The Palmer Products Corporation is a family owned and operated manufacturing business located in Louisville, Kentucky. The history of the company reaches back almost ninety years and during that time Palmer has manufactured a variety of products. The company was founded in 1911 by Mr. Lawrence B. Palmer-Ball in Chicago, Illinois. At that time the business manufactured friction materials or brake linings and brake blocks for cars, trucks, draglines, off highway construction and mining equipment. Palmer produced a variety of other products in the 1920's and 1930's including muslin-wrapping strips for the telephone companies, wicking for railroad lanterns and fire extinguishers. Mr. Palmer-Ball married a Louisville, Kentucky girl and eventually in the late 1920's relocated his family there. The Louisville plant was built in 1929 and the friction materials line was expanded to that location. In 1932, the Louisville plant began manufacturing asphalt roll roofing and saturated felts and within a few years they began producing asphalt shingles and siding. In 1933 Palmer Products went into the adhesives business and Palmer Mirro-Mastic^® was born. This asphalt base adhesive still leads their line of mirror adhesives today. They also began producing two structural adhesives, Palmer Redkan^® and Grakan^®.

    World War II found Palmer Products in full production for the war effort. Four of Mr. Palmer-Ball's sons fought in the war while Palmer Products produced aircraft parts and airstrip materials for the South Pacific. After the war, production of roofing products, adhesives, and friction materials resumed.

    In 1974 the Chicago plant was sold and the friction materials and adhesives divisions were consolidated in Louisville. It was at about this time that the use of mirrors in all different types of construction began to grow and Palmer Products focused on its mirror adhesives line.

    Today Palmer continues production at its Louisville, Kentucky plant. Its' line of mirror adhesives has expanded to include two other mirror adhesives: Palmer QwikSet™ and Super Set™ Mirro-Mastics along with various support products for mirror installations. Palmer also continues to manufacture friction materials now concentrating on products for the shipping and mining industry and off highway construction equipment. Although very different, these two product lines are a logical continuation of the heritage of this family run business.

    Palmer Products today is led by Lawrence Palmer-Ball's son, Shirley W. Palmer-Ball along with two granddaughters, and two grandsons. It continues to be a business poised for change and expansion as it approaches ninety years in business and the twenty-first century.