Times were difficult for the family, money was short, and the adjustment to the inner city was disheartening coming from a rural farm community in Pennsylvania. Harry wore many hats and worked late hours because the company could not afford staff, let alone a secretary. A solution was found by having Mary become the company secretary. Harry’s son, Michael, would walk from school to the office and clean the machines for ten cents a unit. Meanwhile, Rick began kindergarten and was spared the “hard labor.”
The next several years brought continued growth both in size and profitability. The office was relocated twice to larger and better locations along with
the addition of more service and sales personnel. In 1963, Michael attended Hobart Sales School and worked part-time throughout his college years. Following college graduation, Michael began his full time career in the family business. His wife Jean became the office administrator, which gave Harry’s wife Mary a well-deserved respite from the business. In 1972, son Rick joined the business after earning his degree from the Ohio State University.
Harry and his sons moved their offices to Montrose, Ohio in 1976. At that time, Montrose was a remote area on the outskirts of Akron. Being a visionary, Richard found a piece of property that they all agreed to purchase. The property turned out to be a great investment for the family. Since that time, the real estate division, aptly named Mic-Ric, has become the developer/owner of several properties in the greater Akron area.
During the mid to late seventies, Michael noticed that the parent company, Hobart Corporation, was acquiring more independent agencies and converting them into company owned branch offices. At that time, the Lobalzo’s felt it would be a smart move to start an independent division. The division would be cleverly called HMR for Harry, Mike and Rick. A manufacturer of pressure fryers gave HMR exclusivity for the sale and distribution of their products. This led to developing the company’s own chicken breading, a very successful item that has continued to be a profitable segment of the business.
Opportunities arose through this second division that added many other product lines. Mike became interested in the design of supermarket departments, especially those that dealt with perishable items. HMR began adding more products in order to offer a complete package of equipment and design work to the supermarket industry.
Around the same time, Rick became interested in business computers and helped the company become the first Hobart office to automate with an IBM 5110. Another business division called Innotech Systems was set up at that time so that the company could become a “re-marketer” for IBM. Although this venture was short lived, it helped serve as a foundation for the extensive use of computers and data throughout the organization. Many Hobart Corporate administrators and staff, as well as independent agencies, visited Hobart Akron to learn the IT systems so they could develop and build out their own systems. From that date forward, along with the success of HMR, Hobart Akron is viewed as being a model and one of the most successful, progressive independent offices of its kind.