1926
Otto Keiffer and J. Kirby Risk established the KeifferRisk Battery Company in an abandoned blacksmith
shop on North Second Street in Lafayette, Ind.
Due to illness, Keiffer withdrew from the organization
in the fall of 1926, and George M. Tweedie became
the new partner. The Risk-Tweedie Service Center
leased an adjoining building and added electric
motor rewinding, electrical supplies and electrical
contracting to their automotive electric and battery
company.
March 7, 1926: First transatlantic telephone call (from
London to New York).
September 7, 1927: First electronic television
demonstration.
October 6, 1927: First feature-length motion picture
with sound released. The film was called “The Jazz
Singer.”
1928
1930: Snickers bar released
1932: 3 Musketeers bar released
1933: Kit Kat bar released
December 26, 1933: Edwin Howard Armstrong gets
patent for first FM radio.
1934
February 6, 1935: Parker Brothers starts selling
Monopoly board games.
Laszlo Biro files patent for first ball point pen.
1940
James Wright accidentally invents Silly Putty
(Earl Warrick and Harry Chin have also been credited
with Silly Putty’s invention.)
1927
July 7, 1928: The Chillicothe Baking Company
in Chillicothe, Missouri produced the first sliced
bread using a machine invented by Otto Frederick
Rohwedder.
November 18, 1928: Mickey Mouse first debuts in
Steamboat Willie
1930-1933
The Risk-Tweedie partnership was dissolved. The
firm located in a larger building adjacent to the
original buildings and became known as the Kirby
Risk Electric Company.
Electrical contracting and automotive electrical repair
were discontinued, and the company concentrated
its efforts on the wholesale distribution of electrical
supplies and electrical motor sales and service.
1935-1938
The Lafayette Milling Company building at Third and
Ferry Streets was acquired, and the company moved
to that location in 1941.
1943
1946
February 24, 1951: The first portable ice chest is
invented by Richard C Laramy.
The electrical supply and electric motor sales and
repair segments of the business were incorporated
as two separate companies: Kirby Risk Supply
Company, Inc. and Kirby Risk Electric Motors, Inc.
1951
1953
Kirby Risk Electrical Motors moved into leased
property adjacent to the North Third Street location of
Kirby Risk Supply
1957
The Lafayette Locker Plant building at First and
Smith Streets was acquired, and Kirby Risk Electrical
Motors moved to that location.
June 1957: Wham-O renames Fred Morrison’s Pluto
Platter (1955) to the Frisbee. (Morrison’s original idea
for the flying disc was in 1938 when he sold cake
pans on the beach for people to toss and catch.)
Edgar Villchur invents the acoustic suspension
woofer that reduces bass distortion in a loudspeaker.
Kirby Risk Electric Motors, Inc., changed its name
to Kirby Risk Distribution and Service, Inc., reflecting
the expansion of its operation to include plumbing ,
heating and air conditioning equipment.
1954
1966
1972
The company’s first distribution center, outside of
Lafayette, was established in Columbus, Ind.
1981
March 1981: A distribution center was established in
Danville, Ill.
April 1981: Kirby Risk Supply moved to new
corporate headquarters on Sagamore Parkway in
Lafayette. In conjunction with the move, Kirby Risk
Distribution and Service, Inc., merged with Kirby Risk
Supply Company, Inc. The resulting company retained
the name Kirby Risk Supply Company, Inc.
The electric motor repair operation was named
Kirby Risk Servicenter and expanded its electrical
apparatus repair facilities at First and Smith Streets.
To better serve the Montgomery County market area,
a distribution center opened in Crawfordsville, Ind.
July: A new distribution center was built in
Columbus’ Bartholomew Industrial Park
1983
August: Distribution centers were acquired in
Bedford and Bloomington by purchasing the assets of
Hoosier Electric Supply, Inc.
1975
1982
In order to focus the company’s resources on
the electrical market, the plumbing-heating-air
conditioning business was sold to two former
employees.
September 21, 1981: Motorola makes the first FCC
approved portable cell phone. It cost $3,995.
1984
1985
April: Kirby Risk Supply purchased the assets
of Universal Electric Supply, Inc., which included
electrical distribution centers in Anderson,
Kendallville, Marion, Muncie, New Castle and
Richmond, Ind., and Lima, Ohio, and electrical
apparatus repair facilities in Anderson, Marion and
Muncie.
June: The company opened its 15th electrical
distribution center in Kokomo, Ind.
1989
March: The company opened its 18th electrical
distribution center in Logansport, Ind.
1991
June: Kirby Risk Supply purchased ARCO Electric
Products Corporation, located in Shelbyville, Indiana.
ARCO manufactures phase converters, special
purpose electric motors and power factor correction
capacitors.
October: the Lima, Ohio location moved to a newly
remodeled office and distribution center at 1249
Stewart Road.
December: Kirby Risk Supply purchased Richmond
Electric Company with two electrical supply locations:
Richmond Electric Company in Richmond, Indiana,
and Connersville Electric Supply in Connersville,
Indiana. Richmond Electric Company’s name was
changed to Richmond Electric Supply, and on
March 1, 1993, Connersville Electric Supply changed
its name to Kirby Risk Supply Company.
1993
Kirby Risk Supply opened its 20th electrical supply
location in Shelbyville, Ind.
September: The company opened a distribution
center in Terre Haute, Ind.
1987
August: The company’s 16th distribution center was
established in Frankfort, Ind.
October: Kirby Risk Supply purchased the assets
of Vincennes Electric Supply and relocated the
distribution center to new facilities.
1990
February: Kirby Risk Supply opened its 19th
electrical distribution center in Indianapolis, Ind.
April: After 10 years of operation, the Danville, Ill.
location moved to a newly remodeled office and
distribution center at 1405 E. Main Street.
1992
April: Kirby Risk Supply purchased Johnson
Precision Machine, Inc., located in Lafayette,
Indiana - producing custom parts to strict customer
specifications. Processes performed include turning,
milling, tapping, welding, flame and plasma cutting
and grinding.
December: Kirby Risk Supply purchased Kulwin
Electric Supply with locations in Bloomington,
Indianapolis and Muncie, Ind.
1994
1995
January: Kirby Risk Electrical Supply opened an
electrical supply location in Rensselaer, Ind.
March: The Kirby Risk Electrical Supply location in
Centralia, Ill. was merged into Travelectric. Travelectric
Company changed its name to Kirby Risk Electrical
Supply.
September: Kirby Risk Electrical Supply opened an
electrical supply location in Macomb, Ill.
1997
February: Kulwin Electric Supply in Muncie merged
with Kirby Risk Electrical Supply located in Muncie at
1619 S. Walnut.
May: The name of Kulwin Electric Supply located in
Bloomington, Ind. was changed to Kirby Risk
Electrical Supply.
March: The company name was changed from Kirby
Risk Supply Company, Incorporated to Kirby Risk
Corporation. The new name provided a structure
under which our various operating companies
function. The operating companies include:
• Kirby Risk Electrical Supply - Formerly Kirby Risk
Supply Company.
• Kirby Risk Electric Motor Repair - Formerly Kirby
Risk Servicenter.
• Kirby Risk Service Center - Manufacturing,
assembly, and kitting.
• Kulwin Electric Supply - Electrical supply
distribution.
• Richmond Electric Supply - Electrical supply
distribution.
• ARCO Electric Products Corporation –
Manufactures phase converters, special purpose
electric motors and power factor correction
capacitors.
• Johnson Precision Machining, Inc. – Machining,
turning, milling, tapping, welding, flame and plasma
cutting and grinding.
June: Johnson Precision Machine changed its name
to Kirby Risk Precision Machining.
Kirby Risk Corporation purchased Kiefer Electrical
Supply Company with electrical supply
locations in Peoria, Bloomington/Normal, Centralia,
and Benton, Ill.
September: The Benton and Centralia, Ill., locations
of Kiefer Electrical Supply names were changed to
Kirby Risk Electrical Supply.
October: The Normal and Peoria, Ill., locations of
Kiefer Electrical Supply names were changed to
Kirby Risk Electrical Supply. Kirby Risk Corporation
purchased Travelectric Company located in Centralia,
Ill.
1996
January: Kirby Risk Electrical Supply opened an
electrical supply location in Effingham, Ill.
April: Kirby Risk Electrical Supply opened an
electrical supply location in South Bend, Ind.
May: Kirby Risk Electrical Supply opened an
electrical supply location in La Porte, Ind.
1999
2001
January: Kirby Risk Corporation purchased River
City Electric Supply located in Evansville, Ind. and
changed the name to Kirby Risk Electrical Supply.
February: The Kirby Risk Electrical Supply
Indianapolis Distribution Center located on West 52nd
Street became the major inventory location.
July: Kirby Risk Electrical Supply opened an
electrical supply location in Mt. Vernon, Ill.
December: Kirby Risk Electrical Supply opened an
electrical supply location in Decatur, Ill.
2003
Kirby Risk Electrical Supply opened an electrical
supply location in Springfield, Ill.
2005
November: Kirby Risk Electric Motor Repair
(EMR), Preventive Maintenance Services and Power
Transmission consolidated to form a new business
unit called Mechanical Solutions & Service. (MSS)
December: Kirby Risk Electrical Supply opened an
electrical supply location in Greensburg, Ind.
2007
October: Kirby Risk Manufacturing opened a new
Service Center location in Griffin, Ga.
June: Kirby Risk Electrical Supply at 1185 W. Second
Street, Bloomington merged with Kirby Risk Electrical
Supply at 1622 W. Third Street in Bloomington.
September: Richmond Electric merged with Kirby
Risk Electrical Supply in Richmond, Ind. at 2200
Williamsburg Pike.
November: Kulwin Electric Supply on West 52nd
Street in Indianapolis merged with Kirby Risk
Electrical Supply. The 52nd Street location houses
a satellite counter, the Central Warehouse and the
Electrical Supply’s Automation Team offices.
2002
December: Kirby Risk Electrical Supply opened an
electrical supply location in Champaign, Ill.
2004
March: Kirby Risk Electrical Supply in Benton, Ill.
merged with the Mt Vernon location
November: Kirby Risk Electrical Supply opened an
electrical supply location in Fort Wayne, Ind.
2006
November: Kirby Risk Electrical Supply opened an
electrical supply location in Fishers, Ind.
2013