22 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



NoTPmliiT in, 1S21 



Who's Who in Woodworking 



I Continued from Four 



Mark P. Campbell 



Gustav A. Schoenhut 



didn't accept that dictum from tlie "King" as gospel, nor the 

 immutable law of the "Kingdom of Pianos." He questioned it, as 

 all self-reliant thinkers question everything. The result was the 

 popularization of the baby grand piano, due to the cheapening of 

 its cost b}- quantity production, so that it was put within the range 

 of the average purse. 



During eighteen years spent in the retail piano business in New 

 England Mr. Campbell had learned that in the mind of every 

 prospect with whom he had dealt in the capacity as salesman there 

 was a vague longing to some day own a baby grand piano. But the 

 average person was deterred from the gratitication of this desire 

 hj the size of most grands and the price of all grands, and the big 

 man in the industry had said that "iive feet ten inches is the 

 danger mark." 



But in 1912 Mr. Campbell reorganized the Brambaek Piano Com- 

 pany on a basis of manufacturing one-third as many baby grands 

 as were manufactured in the entire United States that year. He 

 was going to manufacture a baby grand just four feet eight inches 

 long — a size that would fit the average home — and at such a figure 

 per piano that the average home owner could buy one. He estab- 

 lished an experimental department, installing a scientist to over- 

 come the then inherent weakness of so small an instrument as his 

 small grand. 



Others had attempted this and failed, but he succeeded, and he 

 also succeeded in overcoming the difficult financial problems that 

 had to be dealt with in launching his project and putting it on a 

 paying basis. He had to fight against skepticism and prejudice 

 throughout the trade; had to keep up his courage against a deter- 

 mined assault from the "it can't be done" club. In the second 

 year of his venture his biggest account failed, reducing his work- 

 ing capital to a point that made his fight a real struggle. But he 

 won out over all of this. 



After, he had succeeded Mr. Campbell was hailed as the "sales- 

 man de^luxe. " The old criticisms brought against thtt^ize of his 

 grand are now entirel.w swept away, for every piaSb manufa<ifturer 

 today making grand^pianos makes a small grand adapted to the 

 modern home. This includes the "monarch" who hq^i,laid down 

 the law on the minimum below which the proportiocfis of a small 

 grand eouljl be made and yet give service. Out of the courageous 

 pioneering conducted by Mr. Campbell there lias developed sub- 

 stantially a new. science in creating small grand pianos — a science 

 that was not needed in the manufacture of the old.-^yle large grand. 



Mr. Campbell's knowledge that most people j»ho want a piano 

 want a grand and will buy if they can find one within their means 

 and to fit their homes, has been marvefously justiQed. The normal 

 sales of gfand pianos are now tremendous, not onl*- by his own com- 

 pany, which is the largest manufacturer of small gcaiid pianos in 

 the country, but also by all makers of grand ])ianos.' It is pretty 

 generally conceded in the trade that Mr. -Campbell is responsible 

 for the wave of selling in grand pianos today. Owing to his 

 having esta'^Iished the popularity of the small grand, this piano 

 has been virtually carrying the business along during the past 

 six montlis of extrejjiei quietness in the old line of piano manu- 

 facturing. 



Mr. Campbell is a little over fifty years of age and is a native 

 of Eastport, Maine. '"-•He is a natural born salesman and a thor- 

 oughly efiicient manufacturer, as the foregoing must have demon- 

 strat>!d. He has a magnetic personality, is a likeable fellow, a 

 creative thinker- and radiates enthusia.sm into whatever he touches. 

 The conversation of Mr. Campb^.l impresses one with the vision 

 he possesses. He states that we have only begun to scratch the 

 surface of piano making and selling, and that there are plans in 

 prospect that will again startle the industrv. 



firm began by manufacturing the toy piano, which he invented. 

 As years went on he added various styles and sizes of toy pianos 

 and his success in this line led to the manufacture of other toys, 

 such as the Metallophone, Xylophone, Humpty-Dumpty Circus Toys, 

 the All-Wood Doll and others. Tlie business increased very rapidly 

 until today, a.s said, the company now operates the largest ex- 

 clusively toy . shop in the world. The factory covers over six 

 acres of floor space. 



The founder of the business, who incorporated under the present 

 name in 1897, had six sons, all of whom, like Gustav A., became 

 associated with him in the business. Gustav A. is the second 

 oldest. In 1912 the founder died and in 1918 one of the brothers, 

 Theodore C. Schoenhut, leaving five brothers who are today con- 

 ducting the business. Each of the brothers has a certain depart- 

 ment of the business to look after. 



The present manager of the lumber department was educated in 

 tJie public schools oj Philadelphia and a Philadelphia business col- 

 lege, after which he went into the factory and studied every 

 branch of the business. He has been active in the business for 

 twentv-five vears. ■ 



Lumber Joins National Industrial Board 



The directors of the National Lumlier Manufacturers Associa- 

 tion, in their mid-summer meeting at Tacoma last July, authorized 

 the association to take a membership in the National Industrial 

 Conference Board, the research organization of .American Industry 

 in the field of industrial economics. In accordance with this action 

 the lumber industry was rejiresented in the Se[)tember meeting of 

 the Conference Board at New York by Wilson Compton, Secretary- 

 Manager, and it is expected that Mr. Compton and other officers 

 of the association will attend these meetings from time to time 

 in order that lumber may have continuous and adequate representa- 

 tion among the foremost business interests of the T'nited States. 



The Nation.il Industrial Conference Board was organized to meet 

 a demand for cooperation among manufacturers and their respective 

 national and local associations in all branches of industry. While 

 this organization was essentially a response among business men 

 to the need of meeting altered conditions of industry on a peace- 

 time readjustment basis, these business men have found it nec- 

 essary to have an intelligent collective opinion and an ai)i)ro])riate 

 channel through which to give authoritative expression to their 

 well-founded judgment on questions vitally affecting the welfare 

 of industry and of the country. And in such a movement and 

 scientifically conceived plan of operation, lumber of necessity must 

 have primary recognition. For lumber occupies a place in Amer- 

 ican industry of such permanent importance that it cannot hesi 

 tate to exert its influence in everything that gives to all American 

 industry the stability and permanence which sustain the structure 

 of America itself. For, next to agriculture, the lumber and allied 

 industries are the foremost employers of labor and represent per- 

 haps the heaviest investment of capital in the whole list of Amer- 

 ican industries, more than thirty of which are members of the 

 National Industrial Conference Board. 



The most ho]ieful feature of the Armaments Conference game 

 is that it w-ill be played with an American deck and not with 

 marked European 'cards. .Thp Old World diplomats have got to 

 play an honest game this time and in that sort of playing we need 

 have no fear that Uncle Sam can not take care of himself. When 

 this game is finished the old Uncle will have something more th.iii 

 car fare home and so will Humanitv. fur that matter. 



