Mercury Aircraft
Mercury Aircraft Inc., Hammondsport, NY. The company is a fourth generation family business. A pioneer in the U.S. aircraft industry, it was founded in 1920 by Joseph F. Meade, then a chief engineer for Glenn Curtis, as a manufacturer of spare parts for the Curtis Jenny airplane. The firm moved from Long Island to Hammondsport, where it designed and manufactured its own line of airplanes in the 1930s. During World War II, Mercury Aircraft assisted the war effort by manufacturing parts and assemblies for a variety of aircraft. After the war, Mercury focused its manufacturing efforts to non-aircraft, peacetime uses, with product lines including school bus and truck bodies and baby strollers. In 1948, Mercury began manufacturing components for IBM and continues to do so today. The company main focus now is in metals fabrication and the manufacture of products assembled with plastic, metal and electronic components. The firm employs 1,100 people, including three generations of the Meade family: Joseph F. Meade Jr., chairman of the board; Joseph F. Meade III, president; and Joseph F. Meade IV, a college student who works at Mercury Aircraft during the summer and holidays.