John B. Stetson Company

Stetson's Boss of the Plains, with its high crown and wide flat brim, became the prototype for all other cowboy hat designs.

A factory in St. Joseph, Missouri produced Stetson hats until parent company, Hatco Inc., closed it in 2004.

[5] The company also spread its reputation using marketing techniques and the recording of industrial films promoting its process and product.

He ran the Stetson Company in a paternalistic fashion designed to provide benefits for workers, increase profits, and discourage unionization.

In the early 1900s, Stetson added a company library, dentist, hospital, auditorium, and athletic fields for recreational use.

Employees gathered at the factory auditorium for an annual celebration that featured speeches from the Company President or Santa Claus, and a distribution of awards, bonuses, and gifts.

The Stetson Company, to encourage yearlong work and a high retention rate, offered immigrants a portion of annual earnings as a Christmas bonus, increasing each successive year.

Some of these immigrant workers were able to learn English and become U.S. citizens, partly due to the "Americanization" classes the Company offered.

[9] John B. Stetson's tradition of providing annual bonuses, Christmas gifts, and facilities for employees were an active attempt to dissuade unions.