founded by Theodore A. Willard as the Willard Electric & Battery Co. at 33 Sheriff (E. 4th) St. in 1896. Willard reorganized the company as the Willard Storage Battery Co. in 1902. They bought station WEAR from Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co iin 1923. In 1952 the firm was owned by the Electric Storage Battery Co. of Philadelphia. In Aug. 1959 Electric Storage Battery announced it would close its Cleveland manufacturing operations