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Made in America IS % j bß B lEh V;e "'' : “"‘Mi- '?- *■ ’• V- r ''” '" . s IpF ffi ' ffik ■rWE ■ Er !H Bag; \ iC'^ - _ •jEp grag|j - ' -r< r 3'Y s • '<r- ■■ a •==^||[riL-. 1 -' -^g^BBBBBE ■BEB BUB' sway ™ - 'HI BHg .■-.■^uafeji TheVerdin-cast World Pteace Bel! in Newport, Ky., is the world’s largest, free-swinging beU. Ringing for Generations by LORI B. MURRAY The thunderous sound of ringing bells echoes through the Verdin Co.’s 130,000-square-foot factory in Cincinnati, Ohio. Satisfied with the bells’ rich tones, Dave Verdin uses hand gestures to signal an employee to cease ringing the bells. The cast bronze instruments, which weigh from 1,000 to 8,000 pounds each, are bound for a mon astery in St. Benedict, Ore. “The smaller the bell, the faster it rings,” says Verdin, the company’s vice president. “We must get them to ring in a uniform pattern.” Testing the bells is all in a day's work for some of the 130 employees at Ameri cas oldest and largest bell and carillon company, and Ohio’s oldest family-owned manufacturing business. The Verdin Co. dates back to 1842, the year French immigrant brothers Francois and Michael Verdin installed a tower clock at Old St. Mary's Church in Cincinnati. The brothers soon began producing bells and carillons, which now ring at thousands of churches across the nation. Today, the company is led by a fifth generation: cous ins Bob, 73, Dave, 64, and Jim Verdin, 71, who grew up working at the family business, spending their sum mers installing bells and clocks. The men take pride in the fact that the business has remained in the family for 165 years. “It is one of my top priorities to see that it continues,” says company President Jim Verdin, noting that each cousin has a child working at Verdin. Since taking over the business in 1971, the cousins have looked for opportunities to expand. “About 10 years ago, we needed a succession plan,” Jim says. “We had to take the idea of the bell and the clock and turn it into different markets—not just churches.” As a result, the company broadened its reach by manufacturing bronze memorials and clock and bell towers for colleges, municipalities, shopping centers and corporations. With more than 35,000 installations, Verdin products can be found across America, includ ing a bronze veteran’s memorial in Tunica, Miss.; bells Sam Carleton Page 16 Courfesy o^/i e Verdin Co. The Verdin Co., circa 1937 • www.americanprofile.com