Kansas City, MO. May 11, 2011. Livers Bronze Co., a nationwide leader in architectural handrailing design, is celebrating its 65th anniversary. Family-owned Livers, now under the 4th generation’s leadership, is one of only a handful of companies in the U.S. to manufacture custom railing systems from design and engineering to installation.
Choosing to remain an in-house commercial handrailing manufacturer is remarkable in light of the number of manufacturers closing up shop in the U.S. to relocate in other countries. Equally remarkable is that Livers Bronze Co.’s commitment to stay in Kansas City is what has established the railing manufacturer as a leader in handrailing system design.
“With so many railing systems designed outside of the U.S. today, commercial handrailing designs have become homogenized. Basically, whatever railing components are available are cobbled together with parts and thrown in a box. Upon delivery, builders and their crews are stuck trying to piecemeal the handrailing sections together using barely understandable directions. The installed railing is almost never what the architect designed or even had in mind,” explains Deuce Livers, president.
Livers Bronze Co. still and always has believed in the decorative glass and architectural railing design process. The company’s variety of distinctive railing designs appeal to architects looking to make their signature mark. Livers Bronze Co.’s commercial handrailing designs are installed primarily in museums, libraries, offices and theaters as showcase, yet functional and hardwearing, decorative glass and metal handrails. The railing systems have been used worldwide and in all 50 states.
Livers remains headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri because it is a central location to both coasts. Not only is there a quality talent pool of employees to choose from, but also it is an affordable city in which to do business and wasn’t as hard hit by the latest recession as other regions were.
“Our long-standing reputation helped sustain the business. Fly-by-night companies are the first to fold. Established contractors have scrambled before when their railing supplier goes out of business. During economic lulls, contractors protect their interests by working only with well-funded manufacturers. It’s smart, given the building lifecycle can last for years,” stated Charlie Livers, executive vice-president.
The architectural handrails company survived The Great Depression and all the ups and downs since. It used this latest swing as an opportunity to beef up their marketing, invest in new equipment and train their staff to use it. New architecture design software was implemented and Livers draftsmen are headed to training for a month. Livers Bronze Co. continued to launch new metal railing designs despite the rest of the industry flat lining. As a result, not one Livers employee was laid off or let go due to downsizing or budget cuts.