DAVIDSON, N.C. — Ingersoll Rand, a world leader in creating and sustaining safe, comfortable and efficient environments, announced the two winners of its 2012 Oldest Tool and Compressor Photo Contest. Huston Wyeth of St. Joseph, Mo., submitted his company’s 1936 reciprocating air compressor and won a new Garage Mate Single-Stage Air Compressor. Floyd Hudson of Montoursville, Pa., entered his great-grandfather’s air hammer from the 1930s and won a new cordless drill.
The Oldest Tool and Compressor Photo Contest ran from Sept. 17 through Dec. 30, 2012. To enter, participants filled out an entry form on the Ingersoll Rand Facebook page and uploaded an image of their oldest working compressor or tool. Ingersoll Rand uploaded the contest photos to the online family scrapbook.
Huston Wyeth, president of the retail and promotional packaging company, Bags & Boxes 2, heard about the contest from his Ingersoll Rand representative, Kenny Payne. Payne persuaded him to enter his company’s 1936 reciprocating air compressor, which claimed the oldest compressor title.
“A salesman offered to buy the old compressor to put on display,” Wyeth said. “We decided not to sell it because it had not hiccupped in almost 100 years.”
The great-grandfather of current building owner, Chuck Hamilton, originally purchased the compressor. It was used to power the manufacturing equipment in the Hamilton family business, St. Joseph Paper Box. Today, that building is home to Bags & Boxes 2, and the compressor operates the company’s dry sprinkler system.
“It’s important to have a reliable compressor that just runs and runs,” Hamilton said. “We’ve never had any issues with it over the past 80 years.”
The oldest tool winner, Floyd Hudson, found his great-grandfather’s air hammer while cleaning out a garage cabinet. His great-grandfather Harry P. Keyte Jr. was a boilermaker in the iron industry. Hudson and his mother, Charlotte, believe Keyte received the tool while working at E. Keeler Company in Pennsylvania during the 1930s. Hudson looks forward to using his new cordless drill on car and home remodeling projects.
“I was searching the Internet trying to find more information about the air hammer, when I stumbled across the Facebook contest,” Hudson said. “I didn’t think I would have the oldest tool, but I sent in a photo anyway.”
To view other fan-submitted photos in the family scrapbook, visit blog.ingersollrandproducts.com/blog/uncategorized/ingersoll-rand-family-scrapbook/.
About Ingersoll Rand
Ingersoll Rand (NYSE:IR) advances the quality of life by creating and sustaining safe, comfortable and efficient environments. Our people and our family of brands — including Club Car®, Ingersoll Rand®, Schlage®, Thermo King® and Trane® — work together to enhance the quality and comfort of air in homes and buildings, transport and protect food and perishables, secure homes and commercial properties, and increase industrial productivity and efficiency. Ingersoll Rand products range from complete compressed air systems, tools and pumps to material and fluid handling systems. The diverse and innovative products, services and solutions enhance our customers’ energy efficiency, productivity and operations. Ingersoll Rand is a $14 billion global business committed to a world of sustainable progress and enduring results within our company and for our customers. For more information, visit ingersollrand.com or ingersollrandproducts.com.
