Seven Not-So-Random Facts That Helped Shape Our Company

Seven Not-So-Random Facts That Helped Shape Our Company

Any established company is built on history – and we have a lot of it. With 160 years of experience, the A.Y. McDonald brand and the way we operate is shaped on this vast history. As we celebrate 160 years, we thought it a good time to share them with you. Get schooled on seven random fun facts about A.Y. McDonald as a company and a person:

1. In 1863, our founder, Andrew Young (A.Y.) McDonald patented an improvement of the monkey wrench. Regrettably, he sold it three years later for only $500 to Coes & Co. of Worcester, MA, the largest manufacturer of wrenches in the country at that time.
2. In celebration for the local Dubuque high school’s city champion, we created a traveling brass football now referred to as the A.Y. trophy. This idea was the suggestion of second shift foundry supervisor, Pete Ludowitz. He was watching the national championship football game on T.V. and saw them hold up the signature crystal football.
3. A.Y. McDonald Mfg. Co. took an active role in support of the country’s war effort during World War II, producing several products for the U.S. Navy, Army, and Air Force. The manufacturing of items for water supply infrastructure also continued during this time, as these items were considered essential to the war effort.
4. During the civil war, Andrew Young (A.Y.) McDonald was captured and held prisoner. Coincidentally, a confederate officer who happened to be a childhood friend of A.Y.’s, ran into him during his capture. This encounter eventually led to A.Y.’s escape that was aided by his brother-in-law, John Morrison.
5. Our founder, A.Y. McDonald, is a native of Glasglow, Scotland. In honor of his heritage, the A.Y. McDonald logo contains a thistle, which is commonly mistaken for a holly branch. The thistle is a national emblem of Scotland and was first used on Scottish silver coins in 1470.
6. A.Y. McDonald Mfg. Co. is currently a fifth generation company. In fact, our CEO/President is a McDonald himself – Rob McDonald to be exact. The family relation extends to others, including Scott Knapp, the Vice President of Marketing.
7. When our company first started out, the building was so small that in order to thread a length of pipe, a hole was made in the outside wall to allow one end of the pipe to hang outside while the other end was held in the vise inside and threaded. This ‘hole’ is still in our factory today, to commemorate A.Y.’s first plumbing shop and is used to bring iron pipe in the building for curb box production.

The thinking behind our logo, our founder’s participation in the civil war, and the pipe hole in our wall. These little historical facts serve as puzzle pieces that, when put together, help create the atmosphere of a longstanding company such as A.Y. McDonald. Help be a part of the glue that holds our history together by getting to know the company behind the product!