About Douglas Manufacturing

Douglas Manufacturing Plant was started a century ago by William W. and Elizabeth Robb Douglas. Founded to honor a promise, the company operates with a desire to serve the customer, to provide a helpful product created with high-quality materials, and to conduct business in an honest and fair manner.

Elizabeth Robb Douglas is credited with the inspiration for the collapsible voting booth. With a deep commitment to her church, she pledged $20,000 to a missionary from Tibet. But she had no idea how she would fulfill her commitment. One night, she had a dream about an invention that would help her meet her pledge. When she woke up, she used cardboard and sewing pins to create a prototype of the collapsible voting booth. This product launched the Douglas Manufacturing Plant in 1905.

It took a few years for things to get going, but Mrs. Douglas believed in her dream, and her family shared the belief. In 1910, they received a trial order for 1,000 voting booths, followed by an order for 4,000 more. By 1919, the company’s output was $90,000. W.W. Douglas was the company salesman until his death in 1930, and his wife Elizabeth was president until 1931.

Through three fires and a flood, Douglas continued to manufacture steel products. The company added more election products over the years, including a handicapped booth, collapsible ballot boxes, transfer cases, and election-day signs. In the 1970s, the company began making media storage containers. The Douglas family has continued to own and run the company since its beginning. Today, Roger Douglas, the great-grandson of the founders, serves as president. His wife Gayle-ann is executive vice president. They are proud to uphold their family tradition of offering great customer service and high-quality products.