Draper, Inc. is headquartered in Spiceland, Indiana, a Henry County town of about 800 people located 40 miles east of Indianapolis, Indiana.
- The company was founded by Luther O. Draper in 1902 to manufacture window shades for schools, and that was the primary Draper® product for the next 60 years.
- In 1918 Mr. Draper was joined by his son-in-law, Elmer Pidgeon. Mr. Draper later became a prominent state politician and Elmer Pidgeon assumed management of the company in 1938.
- Elmer Pidgeon’s son, Luther, joined the firm in 1940 and became its President in 1960. He continued in that capacity until his death in July 2004.
- In 1957 Luther Pidgeon secured a patent on an inexpensive classroom projection screen, marking Draper®‘s entry into the screen business. Today, projection screens and related products are an important part of Draper®‘s business.
- Draper®-manufactured products closely related to projection screens include rear projection display systems, video projector lifts, AV mounts and structures, and presentation easels.
- In 1989 Draper® introduced FlexShade® Systems, a second line of window shades designed for the commercial market.
- In 1994 Draper® entered the gymnasium equipment market. Today, the company’s gymnasium equipment products include basketball backstops, gym dividers, wall pads, volleyball equipment, batting cages, and wrestling mat hoists.
- In addition to its Spiceland, Indiana headquarters, Draper, Inc. has a sales office in Placentia, CA. Draper also has three wholly-owned subsidiaries: Draper® Group Ltd., a sales and warehouse facility in Corby, Northamptonshire, United Kingdom, and two manufacturing companies in Sweden: Draper® Europe AB, a leading European projection screen manufacturer, and SMS Smart Media Solutions AB, a leading European provider of video projector and flat-screen mounts.
- The company is owned and managed by the descendants of Luther O. Draper and has enjoyed steady growth for the past 118 years.
- Draper® products are shipped to dealers throughout the United States and more than 100 foreign countries.