Sherrill Manufacturing facts for kids

Sherrill Manufacturing, Inc. (SMI) is a company that makes flatware. Flatware means forks, spoons, and knives. They operate under the brand name Liberty Tabletop. Their factory is located in Sherrill, New York.

The company started in 2005. Two people, Matt Roberts and Greg Owens, bought the factory. They used to work for a company called Oneida Limited. Oneida Limited stopped making things at that factory, so Matt and Greg decided to buy it and start their own company. They sell their flatware and other home items directly to customers as Liberty Tabletop.

The Story of Sherrill Manufacturing

For more than 100 years, Sherrill, New York, was home to Oneida Limited. Oneida was once the biggest maker of flatware in the world. But in the early 2000s, it became harder to compete. Many companies started making flatware in other countries for less money.

How the Company Started

In 2004, Oneida decided to move its manufacturing overseas. This meant closing its factory in Sherrill. Hundreds of jobs were lost. Gregory Owens and Matthew Roberts, who used to work for Oneida, decided to buy the factory. They paid $1 million for it.

The day after Oneida closed its doors in May 2005, the factory reopened. It was now called Sherrill Manufacturing, Inc. (SMI). They started with a smaller team of workers. Today, Greg Owens is the CEO, and Matt Roberts is the president.

Facing Challenges and Changing Business

For the next three years, SMI kept making silver flatware for Oneida Ltd. They had a special agreement. In 2008, this agreement was extended for two more years. This new deal also let SMI make flatware for other companies.

However, the company faced tough times during an economic slowdown. Their sales dropped a lot. By 2010, when their contract with Oneida ended, SMI was in serious financial trouble.

To get back on track, the owners had to make big changes. They temporarily stopped making products. They sold off extra equipment and inventory. They also sold their huge factory building. Then, they leased back only a part of it.

SMI came out of this difficult period in November 2013. They changed their business plan. Now, they sell their flatware directly to customers. This is done under the Liberty Tabletop brand. In June 2014, SMI brought some of its operations back to the Sherrill factory. This helped them hire more people, growing their team to 42 workers. They also started making products every day instead of just for a few weeks at a time.

Growing Stronger

By 2015, SMI had grown a lot. They had more than four times the number of workers. They planned to add 20 more jobs by 2016. Today, they make several different lines of flatware. These include SMI USA, Sherrill Home, Sherrill Heritage, and Sherrill Lux. All of their flatware is made right there in their Sherrill, New York factory.

The company now mostly sells its products online. They reach customers who want items made in the USA. By selling directly, they can offer better prices. This is because they don't have the extra costs of selling through regular stores. You can find their products on websites like Amazon and Wayfair. They also sell a lot through their own Liberty Tabletop website.

SMI also sells about 500,000 utensils each year to the United States government. These are mostly used at American military bases around the world.

In 2016, a government check found something interesting. It showed that 11 companies claiming to make flatware in the U.S. were actually making it overseas. This meant Liberty Tabletop was the only flatware brand truly made in the United States.

In May 2016, SMI was chosen for a special job. They provided all the flatware for the newly updated Hotel Syracuse. This hotel is now called the Marriott Syracuse Downtown.

In 2020, sales of Liberty Tabletop flatware doubled. This happened because more people were eating at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sales grew even more in 2021, by another 50%. As of December 2021, all the steel used in Liberty Tabletop flatware comes from New York, Pittsburgh, and Tennessee. The packaging for their products is also made nearby.

Sherrill Manufacturing in the Media

Sherrill Manufacturing and its Liberty Tabletop brand have been featured on several TV shows and in news articles.

Featured on TV Shows

• The Today Show featured Liberty Tabletop flatware on July 5, 2012. It was part of a segment about popular housewares made in America.
• The History Channel's show, Modern Marvels, showed SMI in a March 10, 2010 episode called "Chrome." The show used SMI to explain how stainless steel flatware is made.
• The Discovery Channel's show, How It's Made, featured SMI in 2011. They showed how stainless steel flatware is created by looking at SMI's own process.
• ABC's Shark Tank had a segment on Coffee Joulies on January 11, 2013. SMI helps make these products. The creators of Coffee Joulies received an investment on the show.

News Articles and Special Features

• ABC World News had a "Made in America Series." It helped customers learn how to tell the difference between companies that claim to make items in the U.S. and those that actually do.
• The New York Times published an article. It explained how Liberty Tabletop became known as the only flatware maker in the U.S. that truly makes its products in America.