MFMA is pleased to induct the duo of Carl and Edgar Anstett, founders of Powernail Company, Inc. to the MFMA Hall of Fame.
Ed was born December 31, 1909, and Carl on September 7, 1919, both in Merzalben, Germany. Ed immigrated to the US in 1925 and Carl followed in 1930. In 1939 Ed and Carl started a tool and die business in the families garage near Wrigley Field in Chicago. Carl went to WWII in the Army Core of Engineers and took part in the invasion at Normandy “ Utah Beach”. Ed stayed home and worked the business making parts for the war effort. Carl returned to Chicago in 1945 and rejoined his brother and they continued to manufacturer window sash pins.
Carl and Ed co-designed and developed the Powernail Powercleate and the Model 45 Powernailer. The first patents were issued in 1955 and these products revolutionized the hardwood flooring industry, reducing time and cost for hardwood flooring installations. In 1958 Carl and Ed moved the business to Prairie View, Illinois where they built a new Powernail Company. Making a quality durable product was the corner stone of their success.
Ed passed away in November 2001 and Carl passed away in December 2005 after taking an active role in the design and building of the new Powernail facility in Lake Zurich, Illinois.