A Look at Steelville Manufacturing Co. and Our Community

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  Founded 1959

  Steelville Manufacturing began its life as Erma’s Firearms Manufacturing Co. Founded in 1959, Erma’s was named after the wife of founding partner Harold Tucker. Harold brought with him his wealth of manufacturing experience, while his counterpart, Arthur Pursley, brought the sales contacts and experience he had amassed in the purchase and sales of surplus equipment from WWII.
  
  Erma’s focused on making receivers and barrels for the M1 carbine rifle, employing as many as 24 people at the height of its business.
  They first set up shop in a shed behind Hudson’s Department Store (now Lange’s General Store on Main Street). As they grew, they began to look for a larger space to operate.
  
  Steelville Enterprise, Inc., a local business consortium, had just built a new structure on the site of old High School, hoping to bring new manufacturing opportunities to Steelville. A two-story cinderblock building on the top of a terraced hillside in town, this location seemed perfect for Erma’s to make its new home.
  
  

  

  Rocky Starts

  In 1964, Arthur Pursley died suddenly of a heart attack. His attorney, Paul Bell, had been instrumental in setting up the corporation, and with Arthur’s death, it fell upon Paul to maintain and direct the struggling shop.
  In 1966, he became a 25% shareholder in the company, now called Steelville Manufacturing Co. With no manufacturing experience, He held things together the next 14 years with the help of a variety of managers and foremen.
  
  

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• The main body of work had transitioned from firearms to custom equipment for the Brown Shoe Company (a major employer in town) and other local businesses. At a local catfish fry, Paul met Bill Nord, a buyer for McDonnell Aircraft. That personal contact led to SMC’s first aerospace work on the F-4 Phantom. The company suffered a major setback in 1973, however, with the sudden passing of the shop’s foreman, Noel Alexander.
  
  

  
  

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  Time for Taking Stock
  

  As time passed, Paul’s children began to involve themselves in SMC’s operations. They all took their turn working after school and summers. The oldest son, Dennis, began his studies in 1977 at UMR (now Missouri S&T).

  
  A crisis point for SMC came in 1978. The shop closed for 30 days because of a lack of work and funds. The business was on the brink of collapse. Together, Paul and Dennis took stock of the situation. At the age of 19, with only one year of college behind him, Dennis made the decision to drop out in order to devote 100% of his time and energy to the company.
  

   

• Moving Forward
  
  

  Paul Bell bought the assets of Steelville Manufacturing in the spring of 1979. Dennis, now manager, called back Estel Sanders and Bill Worley, casualties of the shop's closing. Together they began to rebuild the company, re-establishing contact with former customers.
  
  It was an uphill climb. The business climate at that time wasn't good, and operating cash was a terrible problem. But a key contact provided the means to turn everything around.
  
  Bill Nord, who had been pivotal in getting SMC’s first aerospace contract, rotated back onto the Buyer’s desk at McDonnell Douglas. He and Dennis met for an honest head-to-head, and Bill pulled no punches. He told Dennis bluntly. “You are going to have to get your act together!”