1872-1898 - Landon P. Smith cofounds the Smith & Hemenway S&H) Company with his colleague John Hemenway to facilitate the production and sales of the “Woodward Wizard.” This glasscutter product manufactured by New England Novelty Works in Hill, NH would become the company’s catalyst for producing quality and innovative tools.
1900 – The S&H Company begins manufacturing a variety of trade tools with the Red Devil trademark at their new factory in Irvington, New Jersey. The inspiration for the trade name originates from a company trip to Sweden where Landon P. Smith hears a blacksmith remark “those little red devils” after sparks from the forge singed his arm.
1924 – The Red Devil brand implements a new logo inspired by the birth of Landon P. Smith’s first-born grandson.
1926 – Landon P. Smith restructures his assets as Landon P. Smith, Inc. after he parts ways with John Hemenway. He sells the majority of the S&H Co. to the Crescent Tools Company to focus on the Red Devil glazier business.
1932 – Smith’s son-in-law and company general manager, George Lee Sr., executes numerous acquisitions to expand the Red Devil product line. One of note was the addition of Vosco Tool Co., which provided the first of many paint and wood scraper tools under the Red Devil tradename.
1933 – Landon P. Smith relocates all company manufacturing operations from Hill, NH to the Irvington, NJ factory after merging New England Novelty Works and the Red Devil glazier business years prior.
1937 – As the new owner and CEO of Landon P. Smith, Inc. George Lee Sr. begins manufacturing paint conditioner machines under the Red Devil tradename.
1942 – The patented Reddy Tee is added to the family of Red Devil products. Its singular wooden piece and grooved top design would become the standard for the modern wooden golf tee.
1944 – Landon P. Smith, Inc. officially changes its name to Red Devil Tools after a rise in popularity of the Red Devil trade name.
1950 –George Lee Jr. succeeds his father as president and CEO and would later be succeed by his son William Lee in 2001, which would mark four generations of the company being family owned and operated.
1955 – Red Devil Tools expands its operations to a bigger single level factory in Union, New Jersey. The relocation from Irvington would provide more production efficiency with its larger, more navigable layout.
1960 – Red Devil Tools donates its company plane, a Beechcraft Airframe A140, to the Smithsonian National Museum of Air and Space.
1963 – Red Devil Tools offers caulks, sealants, spackling and adhesives after the addition of Schalk Chemicals under the Red Devil trade name.
1966 – The recent diversification of product lines, including chemical products, leads the company to change its name to the more encompassing Red Devil, Inc.
1974 – To be more centrally located to all its customers, Red Devil, Inc. opens a new chemical production facility in Pryor, OK. The company would later relocate all manufacturing operations from Union, NJ to Pryor.
1990 – Red Devil, Inc. divests machinery and other non-core businesses to specialize in manufacturing hand tools and chemical products.
2005 – Red Devil, Inc. opens its headquarters in Tulsa, OK where it is still located today.
Present day – Red Devil Inc. is still a privately-owned family business with a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Pryor, OK. It continues to lead the way in building, repair, and finishing solutions while maintaining a reputation of quality, dependability, and innovation.