Flecto Company was a paint, wood finish and flooring company, noted for creating Varathane®. They were also the donors of the carousel at Children's Fairyland.
Varathane was invented by John "Jack" Vetterli as a high-quality polyurethane alternative to varnish. In 1974, Ken Vetterli purchased an old merry-go-round (coincidentally built in 1950, the year Fairyland opened) to showcase Varathane at trade shows.
In 2002, Flecto donated the carousel to Fairyland, members of the Lake Merritt Breakfast Club figured out how to reassemble it, and it was an instant hit with the children. But by 2015, after more than 10 years back in action, it was showing wear. Flecto had been purchased by Rust-Oleum (RPM, Inc.), but Fairyland reached out to them, and the company not only gave advice on how to restore it, but paid for the restoration. 1
Company History
Flecto was started in 1934. 2 [ but John Edward Vetterli's obituary describes him as founder and CEO, and he was only born in 1930?? ]
In 1967, Flecto had a manufacturing plant at 209 Brush Street. That property was purchased by the Port of Oakland in 1971, and Flecto moved to to 1000 - 45th Street on the Oakland/Emeryville border. Flecto was purchased by Rust-Oleum in 1998. 2,3
Other Connections
- John Vetterli - founder? and CEO
- Richard Swanson - president and CEO of manufacturing, retired 1999
- Alfredo Guevarra - chemical engineer, retired 1994
Links and References
1967 ad
- Snapp Shots: Restored Fairyland carousel opens to public Oakland Tribune March 30, 2016
- RPM, Inc. Announces Acquisition of The Flecto Company PR Newswire
- SEC document sec.gov
- A Carousel of Love on Fairyland blog
