The story
In 1923, Albert O. French and Charles C. French, brothers who initially were partners with J.F. Gerleman, started French Gerleman in St. Louis, Missouri. The 1930s brought French Gerleman into an agency relationship with the Allen-Bradley Company (now Rockwell Automation). The result was French Gerleman's gradual expansion into the industrial controls market.
In 1976, French Gerleman moved from St. Louis to Maryland Heights, MO. Twelve years later in 1988, French Gerleman opened their first two locations in Quincy, IL and Columbia, MO. As growth continued, they opened another branch in Lenexa, KS and expanded their St. Louis headquarters. In 2000, French Gerleman opened another branch in Washington, MO. Most recently in 2017, another location was opened in Springfield, MO.
From Wikipedia’s article on French Gerleman, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4