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Dramm Corporation History
Dramm Corporation has been a leader in watering tools and accessories for over 60 years. Imagine, it all started with a man named John G. Dramm and his invention that revolutionized the way greenhouses, nurseries and gardeners water their plants.
John G. Dramm inspects the "Corrette Crepe Paper Crimper", one of his many inventions. Before the use of colored aluminum foil as a wrap around potted plants, florists used crepe paper to enhance the appeal of plants they sold.
In the 1940s, John G. Dramm owned and produced cut flowers in a florist shop in Manitowoc, WI. Johnny, as everyone knew him, always had a passion and a gift for invention. In order to water greenhouse crops quickly, Johnny saw the need for a nozzle which would apply very large quantities of water but in a soft stream. Thus, he designed the 400 Water Breaker which applied water with no damage to plants. This nozzle is the standard of commercial growers world wide.
The company developed from a basement operation‚ to a 55,000 sq. ft. facility, employing over 50 people. News quickly spread about this innovative watering tool and requests for the new nozzle began filtering in. Johnny continued to work in his floral shop during the day and would construct the 400 Water Breaker orders at night. As the neighborhood business was starting to take off tragedy struck. John G. Dramm passed away suddenly in 1951 at age 47. He was survived by is wife, Perdita, with two sons ages 12 and 18.
His family had no Social Security benefits and now struggled to keep the business going. Subcontracting the parts and assembly, Perdita packed the orders, attended to all of the paperwork and using her lunch hours while she worked as a school librarian drove to the post office and mail out the shipments. Taking no salary from the Dramm Company, Perdita used the modest profits to put her two sons through college.
After the two boys went to college they continued the tradition of contributing to the growth of the family business. By the late 1950s and into the early 1960s, John Peter, the older son, started working out of his own basement but later he worked himself up. He rented a small factory and gave it the name Dramm Manufacturing Company. Like his father, he had a natural panache for invention. He evolved into a self-taught engineer, designing a quality selection of Dramm products.
In 1967, younger brother Kurt William, the born salesman of the family, purchased The Dramm Company from his mother, Perdita. Although there were two companies, being a close family, they operated as one entity.
While the original products were designed for the professionals working in greenhouses and nurseries, requests from the public were building. The avid home gardener wanted to use the same watering tools the pros were using. And the pros were all using Dramm.
In 1978 at an early age of 45, John P. Dramm passed away and the two companies became one under the name Dramm Corporation.
Family involvement is so integral to the growth and success of the company and is still a vital ingredient today. Throughout the history of the business both John and Kurt's children have had roles in the Dramm Corporation. Kurt Dramm's daughter Heidi appears in many of Dramm's commercials and lifestyle photos and son-in-law Kurt Becker is the Director of Commercial Products and Marketing.
Today, Dramm continues to provide quality, durable and professional watering tools, accessories and natural fertilizers to nurseries, greenhouses and avid gardens nationwide. Dramm strives to produce products that will last a lifetime.
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