The late 1920s saw a significant transition in management for the Roland T. Oakes Company. In 1929, John M. Newton became the President of the corporation upon the death of Arthur Newell.
Arthur Newell had been the company's President since 1912, when Roland T. Oakes retired. Mr. Newell had started with the business in 1886. At barely 20, he became a business partner with Roland T. Oakes.
The times were changing. Advertising was gaining significance in enticing people to shop at the company's store for lighting, the latest in console radios, and kitchen appliances. Residential electric services and repair work were becoming more mainstream. The company carried parts and components, such as radio tubes, for both do-it-yourselfers and electricians. The company expanded into carrying fireplace accessories. The company continued to evolve to meet the times and needs of the public.
Commercial work was a staple for likely Holyoke's oldest and highly respected electrical contractors. The company was successful in winning bids for the electrical work at the new Holyoke Savings Bank Building at the northwest corner of Suffolk and Chestnut Streets in 1928.
The company was at the forefront of municipal work. Certain facets of electrical projects were awarded to the company. When street lights were planned for Appleton Street from Maple to Pleasant Streets in 1930, Roland T. Oakes Company installed the underground fiber ducts to carry the electrical lines. In the following year, it was awarded a similar contract for additional underground wiring on Maple Street between Dwight and Appleton Streets.
In 1928, the company formed the Oaks Acorn Smokers' Club. The group brought together prominent engineers from throughout New England to network and share information. The first meeting held that year drew 67 engineers. The meetings were held at Arcadia Hall, which was on the second floor of the business at 271 Appleton Street. The monthly meeting routinely drew over 200 engineering professionals. One meeting was attended by over 250 people in 1934. Programs held attracted engineers from as far west as Chicago.
In 1930, contracts were awarded to perform electrical installation services for the new Plains and Center Schools in South Hadley.
On March 15, 1933, the company opened a wholesale electrical supply store at 92 Columbus Ave. in Pittsfield. Given its central regional location, the company would supply electrical contractors from Canaan, CT, Berkshire County, to Bennington, VT. The company had previously been servicing that area from Holyoke.
In October 1934, the company formed a sister corporation, Oakes Electrical Supply Company, which handled the wholesale portion of the business.
In 1935, the company celebrated its 50th year in business. The Oaks Acorn Smokers' Club invited eminent speakers from colleges and industry to present on forward-thinking topics such as hydroelectric power and the future of engineers.
Sixty employees attended a celebratory gathering at Losen Lodge, the summer home of the Newtons in Brimfield. The event also celebrated Mr. John Newton's 25 years of employment with the company.
As the company celebrates its 50th anniversary, this is a good time to salute its electrical accomplishments.
Electrification & Location:
Lyman Mills, Holyoke
Germania Mills, Holyoke
Wm. Skinner & Sons, Holyoke
Keith Paper Co., Turners Falls, MA
Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations: Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript & Transcript-Telegram; Springfield (Massachusetts) Republican; publication dates and pages are shown.
Holyoke - Chicopee A Perspective, Ella Merkel Dicarlo, Publisher Transcript-Telegram, Holyoke, Massachusetts, 1982
Ancestry.com (paid subscription), Price & Lee City Directories, Holyoke, Massachusetts.
Assessors' Office, City of Holyoke, Massachusetts
MACRIS, Massachusetts Cultural Research Information System
Registry of Deeds, Hampden County, Springfield, Massachusetts
(271-275 Appleton Street Business Location 1907-1956)
(Continuation of Column 3 from above)
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