There are anniversaries, and then there are anniversaries unlike most others. In the case of Richardson Industries of Sheboygan Falls, their recent celebration is exceptional as the business celebrated their 175th year of operation. It’s a record for the State of Wisconsin that sets the family-owned business apart as the oldest such business in the state.
Consider the fact that Richardson, established in 1848, began operating the same year as Wisconsin became the 30th state in the union. According to the State Historical Society, lumbering, along with mining and land sales, generated most of Wisconsin’s wealth back then as the state’s population’s demands for homes and businesses fueled the economy. While mining and land sales were eventually displaced by agriculture as dominant businesses, nothing would replace lumber as a building material until the advent of steel and other modern materials.
Through it all, Richardson’s reputation for providing outstanding quality products with unparalleled service kept it in position to outlive every other family-owned business in Wisconsin, a feat celebrated recently with the awarding of a legislative citation and a Wisconsin State Flag from Representative Terry Katsma, to which we say, “Salute!”
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