1986 fire, among Sheboygan’s biggest, turned into ‘a blessing in disguise’ for this local company
SHEBOYGAN – Normally, a fire the size of the LakeshoreDisplay Co. fire in 1986 would dominate the front page of the Press, but the Challenger Explosion Jan. 28 took over the top spot with that tragic report.
The blaze began under the cloak of a cold and dark winter night. Shortly before 2:21 a.m., the fire alarm sounded.
"We had every piece of fire equipment at the scene," observed Battalion Chief Herb Herman, who commanded the operation. All on-duty and off-duty city firemen, he said, were called along with town of Sheboygan and Black River fire departments. At the time the firm, located along Washington Avenue, had a contractual agreement with the city of Sheboygan for fire protection services.
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The firm in 1986, with 70 employees, was planning to expand before the fire with a $1.5 million industrial development that would grow the plant by more than half. The bond itself would create some complexities, requiring it to remain in the town of Sheboygan until the bond was satisfied.
Months following the fire, in August 1986, the company asked to be hooked up to City of Sheboygan water despite being in the town of Sheboygan. The hook-up to city water was approved in a 12-2 vote by the city council. However, the company would be required to be annexed into the city limits when the bond was satisfied.
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A $2 million fire under most circumstances could have been a death knell for any business. Right from the onset, the company planned to rebuild. In a Press article the day after the fire, company President David Casper, along with his three sons, said they would rebuild the firm.
A few years later, in a 1992 Press article, Casper said, "The fire was a blessing in disguise, but you couldn't have told us that when it happened." He said it took about two years for them to fully rebuild.
The fire was noted as being one of the big fires in Sheboygan's history, according to the Press archives and the Sheboygan Fire Department.
The company was on a path of growth between 1972 and 1986. The facility expanded to 50,000 square feet for creating its displays. It was a far cry from when the company operated out of a two-car garage.
According to the company's website, the multi-generation firm got its start in 1944 as a wooden toy manufacturer and later a retail store that sold lumber and hardware under the direction of George Casper. It wasn't until in the 1950s the company changed its focus when David Casper, a second-generation member, moved the company to producing point-of-purchase displays. Casper closed the retail division and focused on point-of-purchase products.
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Following the 1986 fire, a 180,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art manufacturing facility was built. By then, the third generation began to run the company.
In 2012, the firm's management was restructured with Aaron Casper, a fourth-generation member, along with third-generation members Daniel and Lisa Casper. The family has since kept the focus on maintaining Lakeshore Display's reputation as one of the top-ranked point-of-purchase display manufacturing facilities in the design industry.
Gary C. Klein can be reached at 920-453-5149 or gklein@gannett.com. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @leicaman99.
This article originally appeared on Sheboygan Press: Sheboygan's biggest fires include 1986 blaze at Lakeshore Display Co.
