Blish-Mize Co. Celebrates 150th Anniversary
Kansas Company's Sesquicentennial and Fifth-Generation Family Leadership are Major Milestones
ATCHISON, Kan., Jan. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- If you thought 2020 was rough, imagine loading up your wagon to head west on The Oregon Trail. One Kansas company was born outfitting those early adventures, and their legacy and business survives and thrives today.
Blish-Mize Co. of Atchison celebrates its 150th Anniversary this year after weathering numerous local, regional, and national challenges, including the 1874 grasshopper plague; the Great Depression; local floods, dustbowls; World Wars I and II, the Korean War; the Vietnam War; the Persian Gulf War; September 11, 2001; the War on Terrorism; the Great Recession of 2008; several floods; and, most recently, the COVID-19 pandemic.
"I'm confident our founders, David P. Blish, Edward Mize, and Jack Silliman could not have imagined our world would look as it does today. When our company was founded, even our headquarters of Atchison, Kan. was a much different place. They wanted to build a business that would help The Wagoneers headed west, outfitting them with goods to last through their difficult journey. If you know the retail landscape, this is not unlike what we do today, helping our customers navigate those challenging roads that lay ahead," says Jonathan D. Mize, CEO & President and Fifth Generation of the family to lead the business.
Mize emphasizes that the company has stayed small enough to be agile and large enough to embrace technological and programmatic advances along the way. He relays the company's long-time ethos of, "Take care of the customer or someone else will," as the vein that runs through every department of the business.
"We have continued to service our customers almost seamlessly through almost any challenging times and 2020 was no exception. It seemed like our lives changed overnight, but our Blish-Mize team stepped up to remain essential and keep our trucks moving. Despite product shortages and supply line issues, we have done our best to provide outstanding customer service and support," Mize explained.
Blish-Mize Company is a leading wholesale hardware distributor with an over 450,000 sq. ft. distribution center, and corporate headquarters both located in Atchison, Kan. With over 140 nationwide employees, the company sells and distributes over 60,000 items to over 1,500 customers throughout 13 states in the Midwest, Rockies, and Southwest regions, on its dedicated equipment, and is also a fulfillment center for some of the country's largest e-commerce sites. To find out more visit the website @ www.blishmize.com.
Historical Photos Available HERE.
SOURCE Blish-Mize Co.
Share this article