Cornwell Quality Tools is celebrating 100 years in business in 2019 by continuing the heritage started by Eugene Cornwell.
Eugene Cornwell was a skilled blacksmith who started hammering tools in an old tannery building along the Cuyahoga river in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, in 1919. He mastered the production of chisels, pry bars, punches and screwdrivers while gaining a reputation as a high-quality toolmaker. Cornwell Quality Tools was born after he started experimenting with various steels and heat treatments to produce more rugged, longer-lasting tools.
Cornwell Tools found success selling high-quality tools to the emerging automobile industry, as well as the aviation and mobile marine industries. The company eventually expanded operations and moved to a larger building in Mogadore, Ohio, in 1927.
“Eugene Cornwell was a pioneer in the manufacture of hand tools for the servicing, repair, and assembly of automobiles in those early days,” said Cornwell Quality Tools President and CEO Bob Studenic. “It’s a testament to his ingenuity that today, 100 years later, we continue to manufacture and sell the same high-quality products he forged back in 1919.”
In the 1950s, the Moeller family purchased the company. Raymond H.C. Moeller lead Cornwell Quality Tools’ growth until his passing. His son Raymond M. Moeller continues to lead the Cornwell team today.
In the 1960s Cornwell Quality Tools started selling direct to independent mobile tool dealers. Today, there are close to 700 dealers across the country. In the early ’70s the company moved to Wadsworth, Ohio, where corporate headquarters are still located. More than 300 people are employed by Cornwell Quality Tools.
“A century of business in any capacity is quite a milestone. We are proud to continue to build upon the vision and legacy Eugene created. We are grateful for the tremendous support of our independent dealers, dedicated employees, suppliers, and customers that have helped us sustain and thrive as the oldest mobile tool company in business today,” said Studenic.
Cornwell recently opened a Utah warehouse, acquired the tool storage manufacturer Kennedy Manufacturing Co., is opening a 107,000 square foot warehouse in Wadsworth, and announced the partnership as the official tool of John Force Racing with the NHRA.
“Great things have been happening these past few years and we look forward to an exciting 100th anniversary celebration throughout 2019,” added Studenic
