Frommelt Industries Inc. Throwback Tri-Blend Hoodie

This design is one-of-a-kind and found only at Dubuque Clothing Co. — the Frommelt Industries Inc. Throwback Tri-Ble hoodie is made from a premium tri-blend fleece and finished with high-quality, soft inks built to last.

Company founder Ludwig Frommelt was born right in Dubuque on April 11, 1866, and spent years working for the A. A. Cooper Wagon and Buggy Company before striking out on his own — buying the awning and tent business in 1923 and building it into the safety-equipment manufacturer that bore his name. Beyond the shop floor, he was an active member of the Dubuque Chamber of Commerce and a steady supporter of the St. Vincent de Paul Society. He lived to see the company grow for decades, passing away in Dubuque in May 1955.

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Frommelt Industries was a manufacturer of doors, screens, safety shields, fire-resistant clothing, and industrial safety equipment. In 1909 Ludwig Frommelt, a former employee of the A. A. COOPER WAGON AND BUGGY COMPANY, bought the awning and tent company once owned by Augustin A. COOPER. Frommelt named his business the DUBUQUE AWNING & TENT COMPANY. It was renamed Frommelt Industries, Inc. in 1950.

The company, operating within a fifty-mile radius of Dubuque, included Ludwig who personally made the measurements of each item ordered, his wife Mary, and five employees who worked in manufacturing. Fire destroyed the company in 1925, but Meyer's Grocery (a satisfied customer) offered Frommelt the back of their store until a new location could be found.

Frommelts worked in the grocery until 1928 when the company was moved to a building at Third and Main STREETS. A major part of the business during the 1920s was the manufacture of home awnings. Commercial awnings were also manufactured with complete installations of the company's products within 100 miles of Dubuque. Growth, slow during the GREAT DEPRESSION, turned to boom years after WORLD WAR II. Inventions by Cyril P. FROMMELT, including a welding screen that protected eyes from welding sparks and prevented the sparks from spreading, led to the development in 1950 of the Frommelt Safety Division located along Kerper Blvd.

Reference: Encyclopedia Dubuque — Ludwig Frommelt