Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1911-07-30
Business Houses that Lead in Omahas Rapid Progress

this line OF work, Is acknowledged to have
the largest output OF any manufacturing
plant in the world which confines its at
tention solely to the manufacture of the
smaller sort Of machines for ice-making
and refrigerating This company, which
was established but three years ago, has
advanced by leaps and bounds until today
it has an annual output OF approximately
$4,000 per year and its large factory at
Twentieth and lizard streets is kept running
overtime to supply the demand.
The company is placing it's product in all
parts of the United States and North
America, and there are now only three
states in the union where Baker machines
are not installed. The mechanics which
the company employs are all skilled and
highly-paid men, and as a result about 80
per cent Of the vast income which this
company receives from other states re-
mains in Omaha. Mr.. Baker of the COM
pany is confident of the future and states
that the usefulness of refrigerating ma
chinery is only beginning to be appre-
ciated.
Manufacturing Druggists.
Reaching farther into the west for their
trade than almost any other group of
wholesalers and manufacturers, the local
drug jobbing men and pharmaceutical
manufactures although both indusues
are comparatively new to Omaha, are es-
tabllshing themselves more and more firmly
every year and IL the present rate of in
crease continues will soon prove formidable
rivals for the Detroit and st. Louis con-
Germs. which are the country's largest.
The territory which belongs almost ex-
clusively to Omaha's drug manufacturers
and jobbers comprises Nebraska, South
Dakota, Kansas and western Iowa, but
these firms, especially the wholesalers,
are constantly booking orders from the
western coast states and the amount Of
trade which they secure yearly from what
was primarily the territory OF the drug men
of other cities is enormous.
Candy Manufacturing.
Confectionery manufactured in Omaha in
1910 was valued at $4,000, and IL business
for the present year continues in the same
ratio it has set during this spring and sum-
mer with the heavy winter and holiday
trade when the middle west leans on
Omaha to fill the stockings on the Christ
mas tree, this amount will be materially
eclipsed Omaha has seven thriving candy
factories which supply large amount of
the sweetmeats for the people of the mid
die west
The d. J. O'Brien Candy company of
this city is the largest concern of the
kind west of the Missouri river and is
growing with rapid strides. Three hundred
thousand dollars of the confectionery bust
ness passes through this concern, which
was established but ten years ago.
The company was first organized by Mr..
O'Brien on South Thirteenth street and
later moved to 1902-4 Howard street, where
. o. H..
room made the erection of the present
building at Douglas and Eighth streets
necessary. The first years the O'Brien
Candy company produced s125,00O worth of
confectionery, which has since practically
tripled in volume. At the new factory,
which has floor space of 6O,oOO square
feet, all heat is produced by manufactured
gas, and one of the cleanest kitchens in
the country is maintained. One hundred
and eighty men and women are employed
in the factory and fourteen statesmen are
kept on the road, covering Iowa, Nebraska,
Kansas, South Dakota, Wyoming and other
states.
Wholesale Clothing Trade.
Probably the first commercial industry
of Omaha to enter the western wholesale
field was clothing. This city holds its rank
us the market town in the wholesale cloth
ing business as well as in the scores OF
other industries and by reason of the
years in which that particular trade has
been worked up is stronger in respect to
wholesale clothing selling than in any other.
The trade for Omaha extends from the
Mississippi river to the coast in just the
same extent Omaha's other wholesale
enterprises reach that field. All the big
clothing houses of the city, which includes
concerns which handle dry goods and which
manufacture them, are out in open and
very stern competition with Chicago ST.
| Louis and the other great markets further
east. The factory output of clothing in
Omaha in 1909 amounted to $2,S75,OOO In
1910 it amounted to s2.5OO,OOO.
| Omaha Shoe Industry.
The shoe industry, both the wholesale
and manufacturing phases is one of
Omaha's half dozen mainstays. The fnan-
cial magnitude Of the business is indicated
by the report last year that the manufac-
tured output reached SS5O.OOO and the whole
! sale business amounted to So 100000.
| 1t is declared that the advent of whole
sale boot and shoe houses in Omaha has
had the greatest sort Of an effort in bring
| ing into being countless retail shoe stores
| throughout the west. 1t is to the Omaha
market that the dealers throughout the
west look for their catalogues and adver-
Using matter. To this end the shoe concerns
of Omaha have become educated to a
high degree in the production of shoe liter
allure of the excellence found nowhere else
In the land. The footwear industry is made
to cover a large range OF products under
that general head in Omaha. 1t includes
the production and distribution OF shoes,
boots, rubbers and a variety of leather
goods and incidentals. This scheme OF
handling a large variety OF products with
out regard to specialization in no other
line has become so distinctive of Omaha
as in the shoe industry. II seems to be
a proof that close specialization is not
justified in the west. il. in fact, anywhere,
and that a big business built upon trade
in related articles will be more apt to
| succeed and will reach vastly greater vol
ume than does a business combining itself
to a single article.
| Omaha Cracker Business.
Omaha is rapidly becoming one OF the
important cracker centers of the west, and
approximately six carloads OF the product
are produced each day A large per-
centage of this is consumed in Omaha,
while thirty-four statesmen distribute train
loads OF it over the entire middle west, in
GLIDING the states OF Iowa. northern Mis-
souri,. northern Kansas, Wyoming. South
Dakota and the BLACK Hills country In