ST. LOUIS BUSINESS CENTENARIANS HUNDRED-YEAR-OLD COMPANIES ARE PROUD OF THEIR PASTS AND SHOW RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR FUTURES. BY PAM DROOG Soon after the turn of the 21st century, nine regional companies and organizations also celebrated their 100th birthdays. The group includes a bank and a funeral home, a utility and a contractor, a manufacturer and a distributor, two clubs and a labor union. They represent a wide range of industries and issues. More than half are family-owned, or started out that way. Their centennial celebrations lasted an afternoon or a year. But all the centenarians are connected by certain themes and core beliefs that provide the basis for their impressive longevity. AMERENUE (Union Electric Co.) Serves 1.2 million electric customers and 123,000 natural gas customers in more than 24,500 square miles in Missouri and Illinois 7,400 employees AAA MISSOURI Nonprofit motor club serving members in seven states More than one million members 1,100 employees BOPP CHAPEL funeral home 26 employees FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF ST. LOUIS (Trust Co. of St. Louis County) 220 employees GUARANTEE ELECTRICAL CO. Electrical contractors 600 employees GUNTHER SALT CO. Bulk and bag salt products 20 employees INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF MACHINISTS DISTRICT 9 11,000 members KRANSON INDUSTRIES (Northwestern Bottle Co.) Rigid packaging components supplier 300 employees MISSOURI ATHLETIC CLUB Private athletic and social club 3,500 members 300 employees 1904 LOUISIANA PURCHASE EXPOSITION The Exposition, otherwise known as the St. Louis World’s Fair, gave several centenarians their start. Guarantee Electrical, for example, was born in 1902 for the specific purpose of electrifying the Fair. In fact, says Guarantee Vice Chairman Fred Oertli Jr., “The company’s name referred to the founders’ assurance that the Fair would remain lit throughout its duration, actually starting a month before the Fair in April and going through the first of December 1904.” Keeping the Fair’s lights lit was the Ashley Plant of the new Union Electric Company, now operating as AmerenUE. The plant powered the brilliant spectacle of the Fair’s nine palaces, including the Palace of Electricity and Machinery, and the colored lights of the Cascades waterfall flowing down Art Hill. At the Fair, visitors learned about the purity and clarity of Louisiana crushed rock salt, which was used then to produce brine for making ice. Gunther Salt Co. of St. Louis brought that salt up the Mississippi River by barge to St. Louis. “We still have one of the jars that was displayed at the Fair,” says Gerard K. Gunther Jr., president and third-generation family member. Other visible traces of the Fair are the fragments of the cement fence that marked the fairgrounds’ northern boundary, along the Forest Park Parkway east of Skinker Blvd. Guarantee Electrical was established for the specific purpose of electrifying the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. First National Bank of St. Louis, then the Trust Company of St. Louis County, approved a $4,500 bond to finance the construction of the fence. “That was one of our first loans, so we started contributing to the St. Louis area right from the start,” says Bryan Cook, chairman of First National Bank of St. Louis, which has nine branches in the region and has been owned since 1970 by Central Bancompany of Jefferson City. Cook’s great-grandfather founded Central Bank, from which the holding company derived. Besides hosting the World’s Fair, St. Louis was the site of the 1904 Olympiad. The two events attracted thousands of visitors to the city and kept the new Missouri Athletic Club’s 100 sleeping rooms filled to capacity from May to December. “The Olympics encouraged the start of the MAC for athletic purposes,” says Gerald Ortbals, MAC president and senior partner at Stinson Morrison Hecker. “One hundred years ago was a very significant time for the club and for St. Louis.” FAMILY CHALLENGES It’s a fact that family-owned businesses rarely last beyond two generations. All the family-owned St. Louis centenarians featured here are into their third or fourth generations. Louis H. Bopp founded the Bopp Livery and Undertaking Co. in Kirkwood in 1902. Today his grandsons Louis H. Bopp II and Richard C. Mueller Jr. manage the business, Bopp Chapel. Bopp family (left to right): Scott W. Humes, Richard C. Mueller Jr., Louis H. Bopp II, Christine A. Bopp, and Christopher J. Roth. “I always was interested in the funeral business,” Bopp says. However, Mueller says, “My father did not want me to come into the business. He wanted to see if I could make it on my own.” Now the fourth generation “is getting active and pushing us around!” Bopp says. He and Mueller agree it’s important for their children to gain experience elsewhere first, “so they won’t always wonder if the grass is greener outside the family business,” Mueller says. Cook of First National Bank of St. Louis says “it was never in the forefront of my mind to join the family business, but I did every job there from mowing the lawns to wrapping coins to being a teller. I always enjoyed it, so naturally it sucked me in.” His father, chairman of Central Bancompany, set a policy: “You must have a graduate degree and work several years somewhere else.” So Cook earned an M.B.A. and Ph.D. in economics and worked in Dallas. At last he asked his father, chairman of Central Bancompany, if he could come back. “He said, ‘Are you sure?’” A billboard from the early 1900s for Union Electric Company, now operating as AmerenUE. Rick Oertli, chief executive officer at Guarantee Electrical, left the business and then came back, “like the gravitational pull of the sun,” he says. His uncle, Chuck Oertli, chairman, says, “I thought it was the gravitational pull of the father!” Fred Oertli Sr., joined the company in 1929 as a laborer and bought the business in 1946. His two sons, Fred Jr. and Chuck, came aboard as teenagers. They each had three children, who worked in the warehouse “as soon as they could carry something,” Chuck Oertli says. Today the third generation is represented by cousins, Rick and Roger Oertli, chief operating officer. “We’re very comfortable that we’ve passed the company on to our two sons who have the capabilities and the aptitudes that work very well together,” Chuck Oertli says. KEN KRANZBERG chairman of the board, Kranson Industries Sometimes in a family business, the ego and control battles can make one wonder if it’s worth another 100 years. “In a family business most issues are personality clashes and power struggles, for instance, there can only be one president, so you’re the vice president,” says Gerard Gunther “When you’re struggling you forget those issues, and when you’re doing well those issues come to the forefront.” CHUCK MUELLER chairman and CEO, AmerenUE The generations often had different views of risk and money, Gunther says. “My father, a product of the Depression, was very conservative and never borrowed money,” he says. “That’s one reason the company didn’t grow faster under his management.” Gunther, however, says he has been more aggressive. He established relationships with banks, computerized the business, moved it to the near north side of the Riverfront and established its unique salt storage domes. (Left to right): Jerry and John Gunther Kenneth Kranzberg, chairman of the board at Kranson Industries, also took risks when he took control of the former bottle collecting, washing and reselling business founded by his grandfather. The company has since become the world’s leading distributor of rigid containers. Today it’s owned by a management team and a leveraged buyout company in Chicago, “though the family still owns a nice chunk,” Kranzberg says. “I decided to do that, because the only way we had a chance to grow was to take in others. Things worked out. I always wanted to build a big company.” Motor Digest from 1915, a publication of AAA Missouri. REGIONAL IMPACT One hundred years ago, says Phil Gruber, business representative of the International Association of Machinists District 9, “St. Louis was a huge hub of transportation and industry. It took a lot of skilled machinists to build machinery and keep it working.” The union, established in Atlanta in 1888, formed its St. Louis District in 1902. Today it represents 11,000 members in nine locals in a wide range of industries. This photo from the 1930s, shows the original Bopp funeral home at 131 West Argonne in downtown Kirkwood. “Being in the center of the nation and having railways and waterways for manufacturing and distribution made the region very prosperous,” Gruber says. “But look at what’s happening around the country now with manufacturing going away. We’re losing jobs here, but the Machinists have been successful in organizing new businesses, so that offsets the losses.” The loss of manufacturing jobs in the city and state also concerns Guarantee Electrical. Roger Oertli represents the company in the Associated General Contractors’ initiative, 20 contractors working to make St. Louis a more competitive and attractive place for businesses to build. But Guarantee has had a visible impact throughout its history. “I can’t go a city block in St. Louis and not say, ‘I remember when we did that!’” Chuck Oertli says. Over the years Guarantee has worked with nearly every major business and institution in the region, from the war effort with Emerson to the Mercury space program with McDonnell-Douglas. “We have introduced design and construction concepts and procedures that have been marketed or copied, and I’m very proud of that,” Chuck Oertli says. The power behind those concepts, AmerenUE, “makes it a top priority to keep rates about 20 percent lower than the national average,” says Chuck Mueller, chairman and CEO. “This encourages job creation and helps attract companies to locate here. We give relocating and retention credits. We’ve made a conscious outreach effort.” First National Bank of St. Louis has “been around 100 years, because we played a role in providing jobs and financing new buildings,” says Rick Bagy, president. “It’s very important for a bank to constantly think of the health of the community. That’s our number one job.” “St. Louis was a huge hub of transportation and industry. It took a lot of skilled machinists to build machinery and keep it working.” Phil Gruber business representative, International Association of Machinists District 9 AAA Missouri has grown from a handful of car enthusiasts in 1902 to serving more than one million members in Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Southern Illinois, Southern Indiana and Eastern Kansas. Ken Johnson, president and CEO says, “We have a lot of members in the metro area who have benefited from the products and services we’ve offered. Also, because we’re headquartered here, the region receives a fair amount of attention when it comes to the advocacy role we play.” CITY DWELLERS Besides their age, several centenarians have another important aspect in common: their base in the city. Mueller of AmerenUE explains, “We are dedicated to our headquarters in downtown St. Louis. That’s been a given for 100 years.” That sentiment is shared by the MAC’s Ortbals, who notes the club purchased a facility in Town & Country eight years ago, “but the city club will always be the focal point of the organization.” In fact, the MAC has spent $8 million in renovations at the downtown site over the past decade. “The two locations complement each other, but the downtown club is first among equals,” he says. Residing on the city’s south side, where Koken Barber Shop Chairs once were built in 1905, Guarantee Electrical is committed to the city. The Oertlis bought the complex in the early 1980s and have upgraded and modernized it over the years. GERALD ORTBALS president, MAC “Mayor John Poelker convinced me to buy this property and helped arrange financing,” Chuck Oertli says. “Sure, we’ve talked about leaving. It would be financially helpful. St. Louis has its problems, and they’re not easy to solve. But our leaving won’t help that.” John Gunther, vice president of sales and marketing at Gunther Salt, also plans to stay in the city, despite financial considerations. Guarantee Electrical had its own one-year celebration last year, culminating in a gala at the World’s Fair Pavilion in Forest Park where it all began. “We bring in salt from Utah by rail and pay the Terminal Railroad Association $3 per ton. But we like where we are, close to the Mississippi River, so we live with it.” Even a centenarian that moved to the suburbs 15 years ago does not plan to go any farther. “St. Louis is not one of our major locations,” says Kenneth Kranzberg of Kranson Industries. “But I love St. Louis. This is where my family is. We could move the company easily, but no one wants to, especially me.” CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION The centenarians’ celebrations ranged from the lavish to the low-key. The MAC is in the midst of its year-long celebration, featuring dances, dinners, fashion and art shows, golf tournaments, even special centennial editions of Jack Daniels whiskey and French champagne. The International Association of Machinists District 9 formed its St. Louis district in 1902. Today it represents 11,000 members. “Why have a year-long celebration?” asks General Manager Larry Thompson. “Well, how many business entities are alive and well after 100 years? Also we have members who have been with us more than half the club’s life, and we’d be remiss if we didn’t celebrate in a big way.” A commemorative book published by AAA Missouri. Guarantee Electrical had its own one-year celebration last year, culminating in a gala at the World’s Fair Pavilion in Forest Park where it all began. At Mayor Slay’s request, Guarantee donated to the city the spectacular lighting it created at the Pavilion. (And to complete the circle, Guarantee is working on a number of Forest Park projects in preparation for the 2004 celebration.) The Machinists Union held an open house at its hall for members and their families, Gruber says. Gunther Salt employees attended a Cardinals baseball game. Kranson Industries published a commemorative book and presented a special skit at its annual sales meeting in Florida. First National Bank of St. Louis held branch parties and sponsored a barbecue for the public in Clayton. AAA Missouri also held parties in its 50 offices, and distributed a videotape featuring a Harry Truman impersonator. After all, the former President sold AAA memberships in the early 1920s. RICK BAGBY president & CEO, First National Bank of St. Louis AmerenUE also produced a film, hung banners in the streets, printed a commemorative book and offered centennial items featuring old Reddy Kilowatt. “But basically,” Chuck Mueller says, “we congratulated employees and ourselves for having been around this long.” WHAT IT MEANS TO BE 100 What does it mean to have “been around this long?” The thermometer in front of AAA’s headquarters, seen here in 1941, became a midtown St. Louis landmark itself. Being 100 offers several business advantages, notes Rick Bagy of First National Bank. “Employees like working here, because of our stability. We won’t sell to the first buyer who comes along. Customers like stability, too, especially in a bank.” However, several centenarians mentioned the conflicting feelings of pride and responsibility they feel toward the past. AAA Missouri’s Johnson says, “On one hand, it feels very good in terms of what we’ve built, our reputation. But for me personally it’s also an enormous responsibility to perpetuate into the next 100 years, to make sure we don’t lose sight of what our founders had in mind. So it’s a double-edged proposition.” Rick Oertli of Guarantee expresses similar thoughts. Family business, the Oertlis of Guarantee Electrical celebrate at the 100th anniversary party. (Left to right): Rick Oertli, Fred Oertli Jr., Chuck Oertli and Roger Oertli. “100 years, that’s a big deal,” he says. “We think about it often. It’s inspiring and also daunting. You ask yourself, how long can it go on. We have a big challenge ahead of us to live up to the past and continue to move ahead.” The centenarians consider the future as much as the past. Dick Mueller of Bopp Chapel says, “We’re very proud of what our fathers and grandfather provided us, but we’re also pleased we can adjust to the times. Now if our children can adapt to the changes that are inevitable, then the business will survive.” AmerenUE’s commemorative book, the history of Ameren corporation. Bryan Cook of First National Bank of St. Louis also mentions pride, “but more important, we look back and say, how did we succeed all these years? How were we able to change and continue to focus on customers and the community to make sure they’re well served? How do you do that given society’s changes? If you can do these things, there’s a good chance you’ll last another 100 years.” Click here to view RCGA MEMBERS OVER 100 YEARS OLD BUSINESS CENTENARIAN PHOTO IDENTIFICATION A. INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF MACHINISTS     DISTRICT 9 B. AAA MISSOURI C. GUARANTEE ELECTRICAL CO. D. MISSOURI ATHLETIC CLUB E. INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF MACHINISTS     DISTRICT 9 F. AAA MISSOURI G. KRANSON INDUSTRIES H. KRANSON INDUSTRIES I. GUARANTEE ELECTRICAL CO. Pam Droog is a frequent contributor to St. Louis Commerce Magazine.

April 2003 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Cover Story photo identification A. GUARANTEE ELECTRICAL CO. B. AMERENUE C. AAA MISSOURI D. AMERENUE E. GUARANTEE ELECTRICAL CO. F. AAA MISSOURI Fair St. Louis - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - www.stlrcga.org - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - www.technologygateway.org - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The labor community invests in the region. DR. RAUL EVELIO PEREZ president, Oakwood Medical Investors