as “more fun.

”
“Give a damn,” the banner advised.
“We talk to our employees about all
the different ways we can be account-
able — not just to their team here, but
also to their family, to the community,”
Diana explained. “We feel like that
balance is important.”
The concept extends both ways, with
the company working to be account-
able to its approximately 70 employees
as well, through flexibility with regard
to family needs — an approach that
not only makes sense but is more feasi-
ble with a family-owned company, the
group said.
“Our hope for the future,” Diana
said, “is that the community sees us as
a symbol of vitality for the region.”

SHANNON ROAE/MEADVILLE TRIBUNE

CHANNELLOCK
Quality — it’s not just a word at
Channellock Inc. of Meadville, but a
Jackie and Doug Peters (from left) have gradually completed the process true business philosophy.
of handing over the business they founded in 1979 to their daughter and Quality has reverberated through the
her husband, Diana and Andy Wilkosz. company for more than 135 years and
its five generations of family ownership.
ing the new generation is a matter of “That’s the fun part about what we do. “It’s product quality, quality of the
ownership in the symbolic rather than All industries sort of funnel through us, community, the quality of the work-
literal sense. and we’re proud to be part of that.” force,” said Jonathan DeArment, Chan-
“The employees,” she said, “were Seated at the company conference nellock’s president and chief operating
our employees, and now they have to table, smiling as they recalled the past officer.
try and get their loyalty switched to and looked ahead, the four company Channellock is known worldwide for
them — there’s a lot of little things that leaders — the two founders and the its multi-position, tongue-and groove,
go into it.” two owners of the future — pointed slip-joint style pliers with trademark
Like a tactical knife being hardened to another factor as well, one that has blue handles and other pliers and hand
in the company’s furnaces, the process helped steer Peters’ Heat Treating tools.
of moving from one generation to the through more than just the pandemic Channellock’s roots go back to 1886
next isn’t instantaneous. of the past two years. with DeArment’s great-great-grand-
“When you create something from “Our company value is ‘be account- father, George B. DeArment, a black-
the ground up, that’s your baby,” Diana able,’” Diana said. smith in Evansburg (now Conneaut
Wilkosz said. “For us walking in, this Reinforcing that message was a ban- Lake).
wasn’t our baby. It has to become ner that hung on the wall behind the DeArment hand forged tools for
that over time — we have to find that family, one that expressed the same farriers — craftsman who trim and shoe
passion.” idea but in a way that Diana described horses’ hooves — each winter. Each
Having returned to Crawford County
in 2015 to be closer to family as they
raised their own children, Diana and
Andy found themselves almost imme-
diately subjected to “heat treatment”
in a metaphorical sense a few years
later as the ownership transition began
in earnest.
Months after Andy took over as
president, the company completed the
consolidation of its locations, moving
its original location in Meadville’s Fifth
Ward to a facility along the old rail
yard on McHenry Street in West Mead
Township that had been newly expand-
ed from 14,000 square feet to 32,000
square feet. Less than two weeks
after the move was completed, the
COVID-19 pandemic and the economic
shutdown that accompanied it began.
The business’s response, according
to Doug, was “seamless.”
Part of the reason, according to SHANNON ROAE/MEADVILLE TRIBUNE
Andy, is their hyper-diversification.
“We service everything from collect- Channellock’s roots go back to 1886 and today manufacturers
ible knives, tactical knives, the agri- more than 75 different sizes and types of pliers and other tools.
cultural industry, aerospace, medical, Pictured are (from left) Jon, Will and Ryan DeArment.
drilling, mining, infrastructure,” he said.

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2022 Foundations 56 pages.indd 9 6/9/22 4:31 PM