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Dallas pen "Shop" was founded by Lyman Short
in September of 1947 as a retail card shop and fountain pen repair center.
Lyman had been a traveling salesman for both Sheaffer and Parker Pen for
many years. The invention and development of the ballpoint pen led
Lyman to more and more writing instruments and fewer cards and fountain
pen repairs.
In 1955 Lyman hired Ed Melugin as his first outside sales representative.
Ed called on all commercial accounts and began developing the wholesale
side of the business. After many years of effort, the wholesale side
of Dallas pen began to outsell the commercial/retail side. The
business was incorporated in 1967 and in 1970 Lyman sold Dallas Pen
Company to Ed Melugin.
Ed immediately converted the business to a 100% wholesale business selling
to drug stores, office supply stores, college bookstores, and specialty
shops. He also built a 10,000 sq ft. warehouse and relocated the
business. Ed then began to expand the product offering to include
more items that could be sold to his existing customers. This meant
more office and school supplies. He also expanded by hiring sales
people to cover Texas and Louisiana.
Today Dallas Pen occupies a 40,000 sq ft warehouse with over 33,000
inventory items. There are eight full time sales people in the field
covering New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, and parts of
Kansas, Missouri, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama. The sales
force not only sells to the office and school supply markets, but teaching
and mailing supplies have been added as well.
Ed Melugin has been retired for several years, leaving the running of the
company to Pat Melugin (president & CEO), Bobbie Melugin (vice
president), and Leonard Ingram (secretary) |