Charles Eisemann Senior with son in the late 1920s in front of Senior's shop (Charles Eisemann The Tinner) near the old Hughes Tool plant.
Charles Jr. in his new shop (Economy T&S Metal Works) on Griggs Rd. early 1930s.
An older Charles Jr. standing in the same shop on Griggs Rd. around the late 1960s.
Economy T&S Metal Works on Griggs Rd. when Bill Thompson bought it in 1972.
Economy T&S Metal Works, Inc. now, currently on South Santa Fe near Hobby Airport. |
Economy Metal Works has shown its sheet metal fabricat
Charles Eisemann Sr. ran a small successful tin shop, Charles Eisemann the Tinner, with his son, Charles Jr., in the early days of the 1920's. His shop was located near the old Hughes Tool Co. in Houston, Texas.
Although the details are unclear, we know that young Charles Jr. launched out on his own in 1931 to start his own tin shop, Economy Tin & Sheet Metal Works, which later became known as *Economy T&S Metal Works. He located his business at 4566 Griggs Road where it remained until 1989.
We can only surmise what possessed this young man to strike off on his own in the midst of the country's greatest economic depression and start his own business. Did he have a falling out with Dad? Did Dad die and, if so, why didn't he just take over his father's business? Did his father's business fail? We just don't know, but what is important here is that this was where Economy Metal Works got its start.
Charles Jr. successfully ran his small tin shop for 39 years until he died in 1970. His wife, Gertrude, kept the business running until she sold it to Bill Thompson in 1972. (right - building when Bill bought it)
It was after Bill became the owner that things began to change for Economy Metal Works. With the help of his wife Nadyne and two sons Mike and David, Bill transformed Economy Metal Works from Charles Jr.'s small tin shop to a major precision metal fabricating operation. This was no easy feat. In 21 years the Thompson's took a giant leap into the technological/computer age moving from using manual shop tools to computerized machinery. And naturally with progress came a need for more shop space. This need generated a move in 1989 from EMW's original 5000 sq ft shop on Griggs road to its current location, a 50,000 sq ft land and floor combination, on S. Santa Fe.
After all those difficult years expanding EMW, in 1993 Bill found himself faced with the difficult decision to dissolve the company or sell it. His son Mike died in 1986, and in 1993 not only did his other son David leave the family business but his wife Nadyne died. Bill didn't want the company he and his family had worked so hard to build to die, but he also knew he couldn't run it by himself. So it was in 1993 that Bill sold Economy Metal Works to two of his employees, Steve Nierman and Daryl Berger.
Steve and Daryl are the current owners. Using the solid foundation the Thompson's had built and their own version of success Steve and Daryl have continued to expand and grow Economy Metal Works. Although this chapter of Economy Metal Works is still being written we are hopeful that its long successful history will continue to repeat itself.
And what happened to Bill and David Thompson? Bill remained an employee of EMW and currently resides with his son, David, in Chikasha, Oklahoma. Bill is "retired" but still works everyday estimating and quoting jobs for us. David is now a Lutheran Minister.
*Although Economy T&S Metal Works is still our legal name, for ease and to represent ourselves more appropriately (because we have not been a tin shop for many years) we operate and advertise using Economy Metal Works and our logo EMW.