I didn't mean to ignore your question. It is a good one. And not so easy to answer correctly and completely in a few words. Albert Baer built a cutlery empire. He was a master salesman and a master at negotiating and corporate structuring.
Lessee.... when he graduated high school, Albert went to work for the nephew of his Grandfather's former business partner, Aaron Kastor. Baer's Grandfather, Henry Bodenheim, had given the boy a job when he immigrated to the States from Wattenheim Germany (Rhenish Bavaria) in 1870. Adolph went on to found his own company, Adolph Kastor & Brothers, an importer of cutlery based in New York. Because of tariffs and other difficulties in getting needed cutlery from Europe, Kastor bought Sherwood Cutlery in 1902, the Camillus NY., factory owned by Charles Sherwood, a converted grain mill.
A. Kastor & Bros. was Adolph, Nathan, Sigmund, and August. Then later, the sons, Alfred B., Adolph's oldest son, and Robert N. assumed the leadership when Adolph retired in 1922. Robert resigned and joined the New York Stock Exchange in 1929. Albert Baer replaced him as Sales Manager. He signed Babe Ruth to endorse figural knives and locked up the Sears account as well as Woolworths. August Kastor retired in 1932, and Albert Baer bought his stock in the company. By 1936, they had become the nations largest supplier of private branded knives. In late 1939, Albert Baer left Kastor Brothers under a cloud. He then bought Ulster from the Dwight Devine family.
With the approach of WWII, Baer formed an association with his former nemisis, Imperial knife. Together they formed Kingston. Later, in 1946, Baer bought Schrade Cutlery Company from the Schrade family. In 1963 he bought the remaining shares of Camillus, formerly called Adolph Kastor & Bros., Adolph Kastor & Sons. In 1984 he bought out the remaining shares of Imperial Knife Company. I could note all the corporate name changes, consolodations and who-owned-who in the structuring, but suffice it to say that Baer, regardless of who was the figurehead of what division, ran the show. Mr. Levine said something about his 1990 meeting with Albert Baer which I'll not forget. When asked afterward his impression of the then 85 year old Mr. Baer, Bernard replied "He still has all of his marbles.... and everyone else's".
