Perrygraf

In 1934 Lester Perry invented a way that sales people could come up with rapid answers to complicated sales questions. With a simple device that acted like a slide rule, sales people could answer prospects' questions instantly. Prospects and customers would no longer have to wait days or weeks for answers. By having information at the critical moment of decision, sales would be made, rather than lost.

Perry’s novel idea took root in his suburban Chicago, and his company, Perrygraf, was pulling in nearly a million dollars annually by 1950. As the company grew, so did the number of uses for slide-charts and wheel-charts. Not only could sales forces use the products, but also engineering departments, educational institutions, and more. Even the U.S. Navy declared Perrygraf on its list of critically important suppliers during World War II.

They were very ingenious at adapting basic slide rule concepts into product selectors, parameter analyzers, and dedicated calculators of all kinds.

Perrygraf was sold in 1968 to Nashua Corporation, which moved the company operations to Los Angles, California, and to Puerto Rico. James E. Johnson, formerly of Perrygraf, didn't want to move in the new re-organization, and continued to make and design slide charts in his home. He also eventually took on the private customers of Perrygraf founder Oscar Perry after he passed away, and founded American Slide Chart in 1970. American Slide Chart was very successful, and eventually took over former competitor Perrygraf itself in 1988, making it the largest producer of this type of slide rule product, as well as pop-up 3D calendars. Founder James E. Johnson died in 1988 and the business is now run by his three sons, James D., David and Craig Johnson. Perrygraf and American Slide Chart continue to run and operate as individual companies, and often compete for the same customers.