Page 16 - TN Public Works Nov-Dec 2014 Vol. 32 No. 5
P. 16
by Judy keller
Stringfellow Celebrates 80 Years
Stringfellow customers are doing busi- low on Saturdays. Mr. Tom was always beds and mechanical wreckers. The market
ness with an 80-year-old company found- very nice to me,” says Eddie Anderson. was changing; today we represent over 60
ed just after the Great Depression by W. “He let me clean up the offices, straighten lines of equipment. When times have been
Thomas Stringfellow, known as “Mr. Tom” up the literature, and explore the shop hard and business slowed, this diversity
to Eddie Anderson who runs the company and parts room. Years later, as I assumed has allowed us to weather many economic
today with his son, John. Whether String- involvement in the company, I discovered storms.”
fellow customers know it or not, they are papers I had stored 30 years earlier!” And weather it, they did! The geographic
dealing with a company that is steeped Stringfellow was originally located at base has expanded from middle Tennes-
not only in industry knowledge, but also 125 12th Avenue North in Nashville, a see to the entire state as well as the state of
in a multi-generational history. block and a half north of Broadway. Kentucky.
“It was started in 1934, and it was a “Some of my fondest memories are as a “As a young man, I was Stringfellow’s
small dump body and flat body manufac- boy of 10 to 12 years old going to work on only salesman. Today we have eight sales-
ture,” says Eddie Anderson. ”It grew from Saturday and leaving Stringfellow, climbing men to handle our expanded territory and
a one-bay shop into a five-bay shop and the viaduct bridge and exploring down- product lines,” Eddie explains.
was assumed by Mr. Tom’s two sons, P. town Nashville. Today, few parents would
Carter and William F. Stringfellow, in the allow a 10-year-old boy to run loose in John Anderson Remembers
late 1950s. With the passing of William Nashville, but in 1957, it was not uncom- When asked to share some of his favorite
F. Stringfellow in 1980, the company was mon. I discovered Arcade Alley with its hat memories, Eddie Anderson’s son, John,
sold to a group of investors from Orlando, blocking and cleaning stores, Tom’s Peanut begins with, “Gosh, how much time do we
Nashville, and Columbus, OH. Store, two levels of shops and books galore. have?”
Nashville had movie theaters downtown, He describes something that happened
The Anderson Connection and you could be Tarzan, Randolph Scott, when he was about six years old.
Eddie Anderson’s father and John or Gene Autry. For a ten-year-old country “My older brother Matt was about nine,
Anderson’s grandfather, Lloyd Anderson, boy, Nashville was magic!” and Mr. Fannie, a fixture to anyone who
started working for the company as a Occurring alongside the treasured mem- came in to Stringfellow at the time, was the
welder in 1948 and worked his way up to ories was a lot of hard work and difficult Parts Manager. We use to play a little game
Sales Manager. When the new ownership decision-making. Eddie remembers when when the guys would go on break. Mr.
team took over, Lloyd Anderson became he clearly saw the need for more diversity Fannie and my brother and I would sneak
vice-president of Stringfellow, Inc. in the product line. out to the shop floor where the overhead
“As a young boy, I would visit Stringfel- “We sold garbage beds, utility beds, flat- cranes were located. He would lower the
Stringfellow employees and owner. Back row, left to right: Chuck Smith, Eddie Anderson, Joe Connolly and Bob Showalter. Front row: Leah Broda and Ron Johnson.
16 TPW November/December 2014
Stringfellow Celebrates 80 Years
Stringfellow customers are doing busi- low on Saturdays. Mr. Tom was always beds and mechanical wreckers. The market
ness with an 80-year-old company found- very nice to me,” says Eddie Anderson. was changing; today we represent over 60
ed just after the Great Depression by W. “He let me clean up the offices, straighten lines of equipment. When times have been
Thomas Stringfellow, known as “Mr. Tom” up the literature, and explore the shop hard and business slowed, this diversity
to Eddie Anderson who runs the company and parts room. Years later, as I assumed has allowed us to weather many economic
today with his son, John. Whether String- involvement in the company, I discovered storms.”
fellow customers know it or not, they are papers I had stored 30 years earlier!” And weather it, they did! The geographic
dealing with a company that is steeped Stringfellow was originally located at base has expanded from middle Tennes-
not only in industry knowledge, but also 125 12th Avenue North in Nashville, a see to the entire state as well as the state of
in a multi-generational history. block and a half north of Broadway. Kentucky.
“It was started in 1934, and it was a “Some of my fondest memories are as a “As a young man, I was Stringfellow’s
small dump body and flat body manufac- boy of 10 to 12 years old going to work on only salesman. Today we have eight sales-
ture,” says Eddie Anderson. ”It grew from Saturday and leaving Stringfellow, climbing men to handle our expanded territory and
a one-bay shop into a five-bay shop and the viaduct bridge and exploring down- product lines,” Eddie explains.
was assumed by Mr. Tom’s two sons, P. town Nashville. Today, few parents would
Carter and William F. Stringfellow, in the allow a 10-year-old boy to run loose in John Anderson Remembers
late 1950s. With the passing of William Nashville, but in 1957, it was not uncom- When asked to share some of his favorite
F. Stringfellow in 1980, the company was mon. I discovered Arcade Alley with its hat memories, Eddie Anderson’s son, John,
sold to a group of investors from Orlando, blocking and cleaning stores, Tom’s Peanut begins with, “Gosh, how much time do we
Nashville, and Columbus, OH. Store, two levels of shops and books galore. have?”
Nashville had movie theaters downtown, He describes something that happened
The Anderson Connection and you could be Tarzan, Randolph Scott, when he was about six years old.
Eddie Anderson’s father and John or Gene Autry. For a ten-year-old country “My older brother Matt was about nine,
Anderson’s grandfather, Lloyd Anderson, boy, Nashville was magic!” and Mr. Fannie, a fixture to anyone who
started working for the company as a Occurring alongside the treasured mem- came in to Stringfellow at the time, was the
welder in 1948 and worked his way up to ories was a lot of hard work and difficult Parts Manager. We use to play a little game
Sales Manager. When the new ownership decision-making. Eddie remembers when when the guys would go on break. Mr.
team took over, Lloyd Anderson became he clearly saw the need for more diversity Fannie and my brother and I would sneak
vice-president of Stringfellow, Inc. in the product line. out to the shop floor where the overhead
“As a young boy, I would visit Stringfel- “We sold garbage beds, utility beds, flat- cranes were located. He would lower the
Stringfellow employees and owner. Back row, left to right: Chuck Smith, Eddie Anderson, Joe Connolly and Bob Showalter. Front row: Leah Broda and Ron Johnson.
16 TPW November/December 2014
