Reeb History

So where do we start? Perhaps we go back to the beginning ... It all began
at the turn-of-the-century with a gentleman named Llyle Reeb. His father was
an old millwork man so Llyle grew up in the industry helping out in varying capacities.
Shortly after World War I, Llyle hit on the idea of pooling orders for his customers
and ordering railroad cars of material. Llyle became quite successful and his
business flourished.

He moved his original operation in Brooklyn, NY to Roselle, NJ and subsequently
opened branches in Connecticut and Bethlehem, PA. Llyle decided to step down in
1940 and gave his share of the business to two of his managers. Unfortunately they
too were near retirement age and did not have enough incentive to play an active role
in the company.

In the early 1960’s, a company called Whittier-Ruhle, run by the Ruhle family,
purchased Reeb and consequently closed all but the Bethlehem facility. A new 40,000 square foot warehouse was
then constructed in Allentown. The company continued on much the same course for the next 15 years, neither
failing nor growing.

It was during these years, Jay gained much of his experience in the millwork industry. He learned everything from
unloading rail cars to driving trucks to selling as an outside sales rep. Jay faced several extremely tough years, even
to the point of living out of the back of his car. Fortunately for Jay and us, he grew his territory and Reeb’s sales
overall grew dramatically.

Jay then accepted the position of sales manager in Ridgefield, NJ, relocated and hired three additional sales reps. He
made a promise to these individuals that their wages and opportunities would improve as soon as he could convince
his uncle that they should be seen as an investment in the company and not an expense.

Time passed, and sales grew, but unfortunately the business philosophy did not. Discouraged, Jay decided to pursue
other avenues. It was as this time, that Jay and Tom Kerr began having discussions on how to partner and purchase
Reeb from Whittier-Ruhle.

On November 27, 1979 the deal was consummated and Jay and Tom became partners in a distribution company that
started almost a century earlier. I could say the rest is history but that’s not where the story ends. You will hear about
the “new beginning” for Reeb and how we grew to five branches after losing the biggest product line the company carried
in the next issue of “Did U Know”.