CONTACT US Culture & History Paragon D&E is an industry leader with innovative expertise in building injection molds, compression molds, and other specialty tools for the plastics industry. Paragon also holds a 2019 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For title, thanks to hard work and dedication to workplace engagement and a commitment to promoting a healthy and happy workplace. Explore the unique history and culture of Paragon, from 1942 to today. 1942 Paragon Tool and Die is founded 1959 Incorporated as Paragon Die and Engineering 1962 Fred M. Keller purchases Paragon Die and Engineering for $1 1968 Paragon moves from Middleville to 36 Street facility in Grand Rapids 1970 Paragon transitions from die cast tooling to injection molds Fred M. Keller invests in equipment and emerging computer technology 1973 Fred M. Keller’s son, Fred P. Keller, starts Cascade Engineering in Paragon’s facility 1980 Paragon’s technology cuts mold-building time in half, crucial to automotive customers 1985 CAD/CAM milling from 3D wire frame design transferred by floppy disk 1987 Fred M. Keller moves Paragon into a newly-built 82,500 square foot facility on 33rd St. 1989 Strong growth leads to an additional 20,000 square feet of space 1994 Fred M. Keller steps down from his leadership role and fully retires six years later 1997 largest injection mold for the Chrysler CCV 2002 Paragon ventures into compression molding with the addition of a 3,000 ton press 2005 Paragon begins diversification into Aerospace and its AS9100 quality system 2006 Third generation Keller, Dave Muir, becomes President 2007 Paragon continues to branch out with Defense and Nuclear contracts 2009 Paragon achieves ITAR registration and, in 2010, NQA-1 quality system Paragon installs the world’s largest double gantry machine 2011 Paragon grows to over 200 employees 2012 Paragon adds a 25,000 square foot addition, making the building 165,000 square feet 2013 Receives U.S. patent for Type AF model 9979 Nuclear Waste Containment Barrel 2014 Paragon acquires Rio Grande Tool in Brownsville, Texas 2017 Paragon celebrates 75 years as a company 2017 Paragon breaks ground on a 25,000 square foot addition 2018 Paragon completes 25,000 square foot addition 2019 Chetos installed Company 5225 33rd St. SE Grand Rapids, MI 49512 (616) 949-2220 (616) 949-2536 info@paragonde.com Stay in Touch Employee Store Pages ABOUT INDUSTRIES SERVICES CAREERS CONTACT US Get the Latest News Certifications NUCLEAR PACKAGING © 2021 Paragon D&E, All Rights Reserved Web design and digital marketing by Valorous Circle LLC