Information from a Board of Directors presentation in 1969 by Paragon president, G.J. Platt
Paragon began as the Paragon Sellers Company in 1905 with a revenue of $5,000. By 1969 they realized 16.6 million in revenue and in 1974, $25.5 million. Paragon’s first business was the sale of telephone specialties, mostly grounding devices.
1905
Edward M. Platt, who was in the pole business in Chicago, had advanced money to some friend who owned a direct mail buses that jobbed telephone specialties. The owners of Paragon Sellers Co. defaulted on the loans and Mr. Platt was obliged to take over the company. His first move was to change the name of the company to Paragon Electric. At that paint it did not manufacture, but rather represented manufacturers in the sales of
devices like grounded lighting rods, telephone wire and battery boxes for drywalls and a clamp on bed lamp.
Platt thought the company would do better if it manufactured items. A friend connected with New Haven Clock Company suggest that Platt purchase patents to a new invention, a time switch to automatically start the electric heaters of the lead pots of the mercantholler Linotype machine. He decided that the time switch was a useful invention
and decided to go ahead with their manufacture. He chose Manitowoc to begin.
1909
Paragon mostly sold telephone wire which was sold until the advent of WWII. Paragon’s first time switch was made in 1909.
1920s
It introduced a new series of electrically driven time switches.
1932
The time switch industry changes with the introduction of the synchronous motor.
1938
Paragon designed the first time switch for controlling the automatic defrosting of refrigerators. WWII ushered in a critical period for Paragon. Times and switches had a limited application in a war economy. They were used in mine sweeping work and some areas of radar technology. This was a period of adaptation in which the manufacture of
screw machine products let into the assembly of motor generator switch boards and small panels for mine sweepers and submarines which culminated in the manufacture of a large line of electrical distribution boxes for the Navy and maritime services.
1941
Paragon left Manitowoc for Two Rivers. Employees went from 27 to over 300 by the end of the war.
1941
WWII war effort made marine switch boxes and times.
1945
Paragon went from a family owned business to a publicly owned one. America entered a period of heavy new construction of homes, factories, stores, and public works which in turn was responsible for peak time switch demand and ushered in a series of years of prosperous expansion for the company. Supermarkets sprang up everywhere featuring many varieties of frozen food which required efficient operation and individual defrost controls. Paragon controls became the standard and were sold to many different companies for their products.
With the popular home appliance of the frostless freezer, sales exceeded three million units. Paragon timers were used in coffee warming devices, humidifiers, farm automation controls, swimming pool regulators, water softeners and home heating controls. Paragon controls had a quality reputation and often was the sole supplier of defrost timers to Frigidaire, Whirlpool, Hot Point and others. Later controls were developed for heat pumps and coming machines. It also devoted times for sun lamps, photo developing, fans, electric heating and home security products from automatic lighting controls to low voltage outdoor lighting, and intrusion detection devices.
1999
Closed and moved to Mexico.
