Lakeside was started in May, 1946 by Robert W. Moon and Richard Moon in the basement of Gladys and Herbert Moon’s house at 2118 E. Jarvis Place, Shorewood, Wisconsin, and operated as Moon Brothers Company. Its first product was a wooden frame barbecue cart and sales for the first year were $275. By 1947, the barbecue was dropped, according to Robert Moon, because, “in 1946, the idea of people cooking in backyards with smoke blowing in their eyes and hot ashes falling on the grass was considered quite ridiculous.”
In 1947, the company’s first metal product, a painted steel table, was produced as an answer to a customer problem. In some original “voice of the customer” efforts, Gladys Moon (Bob and Dick’s mother) heard her hairdresser ask if there was any material that could be used that didn’t stain with the hair dyes. Stainless steel became the solution. Later in that year, after a sales call to a beauty shop supply dealer, Bob Moon took the table next door to Kiefer Restaurant Supply on 19th and West Clybourn Avenue. A discussion with Mr. Peters of Kiefer resulted in changing the size of the table to fit a restaurant dishpan and the addition of wheels for easy movement. This resulted in the development of the first utility cart (Model #311).
The design of this original utility cart ultimately developed into the many varieties of mobile carts, which remains the core product line of Lakeside and is the mainstay of our business today. Through the late 1940’s and early 50’s, a number of other products were added. These products were variations on sizes and capacities of the original utility cart. Additional models were driven by customer needs and internal creativity. A line of accessories was also added during this time period. By 1948, the name of the company was changed to Lakeside Manufacturing to give the company a more universal sound.
In 1950, Lakeside moved to a new facility on 1977 South Allis Street, and originally occupied the 1st floor. In the early 50’s, Lakeside began to manufacture its own casters for the utility carts and started Lakeside Caster Company to resell casters to other people. Also in the early 50’s, a version of the utility cart with a heated top, called the “hot top” was developed for home use. This design for the “hot top” was given a design award by the New York Museum of Modern Art. The award was a symbol of the creativity and desire to innovate, which was a strong part of our culture and a significant part of our heritage.
Throughout the 50’s, additional products were added to the line and volume increased on a steady basis. In 1959, Robert Moon bought out his brother Richard and, in 1960, a profit-sharing plan was established in order to share rewards with everyone in the organization who helped it continue to grow. New products continued to be introduced, including a cadaver cooling system designed for small morgues offering an economical way to store cadavers. Even though some of the products and concepts never became commercially viable, management’s desire to take risks and innovate remained a strong part of the fabric of the organization.
During the 1960’s and 70’s, additional new products were added to the line either by our own internal design, by licensing or through acquisition. The sales of the company continued to grow and offer additional products to the growing customer base we had developed in the food service, health care and material-handling industries nationwide.
In 1980, Aris Manufacturing was purchased and its operations moved from San Francisco, California to Milwaukee. Aris, a line of upscale serving equipment for white tablecloth restaurants allowed Lakeside to expand its “front of the house” equipment and display offerings.
In 2006 we changed the name of Aris to Geneva. In 2002, Lakeside expanded its operations and moved to a new facility in West Milwaukee, where it operates from today. The development of Lakeside and its product line has always continued to grow since its very first days. Lakeside has always been known for developing and adding new products, attempting to continually meet the ever-changing needs of our customers in multiple markets. This tradition continues with a significant emphasis and investment in new product development and new product introduction and will be the source of growth and continued success into the future.
From Lakeside’s very humble beginning in the basement of a Shorewood house with two brothers working together to make products, Lakeside has grown into a multi-million dollar company with over 130 team members. Our success into the future is driven by working together to constantly improve, listen to and meet the needs of our customers and develop and deliver new products and services, enabling us to share the rewards of our success with all of the individuals who join us.