The Founder – A Sensible Adventurer

A thought. That’s how it all started. Not the kind of thought that suddenly pops into your head in a creative moment, surprising like a smile from an enemy. No, this was one of those thoughts that comes in on tiptoe. Sneaking up on you, from behind or from the side, only to disappear the next moment. When it comes again, you hear it a little better. It has grown, and its steps are more distinct. At regular intervals, the thought comes to visit. Soon the idea has shoes on, yes, soon it stomps towards you in galoshes. Now you simply can’t help but hear or see it, and you are forced to a reckoning: Either the idea must be put into action, or you must forget it forever.

 

That’s more or less how it was for Anton Stephan Stephansen and the thought of building a factory at the end of the 18th century. He had run his own clothing store for 25 years. He himself had turned 50. And now the time had come: The dream of a knitwear factory was to be realized. But just as the dream gradually grew, the actual execution of the idea also proceeded with small and well-considered steps.

No one knows how long he had been toying with the idea. Who knows, maybe the seed was sown already when he himself worked as an apprentice and shop assistant at Peder Jebsen’s textile shop in Strandgaten. But it could also have been later, when Stephansen was employed as a traveling salesman at Arne Fabrikker, in Ytre-Arna outside Bergen. There he saw up close how the machines magically produced both threads and fabrics. And when he later started his own shop on the corner of Smørsalmenningen and Strandgaten, he was not shy about setting up a couple of hand-knitting machines to run in the store. At the same time, he became an agent for selling similar machines to others.

 

Now or Never

As the years went by, he installed many different machines in the shop. Soon the entire attic was set up as a miniature factory. There was both a knitting room and a sewing room. The goods produced by the machines were sold in the shop. The hissing from the machines went steadily, and it probably gave Stephansen a certain satisfaction. But one thing he knew deep down: He would fall short with the hand power that drove the machines if his dream of a larger knitwear factory was to become reality. Other forces of nature had to be used.
The idea of buying a waterfall was always present. But Stephansen suppressed it for financial reasons. He always hoped that the returns from the shop would increase enough that he could make investments without much risk.

 

Willing Waters

Stephansen knew it couldn’t be just any stream for the purpose he sought. But he also knew the investment couldn’t be too large. He needed the capital for building and starting the factory. With this in mind, he set out in search of willing waters. He didn’t rely solely on his own judgment regarding the waterfall. That’s why he asked his wife Gerche to join him when he went to inspect rivers and rapids. Mrs. Stephansen, née Jahn, came from a long line of businesspeople on both her mother’s and father’s side. She therefore had a pronounced sense and instinct for business. So Gerche’s opinion was highly valued by Anton Stephan. They didn’t travel far from Bergen to look for the waterfall. Stephansen wanted the factory to be close to the city. At first, they didn’t find any place particularly suitable for factory operations. But it turned out they couldn’t see the forest for the trees.
Through the place Espeland, in Arna outside Bergen, wound a river called Bjørdalselven. In places, the river turned into waterfalls and rapids, but never in such a way that it attracted any attention, either from tourists or from people living on the farms along the river. When the railway line from Bergen to Voss was built, it passed right by these rapids. So did the main road. But other than a resting place for the eyes of passersby, the waters never seemed to be used for anything. Not until Stephansen cast his gaze on the untamed waters of Espelandsfossen.

 

Falls for the Waterfall

It was after a trip to Samnanger that Stephansen and his wife met factory owner Johan Jebsen. They got to talking about the search for a suitable waterfall for factory purposes, and Jebsen tipped them off about Espelandsfossen. Stephansen now literally got water on his mill, and after inspecting the waterfall more closely, he contacted the landowner, Nils K. Espeland.
He was willing to sell, if the price was right. Stephansen was content with this, not least because he was missing an important piece of the puzzle: He needed a skilled works manager and foreman for the factory. He knew of a man with experience in the industry, Anders Lone. But he had retired to a farm in his home village and was not particularly keen to take on the task. He thought he was too old. But Stephansen didn’t give up, and after some persuasion, he got him on board.

 

Sued by River Owners

The purchase of the waterfall could now be carried out. Twelve hundred kroner was the price for five acres of land, including the waterfall. Both parties were satisfied with the deal.
Buying the waterfall was all well and good. But Stephansen also needed the right to dam up the waters. And the dam had to be in Osevannet, which belonged to the Bjorndal farm. The damming rights were arranged by making a contract with the owners of the Bjørndal farm. Once this was settled, the future factory owner immediately began building the dam. At the same time, the foundation for the actual knitwear factory was being built.
But when the users of the farms who co-owned the river heard that the farmers in Bjørndalen had sold the damming rights, they sued both the buyer and the seller. Stephansen didn’t think he had done anything wrong, so he continued building the dam. Later it turned out that the plaintiffs lost both in the lower and higher courts.

 

The Turbines Thunder

An important milestone had now been reached, the waterfall was bought and the energy supply secured. But much remained before the turbines could be started. Stephansen himself traveled to Germany to look at and buy machines for the factory. He also had to learn about yarn preparation and gain in-depth knowledge of the types of goods and raw materials he needed for production. In the shortest possible time, he now had to gain thorough insight into the intricacies of modern knitwear operations.

When Stephansen returned from Germany, with his pockets full of knowledge and technology, the work of building the factory was well advanced. Slowly but surely, he now saw his life’s work rise. At the same time as the factory took shape, another important job was underway, namely finishing the house that would become the Stephansen family’s home.

On March 25, 1895, the turbines began to rumble, and Espelandsfossen’s spinning and knitwear factory was up and running. There was a rather modest selection of machines to begin with, but enough to start production. There were no electric sewing machines for finishing the clothes. So, in the beginning, all the seamstresses worked with hand sewing machines. At the opening of the factory, twenty people were employed. The factory and machines represented an investment of 60,000 kroner.

The Private Residence is Built

 

Threatened by Bankruptcy

The factory’s finances approached a dangerously low point right after the first year started. When Easter had passed, Stephansen had to go out and sell goods. He had hired an agent in Oslo, but it took time to get sales up to a level that covered expenses. Too much time. All the while, interest had to be paid on the property and machines, not to mention wages for the workers and expenses for his own household. Even though the goods were of good quality, times were tough. And there was still no housing for the workers. That had to come if Stephansen was to have any chance of keeping the workforce through the winter. They saved wherever they could, but it became increasingly clear to Stephansen that he needed new capital. And that money had to be borrowed.

 

Advised to Give Up

He spoke with several wealthy men about guaranteeing a loan. But everywhere he was met with skepticism. Two very wealthy men from Bergen came out one summer day to see the property. Stephansen thought maybe they would change their minds if they could just see his business with their own eyes. They had nothing to criticize about the factory itself, nor his own house. It was the industry itself they were skeptical about. The businessmen had no faith that the operation could be profitable.
That same summer, he invited one of his personal friends up to the factory. The friend was a merchant, and Stephansen wanted him to look through the books and inventory, and then give his honest opinion about the situation. He leafed through the accounting books and glanced at the large stock of finished clothing, and said:
– No, Stephansen, this really can’t work. I would advise you to sell the entire stock for whatever price you can get, before you and maybe others are ruined.

 

Help Arrives

Now things looked really bleak. Was his entire enterprise, his life’s work, his dream, really to be overturned for financial reasons? There were many heavy days and nights after this.
But, it wasn’t to be that bad. When need was greatest, help was nearest. His father-in-law, old state broker Jahn, came one day and offered his help. Stephansen had been too proud to go to him with his financial worries. Now he came himself and volunteered as a guarantor.
State broker Jahn died in 1903, knowing that his son-in-law had more or less made it through the worst.
Espelandsfos Spinning & Knitwear Factory was now secured for continued operation, at least for a while.

Authority and Care

Anton S. Stephansen’s leadership style was distinctly patriarchal, meaning he led with authority and care at the same time. Every day he made his rounds at the factory to see how the work was going, and not least to greet everyone. The owner is described as a just and upright man, with a fine and humane way of relating to the workers. He was upright and stately in appearance.
He especially won the hearts of the employees by inviting them to parties at irregular intervals – often in the family’s own home.
Stephansen also extended the company’s commitment to the workers’ welfare. In 1913, the factory introduced a profit-sharing system. This meant that all workers received a share of the company’s profits. And Stephansen always stepped in when, for example, there was a shortage of food and other goods at Espeland. And in bad times, he did his utmost to avoid cutting the workforce.

 

A Smart Man with Heart

From this, we can of course say that Stephansen was equipped with a good heart – and that is probably true. But just as much, the factory owner was aware that the company was a bit on the outskirts of society, and he probably also had in mind to make the jobs and the place Espeland attractive for people. And he succeeded. Right up to today, the factory has been a safe and solid workplace, where people are reluctant to leave. It is not at all uncommon to spend your entire working life there.
Stephansen was actively involved in the factory until 1919. Then he was 74 years old and thought it was time to pass the baton to his two sons. Age, of course, played a part. But his health was also not so good anymore. Arteriosclerosis and diabetes had begun to weaken him. A cane became necessary for his rounds at the factory – his life’s work. Towards the end, he had a regular nurse to accompany him. But even if his legs and heart were weak, his mind was fresh and clear. On one of his rounds, he said:
– It is with me as with an old farmer who has given the farm to younger hands. They like to walk around the old familiar places to see how the place is kept. Maybe they most like to go where it was hardest to clear, and where it took the most time and effort to get it in the best shape.

 

Regular Churchgoer

Stephansen was a religious man. Every Sunday he took his place in church, and it is said that he kept his childhood faith to the end.
When, as a pensioner, he looked back on his life’s work, he expressed himself like this:
“I truly have much to be thankful for. At the beginning of my business here, things did not look bright at all. On the contrary, it was both hard and dark. But then came the breakthrough. And since then, things have gone forward all the time. And when I now think back on many of my acquaintances from my youth, I often get a strange feeling of how well things have turned out for me. For many of them, everything seemed so well set up from the start, and everything looked promising. But then it often happened that things started to go downhill for one or another of them. And with my business, and with my affairs, things have always gone forward. Therefore, I am sincerely and deeply grateful to God for everything.”
When Stephansen died at 84, the factory was still thriving. He took with him to the grave the sight of two new buildings that had just been erected – proof of progress and development.