Distilling industries - Kentucky - Louisville

The interview records the history of Vendome Copper and Brass Works as remembered by Tom Sherman, president of the company. Vendome was established in the early 1900s by Elmore Shermon, Sr., primarily to fabricate equipment for the distilling industry. The interview focuses on the four generations of the Sherman family who have owned and managed the business and discusses the evolution of the business from its early success in the 1910s, its immense challenges during Prohibition (1920-1933) and its various ups and downs since the repeal of Prohibition. It touches on customers, employees and their training, and how the company has adopted to the changing needs and requirements of the distilling industry and the other industries it serves. It provides personal anecdotes of Tom Sherman’s over fifty years with the business and addresses why Vendome has successfully outlived all its competitors.