Lamson & Sessions Co.
In 1866, brothers Thomas and Isaac Lamson joined with Samuel Sessions to form the Mt. Carmel Bolt Company in Southington, Connecticut. Three years later the three partners moved their operations to Cleveland, building a plant at 2188 Scranton Road in what is now northwest Tremont. This location—close to railroad tracks and the Cuyahoga River—proved ideal for moving raw materials and finished products into and out of the plant. Many of Lamson & Sessions’ employees lived in the area (then known as Lincoln Heights), largely because of the neighborhood’s close proximity to industries populating the Cuyahoga River Valley (The Flats).
The partnership was incorporated in the State of Ohio in 1883 and renamed Lamson & Sessions Company. In 1928, the company went public, selling shares of common stock on the Cleveland Stock Exchange, which later became part of the Midwest Stock Exchange and now is known as the Chicago Stock Exchange (CHX). Since November, 2007, Lamson & Sessions has operated as a subsidiary of Thomas & Betts Corp.
Lamson & Sessions grew rapidly after moving to Cleveland, developing into a national leader in the production of nuts, bolts, and other fasteners. As the company grew, its operations expanded to other locations in and around the city. During World War II, the company was among the largest manufacturers of nuts and bolts in the United States. In 1950, the company opened a new plant in suburban Brooklyn, Ohio, which replaced most of Lamson & Sessions’ other Cleveland-area facilities. Now headquartered in Beachwood, Ohio, and Memphis, Tennessee, Lamson & Sessions supplies the telecommunications, electrical, construction, consumer, power, and wastewater markets. One of its major business segments is Carlon, which, in addition to making a variety of industrial goods, was among the first manufacturers of the hula hoop. During the mid-1950s Carlon often produced more than 50,000 hula hoops per day!
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