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A Brief History
In February
1941 C.C. Fischer and G.A. Fischer together purchased the Hale Lumber Company in East Alton, Illinois. They changed the name to Fischer Lumber Company and on February 27, 1941, Fischer
Lumber Company became an Illinois Corporation and has been a continuously operating corporation since. Starting with eight employees the Fischers worked together for the next fourteen years to build the lumberyard.
In 1955 C.C. Fischer purchased all the stock from the George Fischer Family and from that time the Lumber Company has been in the C.C. Fischer Family as it remains today.
On February 27, 1972,
Fischer Lumber Company made a major expansion, moving their small store on the corner of Shamrock and St. Louis Avenues down Shamrock Street to a new 10,000 square foot showroom
with an attached 10,000 square foot warehouse. The business continued to grow and in March 1981 Chris C. Fischer purchased all the shares of Mrs. C.C. Fischer and Therese Fischer Schulz in exchanged for certain real
estate owned by the Corporation. The ground that started out as leased real estate, has grown to an area eight times it's original size and is now real estate owned by the Chris C. Fischer Family and the
Corporation.
In 1981 Fischer Lumber Company made yet another move to
expand by putting it's first outside salesman in the field. Today we now employ seven outside salesmen covering a 50 mile radius from our East Alton and Belleville
locations. Fischer serves a large range of customers from building contractors, government agencies, small businesses, hospitals, churches, factories to individual trade. The Company strives to emphasize the
importance of all their customers and tries to cater to all their individual needs.
In December 1986, with the Company continuing to grow,
Fischer Lumber Company made yet another change, this time into the computer world. Starting with their accounts receivable and continuing with general ledger, accounts payable, payroll etc. Today the Company is
fully on line to maximize quality and efficient service to all of it's customers.
In February 1995, Fischer Lumber Company started
it's own Truss Manufacturing Plant. Starting with building the single triangular trusses and evolving one year later to manufacturing any kind of trusses, meeting the demands of the unlimited and imaginative
pitches of today's elaborate homes. Starting with three full time employees, eleven years later now employees fifteen full time employees.
In January of 1999 Fischer Lumber
Company expanded its operation by purchasing FMS Building Center in Freeburg, Illinois. By doing so, the Fischers added service to three additional Illinois counties along with better access to southern St. Louis
counties. Five years after purchasing FMS, the Fischer brothers made yet another strategic move. Noticing the historic growth in St. Clair and surrounding counties, they moved their Freeburg operation to a new
11-acre complex in Belleville, Illinois. The new facility has more than doubled in size, including an expanded window and cabinet showroom displaying the latest materials and trends. Moreover, the expansion
increases warehouse capacity with four large covered storage areas totaling 45,000 square feet. The latest expansion reiterates the Fischer's goal of customer service, trying to meet the needs of their customers.
Three generations ago C.C. Fischer started the Company
leaving his son Chris C. Fischer to follow in his footsteps. Chris C. Fischer became president of Fischer Lumber Company in March 1958 and remained president for 37 years until his retirement in December 1995.
Following in his footsteps are his three sons, David, James and Edward. Today David C. Fischer is president of the Company with his brothers James as secretary and Edward as treasurer. With pride the Fischers have
watched the business more than triple, employing as many as 93 employees during it's peak season. Today the Fischer Family together with it's employees are looking forward to a continuing, growing future
with hopes of prosperity and longevity.
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