Biography for

Art Mann

Update to Art's biography (2016).  We have a new addition to our family - Bentley, our sheepadoodle pup, he's 2-1/2.  We are planning to do a lot of traveling, and we want Bentley to go with us so we bought a 40-ft. RV!  We're looking forward to our new adventure RV-ing.

Two weeks after graduation from high school I went to work for Wagner Manufacturing Company, an old company established in 1865.  I began in inside sales, a year later, I received an outside sales territory covering the east side of Cleveland selling industrial products.

In June of 1964, I married Elaine Edgerton (class of 1964).  We met when Elaine was 13 and I was 16.  Elaine was, and continues to be, the love of my life and my best friend.

We lived in beautiful Hinckley for 25 years where we raised our 4 children.  We lost our youngest son in 1978 on Thanksgiving day.  He was 27 months old.

As 1966 brought the build-up of the war in Vietnam our company allocated 80% of our production to military products.  Wagner had been a major supplier of military products in every major war since 1865, from aircraft shelters to launching shelters for the Hawk and Patriot missile systems.

Upon completing 1 year of schooling in industrial engineering I headed the depts’ of time study and production control.  As time went on I became the estimator, general manager, and after 20 years, purchased this company along with the Ohio Awning Company (custom awning manufacturing).

I sold both businesses in 1990, the reason, I was diagnosed with cancer.  What a moment of truth and soul searching.  I decided that very day to sell the businesses and follow my dream of living in Florida.  Six months later, with help from above, we sold the businesses and moved to Tampa, where we have now been for 20 yrs.  Our 3 children and 5 grandchildren live within 20 minutes of us.  We are a close family and spend much time together.

Elaine and I have traveled to every one of our 50 states,  plus Europe!  We love cruising and have been on many cruises.  In 1997 we traveled to the smoky mountains, staying in B & B’s, searching for the perfect place to build our summer place (incidentally, that is our song).  We love those old mountains and built our “summer place” overlooking beautiful Lake Rabun in Lakemont, Georgia (n.e. corner of the state).  We spend a week or so each month there and most of the summer.   All of our children and grandchildren love it there.  We’re in the phone book, stop and see us.

High school in Brecksville could not have been better, good memories.  Life is great!