Lamson & Sessions emerged during the industrial boom following the Civil War in Connecticut, where water power and skilled workers prompted the conversion from agriculture to industry. In 1865 at Mt. Carmel, Connecticut, a partnership was formed to take over Mt. Carmel Bolt Company. In 1866, the Lamson brothers (Isaac, and Thomas) teamed up with Samuel Sessions and operations commenced in Southington, Connecticut. With a total of seven people, the Company produced thirty items in the carriage bolt, tire bolt and nut product lines.

Sales trips to the Midwest enticed Samuel Sessions to move the Company in 1869 to the banks of the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland, Ohio. In this area of expanding markets; less competition; good sources of raw material; steam power and transportation, he envisioned growth and prosperity for the Company. The partnership was incorporated in the State of Ohio in 1883 and named The Lamson & Sessions Co.

As the demand for fasteners grew between 1921 and 1955, Lamson & Sessions responded through increased operations and an aggressive acquisition campaign. In 1928, the Company went public, selling shares of common stock on the Cleveland Stock Exchange. Today, Lamson & Sessions (LMS) is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and the Pacific Stock Exchange.

During World War II, the Company was one of the largest single manufacturers of nuts and bolts in the United States. Through the 1960s and 1970s, Lamson & Sessions continued to expand in the fastener industry through acquisition. In addition, the Company expanded beyond its traditional fastener business through the acquisition of manufacturing companies in industries such as: industrial and aerospace specialty fasteners, automotive accessories, metal stamping, doors for railroad cars, truck frames, industrial heat exchangers, aluminum castings and freight cars.

In 1981, as a result of increasing foreign competition and a strategic shift, the Company sold its industrial fastener division to Russell, Burdsall & Ward (RB&W) Corporation of Cleveland, Ohio. In 1986, the company acquired The Carlon Company from the Thyssen-Bornemisza Group (TBG).

Carlon was founded in Cleveland, Ohio during the late 1940s as Carter Products Corporation, producing stamped metal products. The shortage of steel following World War II prompted Carter to move into the manufacture of extruded plastic products. With this new focus, Carter changed its name to Carlon Products Corporation. In the early 1950s, Carlon manufactured polyethylene pipe used primarily for fresh air supply, piping and waste-water pipe in coal mine applications. Additionally, Carlon was one of the first manufacturers of the hula hoop. During the mid-1950s when the hula hoop craze swept the country, Carlon was producing more than 50,000 hula hoops per day! In 1962, Carlon was purchased by Continental Oil Company and the focus began to turn toward plastic sewer pipe products and plastic conduit for the electrical, power and communications industries.

The purchase of Carlon in 1986 was part of a strategic plan embarked upon by Lamson & Sessions to reconfigure the Company from a manufacturer of metal products to a producer of plastic products incorporating expertise in extrusion and injection molding technology and a strong market position. Carlon would ultimately become the "core" business of Lamson & Sessions and a program was developed and implemented to divest all "non-core" businesses, hence, the divestiture of Midland Steel Products in 1994 followed by the sale of Valley-Todeco in 1995. In 1996, the Company acquired Dimango Products to complement the product line in its retail home improvement business. The Company's objective, through its mission statement and underlying strategic drivers, was to achieve world-class levels of customer satisfaction.

After the purchase of Carlon in 1986, the Company realized that new product development would be one of the major keys to the Company's long-term success and, in 1991, created a Technical Center in Cleveland, Ohio. This facility's main objective would be to focus on new product development as well as continuous improvement of current products and manufacturing processes in support of the Company's core business. The Technical Center currently houses a modern testing laboratory and the newest generation of computerized three-dimensional design equipment. The engineers interface with the marketing managers and others in developing new products through company-wide processes.

To complement its new product development efforts, Lamson & Sessions implemented a Total Quality Pursuit (TQP) program to improve quality throughout the Company. Through this program, the Company is dedicated to excellence in meeting and/or exceeding the needs of its customers.

In 1994, however, the Company kicked off its most ambitious initiative. The TOPPS (Technology, Organization, People and Processes for Solutions) project encompassed a dramatic culture change through new business processes with the implementation of an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) System. By year-end 1997, the Company had successfully implemented one of the most complex ERP systems in the world.

In 2000, Lamson & Sessions acquired two more companies, Pyramid Industries, Inc. and Ameriduct Worldwide, Inc. These acquisitions propelled the Company to a market leadership position in the telecommunications industry, specifically serving the telecommunications infrastructure market. The acquisitions were successfully incorporated into Lamson & Sessions' business stream during 2001 with marketing responsibility for the product lines placed under Carlon's auspices. As a matter of strategy, the core competency in thermoplastic processing remains the common tie through our three business segments:

• Carlon provides electrical and telecommunications raceway systems, nonmetallic enclosures, outlet boxes and electrical fittings to the electrical and telecommunications infrastructure markets. Major customers served are electrical contractors and distributors, original equipment manufacturers, electric power utilities, cable television, telephone and telecommunications companies. Examples of the applications for the products included in this business segment are multi-cell duct systems and high density polyethylene ("HDPE") conduit, serving the telecommunications infrastructure and electrical construction markets.

• Lamson Home Products provides a wide variety of electrical products to home centers, hardware stores and mass merchandisers for the "do-it-yourself" home improvement market. The products included in this business segment are electrical outlet boxes, liquidtight conduit, electrical fittings, chimes and lighting controls.

Armed with a market leadership position, a well-recognized brand strength, a strategic vision focusing on value-added/growth opportunities and a continuing commitment to customer satisfaction, complemented by the ongoing pursuit of "total quality," positions Lamson & Sessions for long-term growth in sales and earnings.