercial market sector.


conrad boos
The Early Years


In 1892, Adelbert Gravenhorst, a German immigrant and enterprising businessman saw the potential of this innovation and joined Conrad and John Boos to incorporate John Boos & Co. He provided the investment needed for manufacturing the butcher block to meet the growing demand of commercial meat markets.

As a single product (die block) manufacturer in the early years of John Boos & Co., there became a single minded focus: to make the best die blocks in the world. One of the early company mottos was Wherever steel meets wood, Boos is Best! True to the motto, John Boos & Co. sent product for display at the World's Fair in Paris, 1900.

During WWII, John Boos & Co. proved its ingenuity and adaptability to manufacture foodservice worktables and tabletops for the U.S. Army, Navy, and Marine mess halls and kitchens. The company emerged from the war era with a new manufacturing philosophy, service culture, and expanded product lines. Boos butcher block tops grew out of the old fashioned Boos butcher block to meet the growing requirements of the foodservice industry and the residential markets.

Beginning in the mid 1960's, John Boos & Co. further expanded the growth of its stainless steel fabrication. Ever changing to accommodate the market requirements, the company's manufacturing expanded to include an entire range of stainless products. The company combined North American hard rock maple and foodservice grade stainless steel to begin its blended offering of commercial quality carts and work tables. John Boos & Co. currently continues to be the only company in the U.S.A that has both stainless steel fabrication and wood manufacturing facilities in one location.


Reels of Change


With over 100 years of adaptation to the markets, the late 1900's presented yet many new opportunities. Events during this era created the catalyst to shape John Boos & Co. as a primary provider of gourmet products and foodservice equipment.

Major catalog and retail store exposure with many of the renowned companies in the kitchen specialty markets promoted growth of the Boos furniture and cutting board lines. Cooking shows gained popularity and Boos Block ? cutting boards were front and center stage. During the same era, Dr. Dean Cliver renewed interest in wood cutting boards with his Sanitation Study ? Wood vs. Plastic!

On the commercial front of the business, John Boos & Co. began further expansion of stainless steel fabrication with the manufacturing of stainless steel sinks for one of the largest supermarket chains in the U.S.A. The chain remains an important customer still to this day.

With a broader scope of manufacturing capabilities to the foodservice trade, the avenue was paved for John Boos & Co. to begin the roll-out of stainless equipment for stadiums and arenas. The stadium concession stands were equipped with stainless products. Several years later, Boos Block ? hard rock maple cutting boards and commercial butcher block tops would find their way into the same venues.

John Boos & Co. launched www.johnboos.com in the 90's and began their growing product market on-line. Boos customers began marketing and selling these same products through their own web sites.


The Current Picture


As John Boos & Co. celebrates over 125 years of continuous business, they stand with strength built on a block of American history. The well recognized gourmet Boos Block ? brand has become significant to the heritage and reputation. Having adapted to market changes through the years, the company continues to grow in its service to the gourmet, foodservice, residential, supermarket, and industrial markets.


During the 125th anniversary year of John Boos & Co., the company has expanded with a move to a new corporate office location combined with a new metal plant facility in Effingham, IL. The new facility at nearly 87,000 square feet, located on over 12 acres of property will allow us to grow forward with relocating our current Effingham wood plant facility and on-site kilns to the same new location within the next few years.


Joe Emmerich, President of John Boos & Co., states: Visionary leaders have fostered John Boos & Co. success every step of the way. The changes in America's history are built-in incentive for our company to be very open and flexible to the same degree of change.

One of the products Jordan Essentials sells is Made in America Candles. A more complete list of their products is provided by Made in America Secrets, to review their list click here.

For more information about Jordan Essentials and its Made in the USA products see the following:

Jordan Essentials is an American owned company with American Made products! We have real skin care solutions for real families!

Jordan Essentials began in 2000 as Country Bunny Bath and Body. Our original vision was to help women make a good part time or lucrative full time income while keeping their faith and family a priority. Many things have changed since we began this journey but our mission never has. We have served over 9000 consultants in all 50 states Guam and US Virgin Islands! The American dream is still alive and well at Jordan Essentials.

My hope is that you will embrace Jordan Essential's botanical, healthy skin care products in any way we can serve you. That might be as a customer, hostess or even as a team member. We are seeing lives improved all across America! You can be confident that you are part of a company that is woman owned who understands women's needs for a home based business. You can also be confident that your products are made with care and quality.

Everyone at Jordan Essentials thanks you for your support and we value you as part of the Jordan Essentials family.

Mission Statement

We are on a mission to bring the highest quality products and spa experience to homes all across America. We believe our products are more than skin care, we care about the whole person's well-being. We have Real Skin Care Solutions For Real Families.
Vision Statement:

We believe that earning an income is essential to helping individuals and families not only survive in today's economy but also thrive. Jordan Essentials sees itself as a household name known for bringing the spa experience home to you with high quality products and a direct sales opportunity second to none.

Value Statement:

We believe that inside every one of our Consultants there is a greatness that leads to a successful lifestyle.

We believe that God expects us to keep our faith and family in focus while we provide high quality products and opportunities.

We believe that improving lives is the most rewarding career in the world.

Core Values

We are committed to excellence in all we do.

We strive to exceed expectations.

We are distinctive in the quality of products, programs for Consultants, customers, Hostesses, and our heritage.

We celebrate with rewards and recognition.

We nurture dreams that become a reality.

One of the products Kaminer Haislip sells is American Made Boxes. A more complete list of their products is provided by Made in America Secrets, to review their list click here.

For more information about Kaminer Haislip and its Made in the USA products see the following:

Kaminer Haislip is a contemporary silversmith who designs and hand crafts
all of her work in her downtown Charleston, SC studio.
Her work includes functional objects, jewelry,
and custom commission pieces in silver and gold. The balance between my aesthetic and a successful function defines my creative approach to product design in silver. I am inspired by the concept of enhancing domestic functional rituals through traditional techniques underpinned by a contemporary approach to design and production.

As art and function combine to create design for living, utilizing an object to perform a function contributes to that design. In my view, functional objects display both the visual and conceptual relationship between art and living. Specifically, through the intrinsic ideas of my work's visual theme, function, and ergonomics this relationship is exhibited and accentuated. For me using a teapot that inspires thought and effectively works enhances the process of making tea. The activities of contemplation, favorable usage, and successful function take place within one domestic ritual. My work strives to demonstrate this theme and is inspired by interaction with functional objects.

Fine craftsmanship is an equally important aspect of my work. My design approach is not steered by fashion or trends, but focuses on timeless quality that is durable and lasts. I am devoted to exceptional craftsmanship and all of my work is exquisitely fabricated by hand. My concepts vary for different series, but all of my work is unified by elegant design.

Additionally, designing and creating custom commission jewelry and objects for clients is another facet to my metalsmithing. A commission piece merges the client's vision for a specific object with my technical and artistic ability. For me this combination is a unique approach to designing, because it creates an opportunity for my work to take a new direction.

One of the products Katies Colonial Lighting sells is American Made Chandeliers. A more complete list of their products is provided by Made in America Secrets, to review their list click here.

For more information about Katies Colonial Lighting and its Made in America products see the following:

Handcrafting Colonial and Country-Style Lighting Since 1983
Katie's Light House has been making high quality colonial reproductions since 1983, when Katie herself began hammering out tin decorations and lanterns in her garage. Today, Katie's Light House employs more than 20 people in the small town of Cridersville, Ohio.
Much has changed, but we still make each light by hand. Using lathes, chisels, hammers, and bending tools, we cut, carve and shape each piece to primitive perfection. Our American artisans then paint and distress our products by hand as well, producing some of the most beautiful and convincingly antique finishes available. Meanwhile, our tin products and components undergo a proprietary aging process that gives them the blackened appearance of genuine artifacts. Finally, each product goes through rigorous testing and inspection to bring you the highest quality reproduction light fixtures possible.
Since they are made and finished by hand, no two Katie's Light House products are exactly alike. Each piece is unique, brimming with personality and character. It is not only a light fixture but also an heirloom, an investment. Our products are built to stand the tests of time and fashion and passing fancy just like the colonial artifacts we so admire.
When you buy one of our lights you are doing so much more than furnishing your own home. You are contributing to American industry and helping to preserve the heritage of this great nation. For all of these reasons, we know you will take as much pride displaying our gorgeous lights in your home as we do in making them.
Proud to be an American? Buy a colonial light fixture from Katie's Light House.

One of the products Kokomo Opalescent Glass sells is Made in America Glass, Pottery, & Silver Vases. A more complete list of their products is provided by Made in America Secrets, to review their list click here.

For more information about Kokomo Opalescent Glass and its Made in the USA products see the following:

Kokomo Opalescent Glass (KOG) has been in continuous operation at our current location of 1310 S. Market Street in Kokomo, Indiana since 1888.
The Gas Boom
The Gas Boom
To understand the inception of Kokomo Opalescent Glass you first must have knowledge of the events two years prior to the founding of the company. On October 6, 1886 in a corn field about one mile northwest of the glass plant a group of speculators drilling a well discovered natural gas at around a depth of 900 feet. The 20 foot flame lit up the dark sky that night.
Within a week here new gas companies were formed. Then next eight exploratory wells in the area were successful. By the end, on 1887 Indiana Natural Gas Company, one of the larger companies had over 23,000 acres leased and 475 gas producing wells. The news of the significant gas discoveries traveled quickly. It was thought that gas would last for 200 to 300 years but later that proved to be incorrect. This discovery of natural gas brought many entrepreneurs and developers to the Kokomo and Central Indiana area.
The Gas Boom

Starting Out


Early History
Charles Edward Henry was born in Paris France in 1846. Mr. Henry migrated to the United States in the early 1880's. He was a good glass chemist and he formed Henry Art Glass in New Rochelle New York in 1883. Henry Art Glass made glass buttons, novelties, and opalescent glass rods. While producing glass products Mr. Henry met many glass artists in the New York area including Louis Tiffany.
Mr. Henry heard about the gas boom in Central Indiana and returning to New York from a business trip to Chicago, IL he stopped in Kokomo. On April 27, 1888, the same day he arrived in Kokomo, he met with local officials about establishing a glass plant in Kokomo. Within 24 hours an agreement with local government officials was made and signed to provide Henry with a plant site and a natural gas supply.
After completing the agreement Mr. Henry returned to New York. Within 30 days he returned to Kokomo to purchase a home and to start building a glass production plant with a seven pot furnace. Actual production started at Opalescent Glass Works new plant on November 13, 1888. The primary product was sheet glass but electric insulators were made for Edison General Electric with the excess glass.
On November 16, 1888 on of the first shipments of sheet glass went to Louis Tiffany. The shipment included 600 pounds of blue and white opalescent glass.
By early 1889 Opalescent Glass Works employed over 50 people and was the only opalescent glass manufacturer west of the Appalachian Mountains. In early 1889 Henry sent 30 sheets of opalescent glass to Paris France for display at the Paris Exposition (Worlds Fair). On the Ocean journey to France 16 sheets were broken. The remaining 14 sheets that arrived was sufficient for him to win a Gold Medal for the glass and also obtain over $50,000 in sheet glass orders.
Mr. Henry's problems started upon his return from France. The original bill of $3,800 for the construction of the plant along with his trip to France and several other bills went unpaid. On January 10, 1890 the builder of the factory filed a lien on the plant for the amount of the unpaid balance. In a futile attempt to retain control of the plant on January 29, 1890 Mr. Henry sold the factory to the plant manager for $1.00. Three days later he married the 26 year old daughter of the plant manager. The wedding celebration was held at the plant and described as a gala affair.
On March 11, 1890 Opalescent Glass Works went into receivership due to unpaid bills. Later in the April 24, 1890 edition of the Kokomo Dispatch reported Mr. Henry was jailed due to violent behavior. The article also pointed out that Henry had developed a drinking problem. He also started writing bad checks.
On April 28, 1890 Charles Edward Henry was admitted to the Indianapolis Insane Asylum. He died there two years later at the age of 46.
New Beginning
New Beginnings
Opalescent Glass Works continued to be operated under the court receivership. In June 1891 the court started the process of selling the business. On August 28, 1891 three local businessmen Peter Hoss, William Blacklidge, and John Learner purchased Opalescent Glass Works for $5,310. These three partners were instrumental to KOG's early development, and their direct descendants have been closely involved in managing the company ever since, making the KOG a unique example of a successful, closely held, tri-family business enterprise.
Louis Tiffany continued to be one of the largest customers until the mid 1890's. In 1893 Louis Tiffany purchased over 10,000 pound of glass from Opalescent Glass Works.
On January 13, 1912 the name of Opalescent Glass Works was changed to Kokomo Opalescent Glass Company which remains operating at the same location in Kokomo, Indiana.
Tiffany Glass History
The Tiffany Years
Over the years KOG developed a reputation for product uniqueness, quality and customer satisfaction that was unsurpassed in the stained glass trade. Industry giants such as L.C. Tiffany, J&R Lamb, and LaFarge are among the prominent names that appear often on the company's early sales ledger. See The Tiffany Connection.
The OP Shop
The OP Shop
In 1973 KOG opened The OP Shop to provide customers with the opportunity to purchase suncatchers, sheet glass, and other custom glass KOG produced items to all those who came by or lived locally.
Today, The OP Shop operates our public and private tours, creates stained glass pieces, provides custom glass design services, restoration and repair services, and offers a wide selection of our sheet glass, cast glass, rondels and blown glass items for sale to the public. All items sold in The OP Shop are produced from KOG glass by local artisans.
Recent Hot Glass
Recently
The Hot Glass Studio was established in 1998 to produce a wide range of quality hand-blown and hand-cast glass using the world famous Kokomo Opalescent Glass. Our glass blowers create one of a kind and limited edition functional and sculptural glass objects and rondels.
Today
The above photo depects CEO John O'Donnell and President Richard Elliott recieving the Governers Century Award from Governer Mitch Daniels and Lt. Governer Becky Skillman on November 4, 2009.
Today
We continue to be a source for restoration glass and will create custom mix batches for our commercial customers. We still have and mix many of the same recipes that originally made us a premier glass manufacturer and continue to add exciting new colors and textures to meet the demand of an ever growing consumer audience.
We are happy to provide customers outside of our locality with an opportunity to purchase Kokomo Opalescent Glass art pieces via our Web Store. We continue to change with the times but always remember our rich heritage in the glass industry. We are America's Oldest Art Glass Company!