erie sauder

A new segment of the furniture industry was born in 1953, when Ohio cabinetmaker Erie J. Sauder (b.1904 d.1997) received the first U.S. patent for a “knock-down” occasional table. Packed flat in a box, the table could be carried home by the consumer and assembled in minutes without tools, hardware or glue. The invention greatly changed the way furniture was manufactured and reduced the size of boxes required to package and ship furniture.  It also led to a wave of ready-to-assemble furnishings that could be marketed in mass merchant discount store chains and delivered inexpensively to the doorsteps of consumers. 

 A self-made man with an eighth-grade education, Mr. Sauder started his woodworking business in 1934 in a barn behind his home in Archbold, Ohio. Originally a builder of custom cabinetry and church pews, he began crafting small occasional tables from leftover wood. In 1940, the workmanship of these tables inspired a traveling salesman to place an order for 25,000. Fueled by rising demand, the new business grew into one of the top five furniture producers in North America, despite two devastating fires in the early years.

 In addition to RTA furniture,  Mr. Sauder also founded Sauder Manufacturing, a leading manufacturer of church furniture and for healthcare and institutional seating. Today, most Sauder Woodworking Co. furniture continues to be produced in Ohio using some of the most technologically advanced equipment in the world. The company’s facilities cover more than five million square feet globally, and its line features more than 70 ready-to-assemble collections, including entertainment, home office, bedroom and kitchen furniture, as well as assembled furniture marketed under the Progressive brand.

 A man of deep faith and giving spirit, Mr. Sauder in 1976 founded Sauder Village, a living history museum. An advocate for higher education, Sauder received honorary doctorates from Ohio State University, Defiance College and Northwest State Community College. He also has been recognized with the Ohio Governor’s Award.