January 2026
4 profiles
The family behind Klein Tools has made lineman’s pliers since 1857
A Chicago blacksmith’s repair for a telegraph lineman became Klein Tools, which his descendants still own and run, six generations on, for the trades that carry its pliers.
Carhartt still belongs to the family of the man who started it in a Detroit loft in 1889
Hamilton Carhartt’s family has owned the Dearborn workwear company since 1889 and has kept it making clothes for people who work, even when fashion buyers wanted more.
The Vermeer family still runs the Pella company that gave tree crews the stump cutter
Gary Vermeer’s heirs still own and run the Iowa maker of stump cutters and underground drills, under hiring rules the family began writing in 1989.
Tommy Mello started A1 Garage Door Service painting doors for $100 each
Tommy Mello learned garage doors by painting them on weekends in Phoenix, then built A1 on manuals, a training center and a share of the company for technicians.