[1] Under Tilles, International Hat become one of the two dominant manufacturers of fiber pressed military pith helmets for the United States Army, Marines, and Navy.
[5] By 1942, he had transformed the company from a domestic producer of harvester and straw hats into a war factory of military sun helmets for American soldiers.
This allowed International Hat to become one of two major government contracted manufacturers of the pressed fiber pith helmets for US military personnel.
[1] Tilles placed his vice president, Frank P. Pellegrino, in charge of the postwar expansion project into Oran.
After Tilles died on October 26, 1958, in St. Louis, Missouri, Pellegrino prepared a memorial to his friend and business associate.