By James Perry

WESTERN AUTO: Tied to a Death Spiral with Sears

Western Auto Stores were founded in 1909 and grew to over twelve hundred company stores and eventually four thousand privately owned associate stores that were located in small town America. I had the privilege to call on and sell to many Western Store Auto owners during my early work life as a territory salesman from the 1960’s through the 1980’s.

The owners of the Western Auto Stores were some of the best business men I called on. Many Western Auto Owners, their wives, kids, and relatives staffed their stores. Western Auto Stores sold auto parts, Davis Tires, Tough Batteries, True Tone Electrics, Citation Appliances, Wizard Tools, Wizard Typewriters, Wizard Lawnmowers, Wizard Tillers, Wizard Outboard Motors and aluminum boats, Western Flyers Bicycles, and Revelation Long Guns. Western Auto Store owners also bought from outside suppliers like the Freeman Company I worked for. I sold them long guns, ammo, hunting supplies, and camo clothing for fall hunting. For spring and summer, I sold them fishing tackle from top dollar rods and reels, kid’s rods and reels and fishing tackle from fish hooks to trolling motors, flotation and Fisher Marine Boats.

In 1988 Sears & Roebuck purchased Western Auto. In 1995 Sears began converting Western Auto Stores to automotive parts only stores under the banner of Parts America. Like other decisions by Sears this started the demise of Western auto Stores. The Western Auto Store signs came down in January of 2004. The doors were locked: the owners went home. Good bye to another great American legacy that lasted for a century, impacted small town and rural America and was doomed by the corporate world.
AMERICAN SHOE MANUFACTIRERS: A Thing of the Past

Through and into the 1990’s most Americans wore shoes produced by American shoe and boot companies. Brands like Florsheim, Dexter, Nun-Bush, and Jarman, boots by Carolina, Georgia Boots, Red Wing, Wolverine, and work shoes by Stone Mountain. Kids shoes were made by Buster Brown and most tennis shoes were made by Keds. Shoe companies made up a big percentage of Portsmouth, Ohio’s and Nashville, Tennessee’s economy. They are no longer there. Almost all of our footwear are made in China, Asia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Cambodia, India and Mexico. If our footwear, underwear, pants, shirts, winter jackets and coats and socks should be cut off by a war within one year all Americans would be wearing tattered, bedraggled clothes and worn out footwear. The brand or logo worn by sports stars would not matter at all. America could not regain our clothing and footwear manufacturing before we all looked like Americans during the dust bowl and the great depression.

Here are USA footwear imports for 2025
1. China- 964 million pair
2. Vietnam-574 million pair
3. Indonesia-194 million pair
4. Cambodia-105 million pair
5. India-37 million pair
6. Mexico-21 million pair

You see where American stands today with imported footwear. This crosses almost everything that America needs today and it is almost all imported. Our manufacturing base has been obliterated by our government, our business and corporate leaders, the labor unions, and our college and universities teachings. Even a major part of our music is owned by foreign corporations.

BRIGGS AND STRATTON: Sold millions, bankrupted by greed

Briggs and Stratton Corporation was founded in 1908 by Stephen F. Briggs and Harold M. Stratton. Their company initially produced automotive components for the growing automotive industry and pioneered the development of small gasoline engines. In 1919 Briggs and Stratton purchased the rights for a small two seat vehicle which they named the Briggs and Stratton Flyer that sold for $125. The flyer was driven by a rear 5th wheel attached to a small gasoline engine. In 1925 the rights were sold, but Briggs and Stratton kept the motor and made improvements to it. The improved Briggs and Stratton gasoline motor was to power bicycles, lawn mowers, all types of power equipment and early washing machines.

In 1929 Stephen F. Briggs co-founded Outboard Motors Corporation by merging three outboard motor companies together. Out of this merger OMC was born. In 1935 OMC acquired the Johnson Brothers Motor Company and produced both Evinrude and Johnson outboard motors until OMC filed for bankruptcy in December of 2000. This bankruptcy left 7000 employees unemployed and the OMC dealers seeking dealerships for Japanese brand outboard motors.

Briggs and Stratton’s business increased after World War II as our military returned home to the USA, married, had families and sub-division living expanded across America with new lawns, schools, and parks needing lawns to be mowed on a weekly schedule which required more and more lawnmowers with most using Briggs and Stratton small gasoline engines. This increased the demand for Briggs and Stratton engines, which required more workers at Briggs and Stratton plants. At their height Briggs and Stratton employed 11,000 production workers to supply the demand.

Briggs and Stratton was acquired by KPS Capital Partners, a private equity firm in September 2020 after chapter eleven bankruptcy by former Briggs and Stratton management. Two days before chapter eleven bankruptcy was declared by former Briggs and Stratton management the CEO and Board of Directors as well as other top management personnel declared and paid themselves massive performance bonuses which totaled in the millions of dollars. Then two days later thousands of workers with Briggs and Stratton were without jobs.

When KPS Capital Partners assumed management some workers were rehired. KPS Capital Partners signed a new contract with United Steel Workers of America which had been cancelled by the former management. Since acquiring Briggs and Stratton by KPS they now produced these power equipment lines: Simplicity, Snapper, Ferris, Vanguard, Allmond, Billy Goat, Murray, Bronco, and Victa.

Briggs and Stratton’s new equity owners KPS is based in New York City with offices in Frankfurt, Germany and Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Briggs and Stratton now employees up to 3800 with USA factory locations in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, Auburn, Alabama and Statesboro. Georgia. Their foreign manufacturing locations are now in Chongquing, China, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Netherlands and the Philippines. Briggs and Stratton now produces approximately 10,000,000 engines per year.

I personally do not support the intrusion of private equity firms intruding into American businesses. I think in the situation concerning Briggs and Stratton and lack of proper former management that KPS Capital Partners has saved the Briggs and Stratton name and made great improvement in the product line produced under the Briggs and Stratton canopy.

Next month we will delve into more corporations and American business icons being destroyed by improper management or foreign interests. Like Soviet Premier Nikata Khrushchev said in one of his speeches, “ Russia will not need to fire a single shot at America, because if you offer enough money you can buy any capitalist.”

Some songs you may enjoy on YouTube:
1. I missed Me by Jim Reeves
2. Strange by Patsy Cline
3. Annie Over by Hank Thompson
4. Chained to a Memory by Slim Whitman

See you next month