The Thomson Timeline
1939 – Loronzo H. “Ronnie” Thomson is born in Centerville, Georgia on January 17. Ronnie is raised on a farm and establishes a strong work ethic early in his life.
1958-1966 – Ronnie attends and graduates from the Georgia Institute of Technology and begins working for McDonnell Aircraft in St. Louis as an engineer. While at McDonnell, Ronnie meets Margaret, his future wife.
1968 – Ronnie and Margaret open their first machine shop, NEMCO (Numerical Engineering Machine Company). NEMCO was primarily a tool and die shop, and they used both manual and numerically controlled machines. The production runs were usually around 50 – 100 parts per order.
1980 – After 12 years of operation, NEMCO competes with over 200 shops to be acquired by Boeing. After selling the company to Boeing in 1980, Ronnie serves as President of Boeing Georgia for one year.
1981 – After selling NEMCO to Boeing, and completing his term as president of Boeing Georgia, Ronnie and Margaret open L.H. Thomson Company, Inc. in the old NEMCO building, which they re-purchase from Boeing. L.H. Thomson transitions from specializing in tool and die at NEMCO, and begins focusing on the manufacturing of precision machined parts using computer numerically controlled equipment (CNC).
1985-89 – L.H. Thomson experiences a growth spurt, requiring additional space to meet growing client demands.
1992 – After operating for 11 more years in the old, 16,000 square foot NEMCO building, Ronnie designs and moves into the new 60,000+ square foot facility that is still used today. The new facility nearly quadruples the size of the previous building. Additional information on our building can be found on the Facilities page here. L.H. Thomson goes off the energy grid and generates its own electricity for 18 months to qualify for Real Time Pricing electricity.
1994-96 – L.H. Thomson expands to create its own brand of patented bike components using aerospace quality, design, principles, and manufacturing. Mark McJunkin and Chris McGee, classmates of Ronnie’s daughter Amy at Carnegie Mellon University, encourage Ronnie to expand his manufacturing expertise into the cycling industry. Several early bike related patents are created and L.H. Thomson quickly becomes a recognized leader in the cycling industry. Thomson bike products set the standard for performance, durability and value, and are currently available in 30 countries, with 60% of business in exports.
2002-2003 – The recession is hard on the aerospace industry, but the bike side of Thomson helps keep the company financially stable.
2007 – This year brings tremendous growth for L.H. Thomson, offering a spurt of aerospace production.
2008 – Ronnie passes in January and his wife, Margaret, takes over as CEO, with son, Brian, leading as President.
Today – L.H. Thomson still employs three workers from the NEMCO days and continues to grow in the manufacturing industry, leading with innovative design for two primary markets – aerospace and cycling. Thomson is capable of machining any part within their core capabilities.
Warranty Info
Thomson warrants our Elite Seatpost, Masterpiece Seatpost, Elite X4 Stem, Elite X2 Stem, Elite Direct Mount Stem, Elite Seatpost Collar and BMX Stem to be free from defects in material and workmanship for 3 years, from date of purchase, to the original owner.
Thomson warrants our Carbon, Titanium and Aluminum Handlebars to be free from defects in material and workmanship for two years, from the date of purchase, to the original owner.
Thomson warrants our Elite Dropper Seatpost to be free from defects in material and workmanship for two years, from the date of purchase, to the original owner. Thomson Elite Dropper posts are not user serviceable and may only be serviced by Thomson or a Thomson authorized service facility. Unauthorized service voids warranty.
This warranty does not cover damage from crashing, abuse, modification or improper installation. Thomson defines abuse as using a product outside its intended design. If you believe you have a warranty claim return your product to Thomson for evaluation. Please include the original receipt from the authorized seller. Auction based websites are not authorized sellers of new Thomson products.
If you do not have your original receipt warranty is from date of manufacture.
Ship to:
Thomson
7800 NE Industrial Boulevard
Macon, GA 31216
Our Patents
Thomson holds various Patents and Trademarks.
Utility Patents:
5649738 Lightweight High Strength Bicycle Seat Post and Associated Clamp
5664829 Seat Angle Indicating Indicia
6309135 Object Clamp Including Clamp Members and Associated Methods
6912928 Bicycle Stem and Associated Methods
6945135 Bicycle Stem for Enlarged handlebar Portions and Associated Methods
6964215 Rotary Positioning Multi-Faced Tooling Fixture and Associated Methods
7407716 Bicycle Stem with Tongue and Groove Handle Bar Clamp (X2)
7500415 Object Clamp such as for Bicycle Component, having at least one Relief Area and Related Methods
Design Patents:
D379783 Seatpost, Ornamental Design
D413284 Seatpost, Ornamental Design
D407998 Seatpost, Setback
D451847 S Stem, Ornamental Design
D5123485 S Bicycle Stem
D515983 S Bicycle Stem
D515480 Bicycle Stem
D516965 S Bicycle Stem
D528047 Bicycle Stem
D515481 S Bicycle Stem
D587633 Bicycle Seat Tube Clamp
Trademarks:
Thomson™
Masterpiece™
X4™
Cannondale® and Lefty® are registered trademarks of Cycling Sports Group, Inc. and used with permission. Headshok™ is a trademark of Cycling Sports Group, Inc. and used with permission.
Rock Shox and BoXXer are registered trademarks of SRAM, LLC and used with permission.