The History of the Yakima Valley, Washington, Comprising Yakima, Kittitas and
Benton Counties, The S.J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1919, Volume II, page 106 

ELLIOTT M. SLY.

The Kennewick Produce Company's report for 1917, published in 1918, shows that
this remarkable cooperant enterprise closed the year's business with over a half
million dollars transactions. Its wonderful success must be ascribed in large
measure to the business foresight, ability and experience of Elliott M. Sly, the
manager. Mr. Sly is a native of Illinois, his birth having occurred in Lockport,
September 3, 1869, and he is a son of Eugene R. and Emma J. (Spicer) Sly, the
former a well known manufacturer. The parents now make their home in Michigan.
In April. 1908, Elliott M. Sly came to Kennewick, where he followed farming for
a year and then was elected to the position of manager of The Produce Company,
which he has ever since ably filled.

In June, 1896, Mr. Sly was united in marriage to Miss Ethelyn V. Seegmiller, of
Michigan, and to them have been born three children: William, aged twenty-one,
who is now serving his country in the United States marines; Randolph, aged
seventeen; and Eugene, aged eleven.

In his political affiliations Mr. Sly is a republican, but the enormous amount
of work which he does in connection with The Produce Company prevents him from
taking an active part in political affairs although he is always interested in
public matters, especially those pertaining to the growth and development of the
great commercial institution of which he is executive.

The Produce Company of Kennewick, Washington, was established in 1905 by a
number of agriculturists as the Kennewick Fruit Growers Association in order to
facilitate the selling of fruit. The first officers were: O. L. Hanson,
president; and W. E. Cruikshank, secretary and treasurer. In their business they
specialized in the handling of strawberries and so continued for four years. In
1909 Elliott M. Sly was elected manager of the organization and they then began
to handle all kinds of fruit and also started selling feed and poultry supplies.
In April, 1910, the name was changed to the Kennewick Fruit & Produce Company
and they built a warehouse in Kennewick having a floor space of seventy by one
hundred feet. A great many of these improvements and expansions must be
attributed to the unabating energy and executive ability of Mr. Sly. In 1912
they moved into the building which they now occupy and which they erected. It is
well constructed and fully adapted to the purpose for which it was intended. At
the end of 1910 the organization discontinued the fruit business and became
entirely a mercantile institution and in 1915 the name was changed to The
Produce Company. The main building of the company is fifty by one hundred and
twenty feet and comprises a basement and two stories. There is also a warehouse
seventy by one hundred feet, a machinery building fifty by one hundred and
twenty-five feet and several other structures. Branches are maintained at
Prosser, White Bluffs, Finley and Pasco. To further indicate the scope of their
activities it may be mentioned that they are interested in the grocery, feed,
seed, poultry supply, fruit growers supply, farm implement and a number of other
lines of business. Between 1917 and 1918 the gross merchandise sales of the four
cooperative stores amounted to five hundred and eleven thousand dollars, while
the total for the year 1918, reached six hundred and forty thousand dollars. It
may be of interest to many to here note that during this year the war tax item
alone amounted to six thousand, six hundred dollars. Among the interesting items
are the sums which the company paid the farmers for eggs, butter and other farm
produce. These amounted to sixty-three thousand three hundred and sixty-two
dollars and fifty-nine cents, not including hay in carload lots, which brings
the total to seventy-five thousand five hundred and sixty-two dollars and ten
cents. One item among the farm produce is especially notable and should
therefore be mentioned-that of eggs, which amounted to twenty-nine thousand five
hundred sixty-three dollars and six cents. In addition the company paid
forty-four thousand and forty-one dollars and forty-two cents to local business
firms for merchandise and equipment.

The Produce Company publishes an interesting paper under the name of The Produce
Company News, which is issued monthly and has a circulation of over three
thousand. It is not only filled with news items of direct interest to the
farmers in a vocational way but has many other interesting articles in its
columns. The president of the company is C. C. Williams. F. H. Lincoln is
treasurer and assistant manager, while E. M. Sly acts as secretary and manager,
he being at the head of all the various departments of the organization. The
continuous prosperity of the company is due to cooperation and Mr. Sly has been
a great factor in keeping together the many heads who belong to the organization
and coordinating influences and forces seemingly representing opposing points.
Great credit is therefore due him and his untiring efforts are, appreciated by
all who know aught of his work.

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Submitted to the Washington Bios Project in December 2007 by Jeffrey L. Elmer.
Submitter has no additional information about the subject of this article.