From Salvage to Space

The little business thrived throughout World War II as Edmund bought surplus optics from the government and resold them to his growing list of customers via his monthly mimeographed catalog. One of his early buyers was in Tennessee and placed substantial orders every month.

With an instinct for what is now known as customer relationship management, Edmund wrote the gentleman, asked what kind of business he was in, and suggested perhaps they could do something together. After several unanswered letters, Edmund got his reply: a visit from Secret Service agents who told him to simply fill orders and quit asking questions. It turned out the customer was Oak Ridge, the government laboratory doing top-secret research for the atomic bomb.