The age-herald., 1901-09-08
A MAMMOTH FIRM
 FOR BIRMINGHAM
Alabama Grocery Company,
 Capital Stock $200,000
BIG INTERESTS MERGED
Simmons, Durham 6 Go. and the Me- MiIlan-lee Go. Join Forces-Two Prominent Commercial Firms
 Become One.

In the Alabama Grocery Company" which filed articles of incorporation with the judge of probate yesterday, Birming- ham will have a mammoth wholesale gro- cery house of the most modern and up- to-date methods and capacity, with a capital stock of s2OO, ,O0O The new firm is brought about by the merging of the in- terests of the McMinan-Lee Company and Simmons, Durham & Company, two of the leading wholesale grocery houses of North Alabama. Each of these houses has been doing a yearly business of about $5O0,000, and 1t is not unreasonable to predict that each of the merged in- terests will carry its customers with 1t and that Birmingham will have whole sale grocery firm whose sales will aggre- gate approximately s1,0OO,O0O per annum. Such a firm, controlling such a large trade as must needs come to it, cannot but add greatly to the reputation of the city as a jobbing center. The incorpora- tors of the Alabama Grocery Company are S. w. Lee of the McMlnan-Lee Com pany, and c. S. Simmons and w. T. Simmons of Simmons, Durham 6 Com pany. It is understood that MT. Lee is to be president of the new concern, MT. w. T. Simmons vice president, and MT c. s. Simmons secretary and treasurer MT. c. S. Simmons will have charge of the financial interests of the firm.
 McMilan-Lee Company and Simmons Durham & Company have been part and parcel of Birmingham, their travelling representatives penetrating as far as .lr,1r rl1,.. .f4 IA hsa hftdf ness conducted of each house establishing 1t firmly with the retail mercantile trade all over the section in which the two houses have done business. Both firms grew with Birmingham and have had no little to do with the extension of the city's prominence in the commercial world. The same management in the ooalesced interests will direct them and the maintainance os the same policies which have won success for the old firms insures the prosperity of the new organi- zation.
 All the special brands of goods handled or manufactured by the two firms accrue to the new firm Among these may bs mentioned the extremely popular Ala bama Brand" of rolled oats and Snow Drop Baking Powder and other articles manufactured by the McMillan-Lee Com> pany and one of the leading sources of
 
 tion From the firm of Simmons, Durmar, & Company wfn come the exclusive con trol in this market of Ballard's Obelis< Flour. P and F. brand of Open Kettle Molasses. Sauer's Old Dominion Extracts and many other well known and popular grocery commodities. The large and mod- ern cigar department of Simmons, Dur ham and Company goes to the new llrm' and will be maintained in the same inoo- ern manner as heretofore
 Simmons Durham X Company IS a household name in Birmingham. Messrs c. S. and W. T. Simmons and J. R. r. Dur ham came to Birmingham from Georg'a in 1885. with modest capital and founded the wholesale grocery house or Slm- mons, Durham & Company. It was veuturesome undertaking at that time, hut nluclx and energy trumphed, and the firm grew in prosperity and enlargement
 with the years until it became one Of the brides of the city. A splendid conduct Of business affairs won and retained the confidence of every customer ana kef-t merchant once on the books of the nrm there always. o,. many. which was founded about ten years ago Mr S. w. Lee. who came here from Aberdeen Miss, has been from the pe- ginning the controlling spirit In that cor poration, and to him Is due the rapid growth of its popularity ana pusihess success. MT Lees ventures in the man. ufacturing line have especially been re- warded. his brands of goods being among the best known and most sought for In the Alabama market. His nrm, as that of Simmons, Durham 6 Company, has been a conspicuous factor in the uppuiid- ing of the city. These two firms nave widened Birmingham's jobbing trade lines year after year, and the city has reaped an indirect advantage of the most valuable kind in the extension of their business operations.
 MT. J. R. P. Durham, who was a mem her of the firm of Simmons, Durham x Company will not be connected with the new firm. Some time ago MT. Durham organized the Alabama Mill and Elevator Company and that business will consume all his time and attention, and he. there fore. will not be a factor in the new firm.
 MT S. w Lee is one of the most promi- nent of Birmingham's mercantile spirits, and the same may be said of the Messrs. simmons They know every detail of the wholesale grocery business. It goes With out saving that the Alabama Grocery Company will be mammoth success, ana that it will add greatly to the pride and reputation of Birmingham as jobbing center.