Let company president Jim Tenbusch explain the origins of Stephan Wood Products and how it grew throughout the years.
The Tinkerer
Two blocks from our current location in 1944, Al Stephan (Steff-ANN), a tinkerer and inventor, satisfied the local need of wooden clothespins.
Realizing his woodcrafting could lead to other projects, Al grew his new business bigger and bigger, eventually making wooden brush heads for Fuller Brush Company out of Chicago. Diversifying even further, Al began creating hog slappers, plugs for Gould Electric’s electrical boxes, and dimension lumber for the Chicago stockyards.
Providing the dimension lumber led Al to look further into the military. There, he knew he could improve upon truck flooring, troop seats, and hardwood slats.
