It is unusual for a small business to stay in existence for more than one generation. Usually after the founder of the company retires, it is not long before the company goes out of business or is bought by a competitor. Union Orthotics and Prosthetics has the distinction of surviving for over 100 years.

Research was done using the City Directories at the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania located in the library at the Senator John Heinz Pittsburgh Regional History Center. These directories list the names and occupation of residents of Pittsburgh. They are similar to the Yellow Pages, but they were started before telephones, so are somewhat different. The information found here helped fill in the gaps of ownership and location of the business.

Then in 1919 Adam Forster and James J. Mount joined together to form a union of two artificial leg makers. Their logo was a handshake and the name of the company was Union Artificial Limb Co., located at 111 Smithfield St.

James Mount was a below the knee amputee from an accident while working on the railroad. Adam Forster and J. J. Mount were partners through 1925. There were seven artificial limb companies in Pittsburgh at the time. There were a lot of amputees due to accidents in the coal mines, on the railroad, and from streetcars.

In 1926 Adam Forster left the company and John Joseph Vollmer became a partner. I heard stories from Bill Vollmer, the brother of owner Jack Vollmer, about watching. the celebration parade of Charles Lindberg's cross Atlantic flight in 1927 from the window at 111 Smithfield St.

Later Bill was working for Union Artificial Limb Co. and in one letter to an amputee patient in 1942, Jack says "we are short staffed, even my kid brother left for the Army." Indeed they were down to two leg makers and were months behind on the delivery of a new artificial leg. Vollmer was with the company until September of 1942 when he had an apparent nervous breakdown due to overwork. His doctor told him to take a year off from work. He sold out to Mount and moved with his wife to California. Mr. Vollmer later worked in prosthetics in Los Angeles.

In 1945, at age 67, Mr. Mount sold the business for $8,500 to Laurence Porten CPO. Mr. Porten had been working for Fillauer Orthopedic co. in Chattanooga Tennessee and had moved to the United States from Germany many years before.
A letter found in the company archives from 1948 showed that a 10% commission was paid to an amputee in Johnstown for referring amputees to the company.
In the early 1950's the name was changed to Union Artificial Limb and Brace Company obviously reflecting the company's expanding into braces. The company moved in 1953 next door to 113 Smithfield St. to a street level office after being on the second floor for 52 years with no elevator. Handicap accessibility apparently was not a concern back then. By the late 1950's Mr. Porten had increased the staff to twelve.

Leonard Svetz CP started working at Union O & P after returning home to Pittsburgh from World War II a below the knee amputee. Leonard worked his way up in the company and in partnership with Ray Marvin CO, Porten's son-in-law, purchased it in 1969. They were partners until 1974 when Mr. Marvin moved to Minnesota.

The company moved to 32 East Carson St. on the Southside in 1959. In May 1966 another move was made, this time downtown to the Century Building at 130-134 Seventh St. Leonard moved the company to 3401 Liberty Ave in 1971. The first branch office was opened in 1975 in Westmoreland County at 959 E. Pittsburgh St. Greensburg, PA.

By talking to the daughter of one owner and the brother and sister of another to gather dates of ownership and best of all pictures. These pictures are of the buildings on Smithfield Street and Carson Street.

William Svetz CPO, Leonard's son, worked at Union O & P during the 1970's and early 1980's, further developing the company and its reputation for providing state of the art prosthetics and orthotics. Unfortunately, he passed away in 1984.

The current ownership began in August 1988 when Jon Leimkuehler CPO purchased the company from Leonard Svetz CP. Jon had been friends with Leonard and Bill Svetz seeing them at seminars and national conventions for Orthotics and Prosthetics. Jon first met

Leonard at an endoskeletal prosthesis seminar in 1971. This friendship resulted in Leonard wanting to transfer ownership of his company to Jon rather than a publicly traded company as has been the case with consolidation being so common.

In 1988 Union O & P had two branch offices and a staff of 17. The company has continued to grow moving its main office from 3401 Liberty Ave. across the street to a larger building at 3424 Liberty Ave. in August of 1998. Union O & P now has seven offices in Southwestern PA with a staff of 75.