Pasin immigrated to the United States at just 16 years old in 1914 and made a living as a craftsman, mostly selling phonograph cabinets and built the wagons to carry his woodworking tools. After building the wagons, Pasin would sell them to area toy stores. Although crafting wagons was not Pasin’s original business model, it soon would take off and transform his life.
Pasin received numerous requests for wagons, so much so that he refocused his brand to just making wagons and tricycles. His business grew to create the Liberty Coaster Company, named in honor of the Statue of Liberty, in 1923. His original wagon design, the Liberty Coaster wagons started selling as quickly as he could make them.
To keep up with the growing demand, Pasin began to make the wagons out of stamped steel in 1927 and in 1930 renamed his business to Radio Steel & Manufacturing. The newly renamed company changed its approach by creating only steel wagons versus wood and using the assembly line to churn out a product faster. The new, now steel-bodied wagons were named Radio Flyer wagons, after Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi, who championed the first long-distance telegraph and first transatlantic radio signal and Charles Lindbergh, who completed the first solo non-stop flight across the Atlantic. Together, the influential pioneers helped to craft the name “Radio Flyer”, which became the name of the company in 1987.
In 1933, ten years after the creation of Liberty Coaster wagons, the city of Chicago hosted its first annual fair, A Century of Progress International Exposition, which had an emphasis on science, industry, and corporate participation. At this fair, Pasin decided to debut his products. Pasin did not decide to just take a few examples of his wagons, he decided to showcase a 45-foot Coaster Boy Statue, which encapsulated the image of a boy riding in a wagon. For those walking by his booth, Pasin sold miniature versions of the statue for $0.25. Thanks to his willingness to make a large production, the company took off.
Up until his death in 1990, Pasin remained instrumental in the company’s success, keeping it in the family, with his grandson Robert being CEO since 1997. Over the course of its nearly 110 year long history, the company has received the “Best Small & Medium Workplaces Award” by Fortune and Great Place to Work 12 times, while also winning “Best Workplaces in Chicago Award” by Great Place to Work and was named a 2020 People’s Companies That Care Winner.
“Radio Flyer is a great Chicago company and has been a family favorite for many generations,” said Rep. Stephens, a father to five, grandfather to three, and lifelong resident of the Rosemont-Chicago area. “It is hard to find a company that has been around for nearly 110 years that remains true to its roots and prioritizes its customers and employees above all else, yet Radio Flyer continues to pave the way.”
Radio Flyer closed its first and only brick and mortar store on January 24th but continues to provide entertainment for families in the form of wagons, trikes, bikes, strollers, and more.
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Photo credit: Made in Chicago Museum