About H.W. Naylor Co.
It was in 1888 that Howard Wing Naylor was born in Morris, New York. After Howard graduated high school, his father, a farmer, didn't see the sense in his son wanting to go to college. So, against his father's wishes, H.W. Naylor set out to Cornell University with plans to become an engineer. But, he couldn't get into the program and veterinary science was the school he enrolled in.
1913
Dr. H.W. Naylor graduates from Cornell University and returns to Morris, NY with this wife, Dorothy.
In the early 1920s, animal care was quite crude, compared to modern medicine. According to Dr. Jerome Payton, a veterinarian and 30-year associate of Dr. Naylor, "There was little preventive medicine. It was more [of] a fire engine process. You'd go and treat the diseases as they occurred."
1914
Dr. Naylor is disturbed by the use of folk remedies to treat disease.
Naylor traveled, first by horse and buggy, then by Model-T Ford, to visit clients. He was disturbed by the frequent use of folk remedies, which caused infection. Most bothersome were the pieces of wood, match sticks, and clove sticks that farmers inserted in to the wounded teats of cows, which were meant to keep the teat open during the milking period.
1924
Dr. Naylor creates his own teat dilators, using pipe cleaners, wax, and antiseptic balm.
According to his grandson, John Elliott, Dr. Naylor was "a frustrated engineer who like to work with new ideas." He adds, "It was his inquisitiveness--which now might be labeled something 'scientific imagination' and then was known as 'tinkering'--that led to the company's growth and reputation for quality."
1925
Orders for Dr. Naylor's products grow quickly
When work of Naylor's invention spread, customers' orders for the dilators increased. What was originally a husband and wife operation expanded into a village industry. Although Dr. Naylor's wife Dorothy challenged him that she could make as many dilators as he could sell, the demand quickly outstripped her capacity.
1926
Dr. Naylor expands his animal hospital to open a small factory.
Neighbors were enlisted in the venture. But by 1926, the orders outgrew the cottage industry and Dr. Naylor opened a small factory by expanding his animal hospital. Though Dr. Naylor spent less time practicing veterinary medicine, he took a few special jobs, like consulting the Busch estate (of Anheuser-Busch fame) regarding the health of a baby elephant.
Today
Today the company remains a one-shop operation filling the niche markets untouched by larger corporations. The H.W. Naylor Company is one of the largest businesses in Morris, NY serving customers all across the United States, Canada, Mexico and 24 other countries. Employee loyalty is phenomenal, often life-long, and a true reflection of Dr. Howard Naylor's unyielding service.