Industry
The arrival of the train system in Perth County contributed to the success
of the furniture industry in Stratford, Milverton and Listowel. In 1928,
Stratford produced 1/6 of the furniture in Canada. By the 1960s the furniture
industry declined and many of these affluent businesses closed.
St Marys is known as the stone town because many of its buildings are
constructed in limestone. Early quarries mined and produced the stone
before 1900 but in 1912 St. Marys Cement started and continues to be a
main industry today.
During the 1930s and 1940s-1960s, the Stratford Industrial Commission
began efforts for attracting new industry to the city. Although not very
fruitful in the depression years, the commission attracted a number of
automotive factories to the city in the 1950s and the 1960s, as well as
other industry. FAG , formerly Fischer Bearings, celebrates its 50th anniversary
in 2004 and is one of the larger employers in Stratford.
Similar efforts in the smaller towns also brought in a few new industries,
sometimes in competition with Stratford. Listowel established an image
as “car city” promoting the number of large automobile retailers
in the town to attract customers. Other important industries in Listowel
included woolen mills. Spinrite celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2002
but had operated as a mill since 1914. Campbell Soups opened in Listowel
in the 1960s creating a major employer to the area.
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