On 22 October 2009 Jerry Portis, one of the founders of Midland Manufacturing, passed away. In 1951, Mr Portis teamed with partners John White and Bob Drucker to form Midland Manufacturing. In his early years, Mr Portis and his partners took on any opportunities to grow the fledgling business. At various points, Midland was a manufacturer of pulleys for rail-car caboose generators and a designer of library furniture and pool tables that were marketed under the “Mohawk” brand. They found the company’s true direction, however, when they began manufacturing valves for rail tank cars. With that as the company’s calling, Mr Portis assumed the dual roles of lead designer and primary salesman for the Midland product lines, and in the early days would deliver Midland valves from the trunk of his car. As the face of the company, Mr Portis was very hands-on with its products and would take the time to visit personally with customers in order to identify their needs and aid them in developing innovative solutions to their problems and challenges. Even in his later years, Mr Portis would be seen on the weekends at Midland’s Skokie, Illinois, headquarters, dressed in his trademark flannel shirt and lab coat as he provided input for and worked on each and every product.
