Steel and Pipe Supply

By 1956, after a couple of bad years in the hide and wool business,  Jack had all but abandoned hides and wool.  Steel quickly became the core business and the business that Jack would build his legacy on.  In January of 1956 Mr. Kelley moved over from hides and wool to start working in the new steel warehouse that was growing rapidly.

The original warehouse was 60×150 and Mr. Kelley recalled that they thought that was more space than they’d ever need for steel and planned on renting part of the space out.  That never happened because within months the steel warehouse was full and they were going to need to expand.

Steel and Pipe Supply2017-04-03T22:19:13+00:00

Changing directions

Even though they had been predominantly a Hide and Wool company, Jack and Sam had also often bought and sold scrap metals.  Jack had never been fond of the hide and wool business and knew that it wasn’t the future he wanted.  After Sam passed and Jack, as Jack put it, went from chief laborer to chief, Jack started charting the course for steel to become the core business.

In late 1954 he purchased a chunk of land near Kansas Hide and Wool and set to putting up an 8000 square foot warehouse to support the steel business.

Changing directions2017-04-03T22:18:26+00:00

Tragedy Strikes

In May of 1954 tragedy struck.  Sam was on a buying trip riding as the passenger in the company truck when a car in front of them suddenly applied their brakes.  The truck went into a skid, went off the road, hit an embankment and overturned.  The driver came away with minor injuries, but Sam was left paralyzed from the neck down.

On July 13, 7 weeks after the accident Sam Goldstein, founder of Manhattan Hide and Wool succumbed to his injuries.

The future of Manhattan Hide and Wool was not solely on the shoulders of his 37 year old son Jack.

Tragedy Strikes2017-04-03T22:17:39+00:00

Mr. Kelley comes to town

In November of 1945 Jack had gone to Ellis, Kansas to pick up some hides.  By chance a young man name Jim Kelley was at the rendering plant looking for work.  The plant told him they didn’t have any openings.  While he was there Jack pulled into the plant in a Manhattan Hide and Wool truck.  Mr. Kelley was hired to load the truck up and after loading the truck up Mr. Kelley asked Jack for a job.  Jack told him if he came to Manhattan he’d give him a job.

Mr. Kelley borrowed $1 from 5 different people and was able to buy the $3.78 bus ticket to get to Manhattan.  A December 1, 1945, a week after talking to Jack, Mr. Kelley arrived in Manhattan with less than a dollar left to his name.  By noon he was working for Jack at $.50 per hour.  Mr. Kelley was quickly sent out with Sam to go buy hides, furs, metals and really anything they could find that had value.  It was a long day and Mr. Kelley got back after 9 that night, still with no money.  Jack had come to the office to pick up Sam and asked Mr. Kelley if he had any money.  When finding out that he didn’t, Jack took him to a local hotel and rented him a room and then gave him some money to get by until payday.

Little did Jack know he had just hired someone who would go on to work for his company for 65 years and have a tremendous impact on the company, the people and the culture that still lasts today.

Mr. Kelley comes to town2017-04-03T22:11:11+00:00

Jack returns, minus the fanfare

Following the Japanese surrender Jack received a discharge on September 25, 1945.  Eager to get back to his family Jack decided to not wait on the bus and hitchhiked from Fort Leavenworth back to Manhattan.  Jack often told the story about arriving at the office around 2 in the afternoon where his dad looked up and said ‘Good, you’re back.  Get to work.’

Jack returns, minus the fanfare2017-04-03T22:10:09+00:00

Jack leaves to serve his country

As Manhattan Hide and Wool continued to grow and move along, Jack received a draft notice in December of 1941.  Because the business needed him to get through the peak season, Jack requested to be deferred until January 31 of 1942 offering to voluntarily enlist if his request was granted.  The government agreed and after the fur season Jack got a call on February 2, 1942 to report to duty.  By February 3rd he was at Fort Leavenworth reporting for duty and was sworn in.  Jack would not return for 3 years while Sam and Marvin ran Manhattan Hide and Wool.

Jack was assigned to the US Army Air Forces, the 8th Air Force, 68th Bomb Squadron, 44th Bomb Group, 2nd Air Division as an Air Operations Specialist (or as Jack called it ‘amateur navigator’).  By October of 1942 Jack was already making bombing runs over the English Channel.

Jack leaves to serve his country2017-04-17T17:39:49+00:00

Marvin Robinson joins the family business

In July 1934, Marvin Robinson hitchhiked from Lincoln, Nebraska to Manhattan to come to work with Sam and Jack at age 15.  He started work on August 1, 1934 working for room and board.  At some point over the next 11 years he started earning a paycheck and by 1945 he was a co-owner of the company.  Marvin worked for over 50 years and was a beloved fixture at the company and is often talked about even today.

Marvin Robinson joins the family business2017-04-02T15:50:14+00:00

Sam Goldstein heads south

In March 1933 Sam Goldstein, trying to figure out how to support his family after his previous business was closed by the banks, decided to cash in an insurance policy worth $800, purchase an old Nash vehicle and head south from Nebraska to Hutchinson Kansas hoping to start a new busines.  Around 5 miles north of Manhattan Kansas the car broke down near a ranch.  The owner helped Sam and his partner get to Manhattan and sold them a few bags of wool for their new business.  They found a place they could rent for $5 a month and that was where Kansas Hide and Wool began.
Sam and his partner rented rooms at The Baltimore Hotel for $5 per week.  Within 10 years, Sam would own that building.

 

Sam Goldstein heads south2017-04-17T17:33:25+00:00
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