The Sherman Courier
Friday, August 15, 1917
pg. 14
Fiftieth Anniversary Edition
ROBERTS ELECTRIC COMPANY
Sherman and Grayson county has many
successful men in their respective
lines, but no man in the county can justly
claim a greater degree of
success in his chosen work than T.J.
Roberts, founder and owner of the
Roberts Electric Company, located on South
Travis Street in Sherman.
Mr. Roberts was born in Demby Shire, Wales,
and came to America with
his parents when he was twelve years of age,
coming direct to Sherman.
He began his business career with J.C.
Tassey in the Bil Oil
Mill in east Sherman when about sixteen
years of age and remained with
that concern for about five years.
From there he went with
Roberts, Sanford and Taylor Company and
remained with them for about
three years. Upon leaving this firm,
he started in business
for himself on South Travis street, in a
very small way indeed, his
business at that time being but little more
than what people called a
"tinner", but the man behind this shop was
more than a "tinkerer" - he
was, and is, a MASTER MECHANIC.
From this little shop on South Travis, Mr.
Roberts moved to the Birge
Building on East Houston street; and from
there to North Travis street,
the business at that time being general
machine and electrical work,
and it was while there that the great
"American toy" - the automobile -
came on the scene of action and worked a
revolution, such as the
mechanical world had never seen before.
In the demand for mechanics on automobiles,
Mr. Roberts came into his
own, and it is safe to say that during the
last twelve years the
business of Roberts Electric Company has
expanded twenty-five thousand
diameters.
From the location on North Travis the "shop"
was moved to the northwest
corner of Travis and Jones streets, at which
time the former business
was converted largely into an automobile
garage and machine shop, and
each day and week brought a demand, and a
response to this demand,
beyond the wildest dreams experienced by
this Welch lad, when in the
"old country" he dreamed of America and a
business of his own "some
day."
...In the last twelve years the Roberts
Electric Company now occupies
the floor space of 22,500 square feet, the
machine shops and store
rooms occupying four buildings covering
150x150. The Company
now regularly employs from 25 to 35 people
in the conduct of its
business and the pay roll is approximately
$500 a week or $25,000 per
year, the total volume of business exceeding
$125,000 annually.
Unlike many men whose business grows to
large proportions, Mr. Roberts
has always, and yet keeps in touch with
almost every detail, a thing
that not every man can do. While he has in
his employ at all times a
number of the best mechanics the country
affords, there has never been
a time when he has not been ready to take
hold and show the man just
how it ought to be done, and he has
personally many times executed with
his own hands some of the most difficult
mechanical feats known in this
age.
To keep in touch with the financial end of
the business of this size is
no small task, but to do it and at the same
time keep abreast of the
mechanical world and also keep in personal
touch with all the employees
of the business, commanding their respect
and esteem and at the same
time have a word and an answer for every
member of the public which he
serves, is indeed a man's task, but all this
Jim Roberts has demonstrated his ability to
do, and it is because of this that his
business has attained the degree of success
which he now enjoys.
The business of Roberts Electric Company at
present includes service in
automobile repairing of every nature,
including vulcanizing
oxygen-acetylene welding, lathe work,
painting of
automobiles, making old cars look just like
new ones, recovering in
upholstery and tops, and along with this
service is carried a full line
of automobile accessories and supplies for
practically all the standard
makes of automobiles, and in addition to
this the Company does a
general electrical construction and repair
work and carries a large
line of electrical supplies.
While one of the busiest men in Texas, Mr.
Roberts never gets too busy
to be sociable and have a word with his
friends, and to take an
interest in all the social and political
affairs of life, and perhaps
not a single person of the thousands who do
business regularly with the
Company does not personally know the "boss"
and if in serious trouble,
insists on taking his trouble to "Jim".
In addition to his other duties, Mr. Roberts
also takes a special
interest in his employees and often meets
with the "boys' at night and
discusses with them the modern inventions in
mechanics, and counsels
with them to the end of making them better
mechanics and business men
and of more use and service to the world and
themselves.
Nine years ago Mr. Roberts married Miss
Blanche McKinstry of Sherman, a
member of one of the oldest and best
families of Grayson county.
To this union has been born one son,
"J.C.," and Mr. Roberts
attributes much of his success to the
counsel and support of his wife,
Mrs. Roberts having spent several years in
the office of the Company,
assisting her husband in looking after their
ever-increasing and fast
growing business, and all of Sherman and
Grayson county and their host
of friends bespeak for Mr. and Mrs. Roberts
a continuation of the great
success which they have already attained and
justly deserve.
