Allen Foote

[Roger Wheelock]

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Dear List,
=20
Allen Foote, the founder of Dampp-Chaser Corp. passed away this =
December.  Allen was a pure spirit who looked for the good in everybody =
and every situation.  I personally was honored to know the gentleman.

What follows is a memoriam describing Allen's career.  I will be away =
from the list for a week, but feel free to email me privately, and I =
will respond at a later date.

Roger Wheelock
Executive Vice President
Dampp-Chaser Corporation
roger@dampp-chaser.com

In Memoriam

ALLEN FOOTE, DAMPP-CHASER INVENTOR

Hendersonville, NC- - Allen Foote, the inventor of the Dampp-Chaser =
Piano Climate Control System, died December 13 at the age of 86 after a =
long period of declining health. Allen conceived of the Dampp-Chaser =
when he served in the military during WW II. He was stationed in =
tropical climates and became acutely aware of the need for a device to =
protect valuables from humidity. After the war, Allen began =
manufacturing the original Dampp-Chaser dehumidifier in 1947 when he was =
33. He and his wife, Edna, assembled the first 100 units in their home's =
garage in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. In his early career, Allen carried =
quite a reputation as an inventor as evidenced by this newspaper =
article: ". . .Allen Foote is one of America's youngest inventors. His =
"Dampp-Chaser" was "born" here, is manufactured here and someday will =
bring the kind of recognition to the city that Ft. Lauderdale can well =
afford to use." In 1950, after much research to find a new home for his =
company, he moved to Hendersonville, NC.

Initially, the dehumidifier was marketed to protect pianos, organs, =
drums, and electronic equipment (televisions, radios and phonographs) =
from humidity extremes. By 1950, the product was sold throughout the =
U.S. and through distributors in Central and South America. The =
dehumidifier was also marketed separately as a "Storage Dehumidifier" to =
protect storage areas from mold, mildew, musty odors and rust. The =
product's rapid sales growth could only be attributed to Allen's =
exceptional energy, his natural gift for marketing and his unique sales =
imagination.

Allen understood the most important principle of selling: Give something =
first to receive sales later. First, he established credibility with the =
community of piano technicians in the U.S. by distributing free =
dehumidifiers. Technicians tested them in pianos, and, excited about the =
positive results, wrote favorable comments about the product in =
technical trade journals. Thus, the most convincing "advertising" =
message did not come from Allen, but from respected members of the =
technical community.

Allen knew about humidity control but he admitted he didn't know much =
about pianos. He was eager to accept help and advice from technicians in =
the development of his piano protection system. For instance, when =
technicians suggested the Dehumidifier needed a control unit to prevent =
the over-drying of pianos, he invented the Humidistat and, later, the =
Humidifier to protect pianos in overly-dry conditions.

RPT Clayton Harmon played an extremely important role in the initial =
testing of the Dampp-Chaser. He supplied Allen with tuning data which =
helped to strengthen the marketing message to technicians. PTG Hall of =
Famer, Wendell Eaton also became a close friend to Allen and supporter =
of the system, frequently traveling from Maryland to the North Carolina =
plant to help perfect the Humidifier.

As a generous sponsor of the PTG, Allen was named the Man of the Year at =
the national convention in 1968. He attended PTG conferences =
religiously, exhibiting the Piano Life Saver. He handed out apples at =
his exhibit booth as a conversation starter and he did this with such =
regularity, he was affectionately nicknamed, "Apple Allen" by many =
technicians. (Hendersonville, the "home" of Dampp-Chaser, is well-known =
as an apple-growing center).

In 1986, Allen retired, selling the company to engineer Robert Mair and =
a partner. In 1994, Mair became the sole owner. Today, piano climate =
control systems and the storage dehumidifier are sold worldwide; =
literally, millions of Dampp-Chaser products are in use protecting =
pianos and other valuables from humidity extremes. And, it all started =
with Allen Foote, a man who was driven to solve an exacting problem and =
had enough focus, ingenuity and vivacity to develop a unique, lasting =
solution.=20



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