Ward Body Works - Revision history

Phil: /* Charles Ward and the Origins of Acxiom */

2010-08-26T03:36:34Z

‎Charles Ward and the Origins of Acxiom

Phil at 22:25, 23 June 2009

2009-06-23T22:25:02Z

Phil at 20:06, 23 June 2009

2009-06-23T20:06:50Z

Phil: /* References */

2009-06-18T16:19:18Z

‎References

Phil at 20:04, 18 May 2009

2009-05-18T20:04:46Z

Phil: New page: Ward Body Works. Postcard detail. Ward Body Works was founded by Conway, Arkansas, blacksmith David H. "Dave" Ward in 1933. W...

2009-05-18T19:08:30Z

New page: thumb|300px|Ward Body Works. Postcard detail. Ward Body Works was founded by Conway, Arkansas, blacksmith David H. "Dave" Ward in 1933. W...

New page

[[Image:Ward-bus-postcard-detail.jpg|thumb|300px|Ward Body Works. Postcard detail.]]
[[Ward Body Works]] was founded by [[Conway]], Arkansas, blacksmith [[David H. "Dave" Ward]] in 1933. Ward established the company after lowering the wooden roof of a school bus used by the [[Southside School District]] located several miles north of Conway.

In 1936 Ward began manufacturing all-steel bus bodies, the first in the country to do so. In the 1960s the company began an innovative program of computer-aided manufacturing with IBM 360s. In 1968 ownership of the Conway facility passed to David's son Charles. By 1973 it was the largest school bus manufacturer on the planet, with a twenty-five percent market share. A second plant opened in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania failed in 1975. The company, then known as [[Ward School Bus Manufacturing]], went into Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1979.

With the assistance of then-Arkansas Governor [[Bill Clinton]] the assets of the company were purchased by an investment group and reorganized into the [[American Transportation Corporation]] (AmTran). The Harmon brothers purchased a controlling stake in the company in 1983. A one-third share of the company was acquired by the multinational Navistar in 1991, with an option to purchase the rest by 1995. The company became a wholly-owned subsidiary in 1995. Navistar created the [[IC Corporation]] in 2002 to house its various bus manufacturing operations and established a headquarters in Warrenville, Illinois.

Buses continued to bear the "Ward" name until 1992, and then were labeled "AmTran" and now as "International" or "IC" made. A Tulsa IC bus manufacturing plant came on stream in 1999, and many members of the local IC workforce departed for Oklahoma. The 160-acre, 750,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Conway, Arkansas, continues to provide final assembly of school and prison buses. IC is one of the two largest manufacturers in the city, the other being [[Virco Manufacturing]].

====Charles Ward and the Origins of Acxiom====

The information technology company [[Acxiom]] owes its origins to Ward Bus Company owner [[Charles Ward]]. Ward founded [[Demographics Inc.]] in 1969 to meet the needs of local Republicans who wanted to create mailing lists competitive with their rival Democrats. The company soon expanded to cover other data processing needs. One client was the bus company itself. The company originally occupied a 6,000 square foot building housing a computer and press. Ward divested himself of Demographics in 1975 in the midst of hard times. [[Charles D. Morgan]], a manager of the company since 1972, became the new president and CEO. Revenue by the middle of the 1970s had increased to $1.2 million. The company entered the payroll processing business and handled billing for the local utility [[Conway Corp]].

==References==

*Barry Beck, "Ward Industries, Inc.: A Historical Study," ''Faulkner Facts and Fiddlings'' 16 (Winter 1974): 67-83.
*Toby Manthey, "Maker of School Buses Lays Off 170 in Conway," ''Arkansas Democrat-Gazette,'' March 27, 2009.

==External links==

*[http://www.icbus.com/portal/site/ICCorp IC Corporation homepage]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 [[Image:Ward-bus-postcard-detail.jpg|thumb|300px|Ward Body Works. Postcard detail.]]
-[[Ward Body Works]] was founded by [[Conway]], Arkansas, blacksmith [[David H. "Dave" Ward]] in 1933. Ward established the company after lowering the wooden roof of a school bus used by the [[Southside School District]] located several miles north of Conway.
+[[Ward Body Works]] was founded by [[Conway]], Arkansas, blacksmith [[David H. "Dave" Ward]] in 1933. Ward established the company after lowering the wooden roof of a school bus used by the [[Southside School District]] located several miles north of Conway. In 1936 Ward began manufacturing all-steel bus bodies, one of the first in the country to do so.
-In 1936 Ward began manufacturing all-steel bus bodies, the first in the country to do so. In the 1960s the company began an innovative program of computer-aided manufacturing with IBM 360s. In 1968 ownership of the Conway facility passed to David's son Charles. By 1973 it was the largest school bus manufacturer on the planet, with a twenty-five percent market share. A second plant opened in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania failed in 1975. The company, then known as Ward School Bus Manufacturing, went into Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1979.
+In 1964 the company began leasing an IBM 402 mainframe computer to handle its inventory control, financial records, and company payroll. An IBM 360 mainframe was leased to keep track of changes in state laws regarding school buses, schools bus configurations, and specifications.
 With the assistance of then-Arkansas Governor [[Bill Clinton]] the assets of the company were purchased by an investment group and reorganized into the [[American Transportation Corporation]] (AmTran). The Harmon brothers purchased a controlling stake in the company in 1983. A one-third share of the company was acquired by the multinational Navistar in 1991, with an option to purchase the rest by 1995. The company became a wholly-owned subsidiary in 1995. Navistar created the [[IC Corporation]] in 2002 to house its various bus manufacturing operations and established a headquarters in Warrenville, Illinois.

@@ Line 15: / Line 15: @@
 *Barry Beck, "Ward Industries, Inc.: A Historical Study," ''Faulkner Facts and Fiddlings'' 16 (Winter 1974): 67-83.
-Harold B. Johnson, "A History of Dave Ward and His Company," M.S.E. thesis, Arkansas State Teachers College, 1960.
+*Harold B. Johnson, "A History of Dave Ward and His Company," M.S.E. thesis, Arkansas State Teachers College, 1960.
 *Toby Manthey, "Maker of School Buses Lays Off 170 in Conway," ''Arkansas Democrat-Gazette,'' March 27, 2009.

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:04, 18 May 2009
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	*Barry Beck, "Ward Industries, Inc.: A Historical Study," ''Faulkner Facts and Fiddlings'' 16 (Winter 1974): 67-83.		*Barry Beck, "Ward Industries, Inc.: A Historical Study," ''Faulkner Facts and Fiddlings'' 16 (Winter 1974): 67-83.
		+	Harold B. Johnson, "A History of Dave Ward and His Company," M.S.E. thesis, Arkansas State Teachers College, 1960.
	*Toby Manthey, "Maker of School Buses Lays Off 170 in Conway," ''Arkansas Democrat-Gazette,'' March 27, 2009.		*Toby Manthey, "Maker of School Buses Lays Off 170 in Conway," ''Arkansas Democrat-Gazette,'' March 27, 2009.

@@ Line 18: / Line 18: @@
 ====Charles Ward and the Origins of Acxiom====
-The information technology company [[Acxiom]] owes its origins to Ward Bus Company owner [[Charles Ward]]. Ward founded [[Demographics Inc.]] in 1969 to meet the needs of local Republicans who wanted to create mailing lists competitive with their rival Democrats. The company soon expanded to cover other data processing needs. One client was the bus company itself. The company originally occupied a 6,000 square foot building housing a computer and press. Ward divested himself of Demographics in 1975 in the midst of hard times. [[Charles D. Morgan]], a manager of the company since 1972, became the new president and CEO. Revenue by the middle of the 1970s had increased to $1.2 million. The company entered the payroll processing business and handled billing for the local utility [[Conway Corp]].
+The information technology company [[Acxiom]] owes its origins to Ward Bus Company owner [[Charles Ward]]. Ward founded Demographics Inc. with his brother [[Stephen Ward]] in 1969 to meet the needs of the Young Leadership Council for the Democratic Party, of which he was a member, which wanted to create political mailing lists that were competitive with a data processing system set up by [[Winthrop Rockefeller]] and the Arkansas Republican Party. In 1970 the system was used in the successful gubernatorial election campaign of [[Dale Bumpers]]. Ward's leadership as Arkansas' Democratic National Committeeman, also helped in the failed draft movement to elect [[Wilbur D. Mills]] to the Presidency of the United States in 1972.
 ==References==