Class 2001
Amos Rugg
What’s the connection between the simple wooden hay rake and the ergonomically shaped BACK-SAVER® snow shovel with the bent handle? Amos Rugg and the family-run Rugg Manufacturing Company in Greenfield!
Over 150 years ago, Amos Rugg, a New Hampshire craftsman, opened a factory in Montague making wooden hay rakes. After the big Montague fire in 1842, Rugg rebuilt his manufacturing plant in Greenfield. In 1879, to fill in during the slow winter months, Amos added snow shovels to his line of products. The first snow shovels, similar to the hay rakes, were made entirely of resilient white ash that could be formed into a scoop. One of the first innovations was a metal strip on the wearing edge of the shovel, followed by steel blades with a curve that enabled the shoveler to either push the snow away or scoop it up.
Amos’ entrepreneurial spirit has been passed down through five generations of the Rugg family. After World War II, Rugg Manufacturing introduced the first snow shovels with lightweight aluminum blades. In 1977, they developed the first Teflon-coated aluminum blade shovel. Rugg Manufacturing currently uses space-age plastics and materials in their products.
The Rugg innovations include BACK-SAVER® snow shovels, lawn rakes, and brooms with their bent handles to ease the strain of shoveling and raking on the body. The company also created the Shock-Saver® shovel with a shock absorber in the handle that absorbs the jolt when the shoveler accidentally hits a curb or patio edge.
Rugg Manufacturing, still a growing company, emphasizes innovative and functional products for the home, yard, and garden. The company manufactures over 100 varieties of snow tools, lawn and garden tools, and roofing brackets which are distributed in the United States and Canada.
The Rugg family has taken Amos Rugg’s creativity, craftsmanship, and innovation to new heights by expanding its product lines, opening new markets, and exploring new opportunities. That is true entrepreneurial spirit. We are proud to induct Amos Rugg into the Western Massachusetts Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame.