During the 1940s, while teaching Industrial Arts at Holland High School, G.W. Haworth started a woodworking shop as a hobby in his garage. His intention was to increase the income for his children's future college education by production and selling special-order wood products. As his reputation and orders grew, he expanded to a 4,800-square-foot plant in Holland, Michigan, and decided to turn his sideline into a full-time business. Unable to secure a bank loan, he borrowed $10,000 from his parents' life savings to launch his company, Modern Products, in 1948. “The money that started the business was earned the hard way,” Chairman Emeritus Dick Haworth said. “Grandpa went from farm to farm selling Watkins cosmetics and spices; that’s where the money came from. I’m particularly proud of that. It’s a great foundation for a business.” A big contract changed the course of the business in the 1950s. In 1951, a freelance salesman pitched G.W. a sketch of some proposed bank-type partitions for the United Auto Workers headquarters in Detroit. The company won the contract to manufacture the floor-to-ceiling movable walls. In 1954, the focus of Modern Products shifted toward office environments, in response to the development of modular office partitions. To reflect this new focus, the company changed its name to Modern Partitions By 1956, the business had annual revenues of $472,000 and a workforce of 50 employees, whom G.W. called “members.”