A New Town from Johns Manville

Johns Manville (JM) is an American corporation based in Denver, Colorado. For much of the 20th century, the then-titled Johns Manville Corporation was the global leader in the manufacture of asbestos-containing products.

   Founded in 1858, Johns Manville Corporation was the result of the merger (in 1901) of two early construction products manufacturers, Johns Manufacturing Company from New York City and the Manville Covering Company from Wisconsin (founded in 1885). Sales grew to 45 million dollars and profits were in excess of 3.3 million dollars before JM went public on the New York Stock Exchange in 1927.

   The great Johns Manville Corporation published in 1912 an advertisement (at New Brunswick Times, October 26) for building a new town, with around seven (7) large factories costing 5 million dollars benefited by three (3) large railroads, at Hillsboro, Manville, New Jersey. Over 3,500 skilled laborers would be employed, and who wives and children would make an increased population of over 12,000 people requiring food, clothing, homes, raiment, and entertainment.

   The company said that it was a great chance for bakers, grocers, butchers, plumbers, and general dealers, calling business people to be one of the pioneers. At the same time, JM provided new population and businesses with no interest, no taxes for one year, and no assessments.

   JM survived and even thrived through difficult times including the American Civil War, two World Wars, the Great Depression and most significantly, the advent and demise of asbestos.

   Starting as early as 1929, Johns Manville employees began claiming disability from lung diseases, while years later, in 1943, a laboratory in New York confirmed the link between asbestos and cancer. During the 1960s, 70s, and 80s, the company faced thousands of individual and class action lawsuits based on asbestos-related injuries, and as a result, Manville voluntarily filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 1982. At that time, it was the largest company in United States history to have done so.

   The lessons learned from the asbestos case helped the company foster the commitment to health and safety. In 2001, JM became a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., which gave them a strong financial foundation and renewed their commitment to providing innovative solutions for customer needs.