BEGINNINGS
OUR STORY
Robert Alcide Lombard was born in 1925, drafted into the US Navy in 1943, and graduated from MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) in 1947. Bob made a move in 1957 for himself and his family, while working for Atlantic Steel Products – resolving to acquire, rename, and repurpose the company. Acorn Industrial Products started out in the distribution of metal working power tools. From the beginning, Bob embraced the importance of hands-on demonstration, engineering expertise, collaboration as a sales tool, and partner candor. These tent poles brought substantial growth in Acorn®’s first decade of business, moving from Bala Cynwyd to Conshohocken, PA in 1970 and incorporating in 1973. Bob’s daughter and eventual President, Margie Finley, entered the family business that same year.
The 1980s saw acquisition of J.H. Baker. The early 2000s
saw a second move of the operation to a location with
greater production space where Acorn® could establish
in-house manufacturing – King of Prussia, home of
the 2nd largest shopping mall in America, is where
Acorn® lives and works today.
People often look for a through-line in an arc spanning decades – Acorn®’s story is one of generations building
on that which the generation before built before them.
Margie drew inspiration every day from Bob’s enterprising spirit, what he started, and why – taking on new challenges and new frontiers she sought out for Acorn®, to grow and strengthen what Bob began.
Today we look to the third generation, to both honor what has come before – and to bring vision for Acorn®’s path forward with the benefit of strong foundations and the shining examples set.
Acorn® prides itself on our always-expanding capabilities within our full in-house machine shop, to take your project through design, engineering, fabrication, machining, remanufacturing, and testing.
Over the decades, the call for custom solutions has become an increasingly standard occurrence, and we have come to understand the specific needs your and other industries present. Here at Acorn®, Custom Is The New Standard.
We are 70 years into a continuing mission to help make the great things you do Safer, Easier, Cleaner, Quieter, More Efficient, and/or Less Expensive. Collaboration with various industries has helped us develop a vocabulary, skill set, portfolio, and creative capacity that make the custom, bespoke, turnkey solution your project demands within our reach.
Talk of ‘moving you’ does not refer only to casters and wheels. We work to develop long-lasting relationships – built on trust, mutual admiration, facile collaboration, and doing our best for you every time – these are the things that move us.
Let Us Find New Ways To Move You.
