Dr. Grabow Pipes

Terry292

I've been through all the old history of Dr G, Sparta Industries, etc, on the forum, but I'm still a little confused.

Could someone explain to me how Sparta Industries, HL&T, Mastercraft, UST and any other companies inter-related? I don't have much of a head for corporate business relationships, so please try to keep it simple.

Thanks,
Terry

_________________
If I cannot smoke in Heaven, then I shall not go...Mark Twain

ted · "Old Timer" Joined: 23 Jun 2008 Posts: 1171 Location: NC'

Terry, I'll try since I was there.

From about 1955(and prior) HLT was a corporate name for the ENTIRE organization which was made up by Dr. Grabow(sales) and Sparta Pipes(maker). HLT and Dr. Grabow were in Greensboro, NC, while Sparta Pipes was in Sparta.

In 1969 United States Tobacco bought the entire organization..HLT, Grabow, and Sparta.

In 1972 UST bought Mastercraft from Bernard Hochstein and moved it into the same building as Sparta Pipes. The names, accounting, and all functions of Sparta and M/C were kept separate.

In about 1980 UST closed the HLT and Grabow operations in Greensboro and moved it to Sparta. With this move the Sparta Pipes name changed to Sparta Industries. SI encompassed HLT, Grabow, Sparta Pipes, Mastercraft, and a new woodworking company..Spartacraft.

Most of the time these names were strictly used for tax purposes. Sparta Pipes made them, sold them at cost to Grabow who sold them to customers, at cost plus sales costs, and the profit left over was claimed by HLT.

Mastercraft was always (till Sparta Industries was created) a stand alone business. M/C had a sales office in NYC...6 th ave. and 45th St.

It 'aint simple, but that's as simple as I can make it...ted

drbridges · Posted: Thu Aug 27, 2009 10:58 pm Post subject:

Terry, I can try to wing it without consulting my notes.

HL&T existed in New York back in the 1930s and 40s.

David Lavietes, who had connection with HL&T, located around Sparta and started D & P Pipeworks in the 1940s. In 1952, HL&T relocated from New York to North Carolina. The home office wasn't in Sparta, but they used the Sparta facility, which became Sparta Pipes in 1949. In 1952, HL&T merged with Sparta Pipes. In 1953, HL&T purchased M. Linkman & Co. with Dr. Grabow.

Mastercraft came to North Carolina in 1974. This was the same year US Tobacco came onto the scene. Hopefully ted can shed some light on that move. In 1985, under UST ownership, HL&T, Sparta Pipes, and Mastercraft merged to become Sparta Industries.

It gets more complex, because Lane Ltd. took over Sparta Industries in 1997, and 2 years later, Lane Ltd. went under RJ Reynolds, which went into British/American Tobacco for awhile ... and I lose track of all the corporate swaps.

Hopefully, it all got straightened out in 2006, when IP&A became the sole owner of the Sparta facility.

Terry292 · Posted: Thu Aug 27, 2009 11:12 pm Post subject:

Thanks, guys. This makes things a little clearer. Like I said, I've never understood how Company A can own Companies C, D, & E, and everyone works under their own names, but still are part of the overall entity. That's why I'm a sole proprietor of my business. It's much easier that way.
Terry
_________________
If I cannot smoke in Heaven, then I shall not go...Mark Twain

drbridges · Posted: Fri Aug 28, 2009 4:07 am Post subject:

If it is clear to you, Terry, then explain it to me. ted & I differ on some dates. He comes by his dates because he lived it. I gathered mine from corporate filings with the NC secretary of state office. Probably there are differences between when a merger went on paper and when it became practice.

I believe Burns, the present owner, came onto the scene from British Tobacco, which put him at Lane Ltd, where he became introduced to the Sparta operation.

The pipe works appears to have been in the Sparta area under D. Lavietes, and perhaps Paul, long before H. Lavietes moved from NY. Sparta pipes filed in NC in 1949. HL&T didn't file in NC until 1952. Obviously they had some dealings since they were related. HL&T used several of David's patents for example.

HL&T may have always kept their home office in Greensboro, but in their 1952 filings, their address is recorded to be Durham, and Raleigh.

If you want more confusion - in 2003, BAT announced it was combining Brown & Williamson with RJ Reynolds under Reynolds American, and it was selling Lane Ltd. (and I assume Dr. Grabow) to Reynolds American for $400 million.

Sometimes I get the impression if we dig deep enough we find everything in the world is owned by 12 people.

ted · "Old Timer" Joined: 23 Jun 2008 Posts: 1171 Location: NC'

Guys, I'm pretty sure about the 1969 UST, and the 1972 M/C dates.

The other dates were just the best I could remember on short notice just to give the "jist" of what was happening.

Yes, RJR did own Sparta Industries for a short while in 2003/04 up until Burns bought it....ted

LokoMac8 · Posted: Sun Aug 30, 2009 4:49 pm Post subject:

drbridges · Posted: Sun Aug 30, 2009 7:42 pm Post subject:

Something called the Corporation Trust Corp. was the registered agent for many of the NC transactions. Their files may contain good information.