BNET Industries

The Ohio Art Company Inc.

is in the Manufacturing Industry

Last Fiscal Year Sales:$19.8M
  • Private
  • US
Dow Jones Description

Capitalizing on its metal stamping and printing capabilities, Ohio Art entered the toy business with windmills in 1917 and a "climbing monkey" in 1919. As the American toy industry grew during and after World War I, Ohio Art's toy production expanded to include colorful tea sets and drums. In the late 1950's, Andre Cassagnes, an electrician in France, stumbled upon the idea of creating a drawing toy with a joystick, glass and aluminum powder. Cassagnes called this early concept, the "Telecran", which, through relationships with key business partners, made it?s way to Winzeler. Winzeler connected Cassagnes with Jerry Burger, Chief Engineer at the Ohio Art Company, so they could collaborate and perfect the system. The system they developed in the late 1950s is the same system that is at the core of the Etch A Sketch today. Also in the 1950's, W.C. Killgallon joined the Ohio Art Company. Today the Ohio Art Company is still operated by the Killgallon family. In 1960, the Etch A Sketch went into production and the first one rolled off the Bryan, Ohio factory line on July 12, 1960. Today, with Etch A Sketch still one of the cornerstones of the activity aisle, Ohio Art proudly markets gobs of special toys including Magna Doodle , the original magnetic drawing toy. Magna Doodle was invented by four Japanese engineers at the Pilot Pen Corporation who set out to develop the first "dustless chalkboard," a tool intended for the business world...

Chairman & CEO
William Killgallon
Number of Employees 105
Contact Information

One Toy St

Bryan, Ohio 43506-0111

www.ohioart.com

(419) 636-3141

NAICS Code All Other Plastics Product Manufacturing: 326199

Recent Events

  • Gerald Sindell: Etch-A-Sketch and Google Announce E-Books for Kids

    10/16/09 - Joint Venture / Alliance - View Story

News & Analysis

the ohio art company inc. - All News and Analysis

Decision Makers

Name (plus bio) Position
Larry Killgallon President & COO
Jeff Morris CFO, Senior Vice President, Sales & Operations
J. D. Wood Vice President, Res & Development
J.F. Gostkowski Vice President, Operations
Jo Wood Vice President, R & D
John Gostkowski Vice President of, Lithographic Operations
Dedra Walters Director of Domestic Sales
John Dwyer Manager, Natl Sales
Sherrell Kimpel Manager, HR
William R. Wolfrum Manager, MIS
Teresa C. Hess Controller
Lauren Grande

Board of Directors

Name (plus bio) Position
William Killgallon Chairman & CEO
Martin Killgallon Board of Directors

Organization Position Status
The Ohio Art Company, Inc. Chairman & CEO Current
The Ohio Art Company, Inc. Board of Directors Current

Organization Position Status
The Ohio Art Company, Inc. President & COO Current
Etch A Sketch President & Coo Current
Dartmouth College Undergraduate Degree Former

Jeff Morris recalls playing with his first Etch A Sketch in Otwell, Indiana when he was a child. Now, he's proudly sharing the magic of Etch A Sketch with his own children in their Fort Wayne, Indiana home. But, probably due to the influence of his three daughters, Jeff admits that his favorite Ohio Art toy is actually Betty Spaghetty she comes apart but she's soooooo together! Jeff is The Ohio Art Company's head number-cruncher, aka CFO and Treasurer. He always excelled at math so going into Finance was an easy decision for him. Jeff is also a CPA with a strong business background including an Accounting degree from Indiana University, an MBA from the University of Chicago and an impressive resume of corporate executive positions including Director of Corporate Accounting and Financial Analysis and Manager of Corporate Development at a FORTUNE 500 company. When he's not tending to Ohio Art's fiscal well-being, Jeff enjoys keeping himself healthy by running and spending time with his wife, son and three daughters.

Organization Position Status
The Ohio Art Company, Inc. CFO, Senior Vice President, Sales & Operations Current

Organization Position Status
The Ohio Art Company, Inc. Vice President, Res & Development Current

Organization Position Status
The Ohio Art Company, Inc. Vice President, Operations Current

Organization Position Status
The Ohio Art Company, Inc. Vice President, R & D Current
Etch A Sketch Vice President of, Research & Development Current
Hasbro, Inc. Former

Ohio Art's renowned reputation in the metal lithography business is due in large part to this man, John Gostkowski. John is the Vice President of Lithographic Operations at Ohio Art and also happens to be one of the most experienced metal lithographers in the business! John loves what he does and who he works with and, boy, does it show! Since coming to Bryan, Ohio in 1998, John has worked to establish Ohio Art's lithography business as one of the premier operations in the world. Prior to joining Ohio Art, John worked as Director of Operations at USCAN in Weirton, WV. As a child growing up in Sayreville, New Jersey, John loved history. He also loved the challenge of trying to create a curved line on his Etch A Sketch. To this day, he cites Etch A Sketch as his favorite toy. When he's not glued to his Etch A Sketch working on that perfect curved line, John enjoys playing golf and baseball and spending time with his wife and four children.

Organization Position Status
The Ohio Art Company, Inc. Vice President of, Lithographic Operations Current

Organization Position Status
The Ohio Art Company, Inc. Director of Domestic Sales Current

Organization Position Status
The Ohio Art Company, Inc. Manager, Natl Sales Current

Organization Position Status
The Ohio Art Company, Inc. Manager, HR Current

Organization Position Status
The Ohio Art Company, Inc. Manager, MIS Current

Organization Position Status
The Ohio Art Company, Inc. Controller Current

Organization Position Status
The Ohio Art Company, Inc. Current

Organization Position Status
Etch A Sketch Director of Marketing Current
The Ohio Art Company, Inc. Board of Directors Current
The Ohio Art Company, Inc. Senior Vice President, Marketing & Product Dev Former
The Ohio Art Company, Inc. Director of Marketing Former
The Ohio Art Company, Inc. Marketing Executive Former
Auburn University MBA Former
The University of Georgia Bachelors Degree In Marketing Former