The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1917-02-01
GETS Big ADVANCE IN WORK
viii Have Complete Charge Of Big Plant
Owned by Men Who Are Prominent
In Motor Industry-Win Make His
Home at Riverside After June !.

Jerry w. DeCou, former factory
manager of the plant of the Thomas
B. Jefery Company and connected
with Jeffrey enterprises for more than
twenty years, is going to leave Keno.
sha as it is announced today that he
has been named as general factory
manager of the Smith Forms Truck
Company of Chicago and he will begin
his new duties on next Monday morn
ing. 1t is declared that the contract
between Mr.. DeCou and the Smith
company will make him one Of the
highest salaried men connected with
the automobile industry in this sec
ton of the country. The Smith Form.
a-Truck Company is not an old organi-
cation. 1t has been in business for
only a little over two years, but il
has grown in that time to one of the
largest manufacturers of automobile
truck bodies in the country. It's plant
in Chicago covers more than five acres
of ground and new buildings are now
in course of construction with a view
of making it one of the biggest con-
Germs Of the kind in the country. 1t
is financed by some of the best known
men in the motor car industry and
these men have big plans for the
future of the company. Mr.. DeCou is
to be the direct representative of the
fnanciers in the development of the
business. The contract for the new
position reached Mr.. DeCou just
as he was celebrating his forty
second birthday on Thursday.
ct have always been partial to the
truck idea,'' said DeCou as he was
leaving for the northern lakes for a
few days fishing trip before knuckling
down to the hard problems of automo-
bile production again. FI had hoped
to rest just little longer, but it APP
pears to me that this company had
made such splendid offer to me that
I must take it. The company is now
turning out sixty trucks a day and we
want to increase this production to
two hundred before the end of the
year. In fact, we want to get out fifty
thousand trucks before the end of the
present year. The plant of the
company is modern in every way
and it offers great opportunity
for real production
Mr.. DeCou has resided in Kenosha
for the past thirteen years during
which time he has been connected with
the Jeffrey and Nash companies. lie
resigned his position of factory man-
ager with the Kenosha concern short
" after the sale of it to the present
owners. It is declared that his serv-
ices as factory manager have been
sought by many large companies in the
country. In the near future Mr.. De-
Cou will establish his residence ut
Riverside, I'll. For the next four
months the family of Mr.. DeCou VIII
reside at the Prairie avenue home and
after the close of the school year Mrs.
DeCou and the children will join him
at Riverside where new home will be
built in the meantime.
Many friends of Mr.. DeCou win re-
greet his leaving Kenosha. He has
been active in many movements. He
has served as a member of the Keno
sha Board of Health since its organi
cation and has had an important part
in many civic and social movements in
the city. Mr.. DeCou will give up his
membership on the board of health at
once as. he will be compelled to spend
nearly all of his time in Chicago and
Riverside. It is expected that the
mayor will name a successor on the
board within the next few days.