Wilsonart is a global manufacturer and distributor of high pressure laminates and other engineered composite materials, used in furniture, office and retail space, countertops, worktops and other applications.
Wilsonart founder Ralph Wilson moved to Texas to retire after suffering a heart attack in the early 1950s.
[1] In 1960, Dr. Ralph Wilson Jr. left his dental practice in Los Angeles and moved to Temple to join RWP as Executive Vice President.
Upon the death of his father, he became President of RWP, and served on the board of directors of Dart until its merger with Kraft Inc. in 1986.
[3] In 2013, Wilsonart International was established as an independent, global organization and announced the appointment of Timothy J. O'Brien as President and Chief Operating Officer.
[1] Wilsonart’s first manufacturing facility was built in Temple, Texas in 1956, directly across the street from its first customer, American Desk.
[5] In 1966, Dart Industries (formerly Rexall Drug) acquired RWP, and supported growth of its plastics business by purchasing a delivery fleet, fifty-eight thousand square feet of building space, and a fourth laminate press in its Temple plant.
[7] Wilsonart purchased Suncraft Moldings in 1990 and introduced Custom Edges under the brand name Perma-Edge.
[9] In 2013, Wilsonart acquired Taylor, Texas-based Durcon Incorporated, a manufacturer of laboratory-grade countertops and work surfaces worldwide.
The doorless garage, its walls covered with new grades of laminate, allowed Wilson to test his products’ durability.