Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-08-17
OMAHA BUILDERS ARE BUSY
Have Many Contracts in Omaha, as
Well as in Other Cities.
EXCHANGE IS MOST POPULAR
NenrIy All the Contractors of Omaha
Are Members of the Omaha
BuiIdcrs' ExchanEe-Plenty
of Work for All.

Omaha builders and contractors manage
to keep busy erecting buildings in this
always fast growing community but being
mostly ambitious a large number of local
contractors have reached out and secured
contracts in cities and towns all over the
west, and this in the face Of the keen COM
petition of the great national construction
companies of recent growth.
Local builders owe a good deal of their
prosperity and success to the existence
of a mutual benefit association and com
pany which came into existence seven
years ago. This is the Omaha Builders eX-
change which was formed for the purpose
of furnishing and regulating suitable rooms
for daily meetings in the city of Omaha;
to promote mechanical and industrial in
terests; to inculcate just and equitable
principles of trade; to establish and main
tain uniformity in commercial usages of
rules and regulations; TO acquire, preserve
and disseminate valuable business informa-
tion to adjust differences and settle dis
putes between members, or between men,
bers and Others and for other purposes con-
ducive to the interests of its members,
especially of a protective nature, and for
the upbuilding of this section of the west"
All this sounds somewhat ambitious, If
not pretentous, but the foregoing purposes
have been carried out by the Builders eX-
change with notable success, and it is
doubtful If there is an organization of the
kind and purpose in Omaha out, in
similar or different line of activity, which
has done more real good for its members,
and always in a quiet and transformations
way, without beating of cymbos blaze
of public trumpet.
Large MembershIp.
The building exchange includes 100 men or
firms or companies in it's ranks numbering
besides contractors and builders all the
large building material supply houses of
the city. The exchange has done notably
well in perfec-ing pleasant and harmonious
relations between the men who buy and the
men who sell building material The active
conduct OF the exchange has always been
as is we'll within the hands of the builders
rather that the material men, but the latter
have had some representation in office or
on the board of directors.
When the exchange was formed and in
corporated in 1903, John II. Harte was
chosen its first president John Reynard
was elected vice president and ]. f, Mer-
Ram was treasurer. John H. Tate was the
first secretary, a position he held for three
years and was then succeeded by c. A.
Crgg, who is still In the position. The
secretaryship is a salaried job, and on the
secretary devolves the routine work of the
| exchange.
In 1904 and 1905 Charles j. johnson was at
the head of the exchange. The vice presi-
| dency in 1904 was held by William p
/ Deverell. Mr. Merriam continuing as treas
urer that year and down to 1909, when he
became president. ]. w. Dow was vice
president in 1905
The next year f, o. Hamilton became
president and Thomas Herd vice president
| In 1867 Mr. Herd stepped up a notch and
Andrew c. Bush become vice president
Mr. Herd was reelected in 1908, the vice
president being A. A. Newman. The year
! following A. C. Busk was again vice presi-
dent and Robert Sanderson treasurer,
succeeding j. r. Merriam, who now held
the highest office OF the exchange.
Present Officers.
For the current year A. C. Busk is presi-
dent, with George Dyball vice president
and Mr.. Sanderson again treasurer.
On the board of directors during these
years, besides the names already mentioned
as officers. appear the following men:
Wallace Fl. Parrish, John REWARD, J.
! Walter Phelps. A. j. Vierling Fred Ruemp-
ing Albert Foil, Walter Peterse A. O
| Borchman, Henry Hamann, Grant Parsons
| David nj. Potter Benjamin Melqust. Lee
| Bridges, Charles Anderson, r. L. Carter
William Redgwick, George Kient. William
]. Creedon A A. Newman and r. c.
/ Stre5iow.
The builders and contractors who belong
to the exchange, and practically all in
| Omaha do, have monthly Informal meet
ing. but the big gathering of the year
comes about the first of January when the
exchange stages a banquet which is one Of
! the most elaborate the city knows each sea-
season. The exchange. of course, does not
/ exist as n money making institution, but
its revenues are such that there is generally
a tidy little balance which can be appro-
prlated to the banquet and this helps to
make the affair a delight to the epicure.
| The rooms of the exchange are I'm the
Elks building on Fifteenth street between
Farnam and Harvey Any business day in
the year number of contractors can be
seen figuring on a job or comforting with
one another
Three of the exchange members have
achieved national reputation by specialize ng.
These are r. o. Strehlow, who has built
exposition buildings all over the country;
o. H. Wiese who has received some of the
largest postoffice building contracts in the
west, and Hamilton Bros. who have gone
in for garrison work, barracks, officer :
quarters and other army buildings.