Born the son of Russian immigrants who settled in Geneva, Florida, he learned his trade as a machinist and welder while working on the railroad.

He finished that part of his long career working for Henry Flagler on the East Coast Railway which eventually stretched from Miami to Key West, Florida.

My father truly lived the American dream. He cherished the freedom to work hard and the opportunity to earn his eventual success through an honest day's labor. At the time, jobs were hard to find in Miami and the work he was able to find was arduous, but he was undeterred.

In 1916, after mastering his trade and completing his work on the railway, he started his own small business and named it the 7th Street Bicycle Repair and Welding Company.

Keeping his business alive during the ensuing Depression was one of his life's greatest challenges. The fact that he persevered despite this adversity and ultimately achieved and even exceeded his goals is characteristic of the determined spirit that he passed on to his family and to many of our company's employees.

My father often said, "Great Oaks From Little Acorns Grow." He believed a great enterprise could grow through hard work and determination and with the help of a distinguished name.

Thus, as the business grew and prospered, he changed its name to U.S. Welding and Machine Company and later to U.S. Welding and Iron Works. In 1937, he changed the name to the United States Foundry & Manufacturing Corporation, which it remains today. My father worked at the company until he was eighty years of age, and was very proud of his life's-work.

Today, our company has grown to a forest of "Great Oaks", still reflecting the same values that my father instilled so many years ago.

Sincerely

Alex DeBogory, Jr.
President