History of Jay R. Smith Mfg Co.®

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Jay R. Smith Mfg. Co.

Prospering under the third generation of Smith management, the Jay R. Smith Mfg. Co.® has been developing innovative engineered plumbing and drainage products for more than 80 years. This prosperity is the direct result of the company’s commitment to its customers, representatives, vendors, and employees.

 In the 1920s, Jay L. Smith, a New York salesman for the National Lead Company, saw a growing need for brass and bronze specialties. Arranging to have his products manufactured by other foundries, Mr. Smith began his fledging corporation in his basement on Manhattan’s 94th Street in 1926. It was established on a solid foundation of fair dealing and customer service. Mr. Smith called his new business Jay R. Smith Mfg. Co.® after his son Jay R. Smith.

By the 1930’s the brass business was growing rapidly enough to justify the services of a full-time employee. That first employee was Mr. Smith’s 19-year-old son, Jay R. Smith, who gave up his twin careers at the time – semi-pro baseball and professional musician – to join his father in the brass fittings business.

In the 1930’s, an expansion into marine products precipitated a move to Newark, New Jersey. During a time of national economic distress, the value and commitment to customer satisfaction resulted in further expansion and continued success. In 1942, with the war effort only months old, management shifted to Jay R. Smith following the death of his father at the age of 77. Growth after World War II resulted in a much needed move and expansion to a new facility in Union, New Jersey and later to Piscataway, New Jersey.

Jay R. Smith Mfg. Co.Sixteen years later, in 1978, Jay R. Smith retired and the company moved to its present location in Montgomery, Alabama. The plant is located on a 33-acre site in Gunter Industrial Park. The facility contains over 225,000 square feet of office, manufacturing, and warehouse capacity.

Today, Jay R. Smith Mfg. Co.® is headed and owned by the president Jay L. Smith, grandson and namesake of the founder. Three generations of family ownership, coupled with a nationwide network of committed sales representatives and service centers, have enabled Jay R. Smith Mfg. Co.® to meet the demanding requirements of wholesalers, engineers, and contractors by adhering to its mission: “To be The Company of Choice in the Specification Plumbing and Drainage Industry.