Dixon Ticonderoga

The Dixon Ticonderoga Company (/taɪkɒndəˈroʊɡə/) is an office and art supplies maker from the United States, with headquarters in Heathrow, Florida. The company offers a number of brands, with one of the most well-known being Ticonderoga: the yellow No. 2 pencil known for its distinctive green and yellow ferrule. Other brands include Dixon and Oriole pencils, Dixon Industrial products, Prang school and art supplies, and Lyra art products.

Dixon Ticonderoga Company
Founded1794 (1794)
FounderJoseph Dixon
Headquarters
Lake Mary, Florida
,
U.S.
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Rodrigo Bustillo
ProductsOffice and Art Supplies
ParentFILA SpA
Websitewww.dixonusa.com

History

The company was formed by the merger of Joseph Dixon Crucible Company of New Jersey with Bryn Mawr Corporation of Pennsylvania, dating to 1795. The company was founded by Joseph Dixon and his son.[1] Dixon also acquired 200-year-old German-based manufacturer Lyra.[1][2] The pencil's name originates in the graphite ore discovered on Lead Mountain in 1815 and processed in Ticonderoga, New York.[3]

In 2002, the company closed down its Sandusky, Ohio factory shifting the manufacturing operations to Mexico. In 2005, the company was acquired by F.I.L.A., a manufacturer of school and art supplies based in Milan, Italy, and announced the closure of its main US factory in Versailles, Missouri. The company retains a distribution center in Georgia, where it makes limited numbers of pencils in order to claim status as a domestic producer,[4] and a headquarters facility in Heathrow, Florida.[1]

A consultant and former director of business development for the Dixon Ticonderoga company has been Lee Corso (who is better known as a sports broadcaster on ESPN).[1] According to USA Today, his on-air trademark is waving a pencil to punctuate his speech.[5]

Ticonderoga pencil
An assortment of pencils manufactured by the Dixon Ticonderoga Company.

The Ticonderoga is a pencil model distributed by the Dixon Ticonderoga Company, founded in the 19th century, which was originally located in downtown Jersey City, New Jersey. In 1999 they ceased US production of the Ticonderoga Pencil, but own and operate facilities outside the US in Italy, France, Asia, Latin America and Germany.

Dixon Ticonderoga makes a variety of pencils, including the Classic, Black, Noir, Tri-Conderoga, Microban, Laddie, My First (formerly Beginners), SenseMatic, and colored pencils. The pencils are available in different grades: #1 (Extra Soft), #2 (Soft), #2½ (Medium), #3 (Hard), and #4 (Extra Hard).[6]

Dixon Ticonderoga pencils were the favorite pencils of the author Roald Dahl. Dahl began using them, along with yellow lined legal pads, whilst living in the U.S, and upon returning home to the U.K had them specially shipped over for use in his writing shed at Gipsy House, his home in Buckinghamshire.[7]

References
  1. Pedicini, Sandra (2013-09-14). "Heathrow pencil maker Dixon Ticonderoga says sales stay sharp". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 2019-11-04.
  2. Vogel, Mike (2003-12-01). "Company Profile: Pencil Pusher". Florida Trend. Retrieved 2015-07-24.
  3. "Adirondack History Center Museum". Adkhistorycenter.org. Retrieved 2018-07-25.
  4. Paletta, Damian (2018-09-26). "How Dixon Ticonderoga has blurred lines of where its pencils are made". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2019-11-04.
  5. Hiestand, Michael (2005-04-20). "Corso penciled in for variety" (Newspaper article). USA Today. Retrieved 2006-12-10.
  6. "Ticonderoga - The World's Best Pencil". Archived from the original on 12 July 2012. Retrieved 22 September 2012.
  7. "Dixon Ticonderoga". Retrieved 2012-03-11.
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