America’s oldest continuously operating manufacturer, Revere Copper Products, is celebrating its 225th anniversary in 2026, marking more than two centuries of copper production and industrial innovation.
Founded in 1801 by Revolutionary War figure and master metalworker Paul Revere, the company has evolved from supplying copper for the fledgling United States Navy to serving modern industries including data centres, power distribution and advanced electrical applications.
The milestone coincides with America’s 250th anniversary celebrations and highlights Revere’s enduring role in the nation’s industrial development.
Revere traces its origins to the late 18th century when Paul Revere established North America’s first copper rolling mill under contract to the newly formed US Navy. At a time when Britain largely controlled the rolled copper market, domestic production represented a significant advance for American manufacturing and national security.
By 1801, Revere was supplying copper sheeting for the USS Constitution, the famed naval frigate known as “Old Ironsides”, which remains afloat today in Boston Harbor.
Over the following decades, the company continued to support national defence efforts, producing cannon and ammunition during the American Civil War and contributing to wartime manufacturing during the Second World War as part of the country’s “Arsenal of Democracy”.
The business expanded beyond its original Massachusetts base during the 20th century, establishing operations in Rome, New York, where it remains headquartered today.
Now employee-owned, Revere Copper Products operates more than one million square feet of manufacturing space across facilities in New York and North Carolina. The company employs approximately 500 people, including around 400 workers at its Rome facility and a further 100 at a copper bar operation in Mebane, North Carolina, opened in 2023.
The manufacturer produces a range of architectural and industrial copper products, including roofing and cladding materials, copper sheet and plate, and semi-finished copper products. Its well-known architectural offerings include Classic Copper, FreedomGray and the Liberty Collection of textured copper materials.
In recent years, Revere has also expanded its presence in high-growth markets, supplying copper products for AI data centres, electrical engineering projects and energy infrastructure.
The company has been privately owned by its employees since the 1980s, when former chairman, president and CEO Brian O’Shaughnessy introduced an employee ownership model that distributed company ownership among the workforce.
Today, the business is led by second-generation executive Mike O’Shaughnessy, who said the company’s history continues to shape its approach to manufacturing.
“Everybody knows about Paul Revere’s midnight ride and that’s very important, but when you dig deeper, you realise that he played a critical role in the earliest growth and success of this nation.
“He was asked to take on what were then considered impossible tasks and to complete them without hesitation. That aspirational tradition lives on today at Revere Copper Products.”
– Mike O’Shaughnessy.
O’Shaughnessy said the company remains focused on continuous improvement and capital investment, citing a strategic decision made in 2016 to focus exclusively on copper production as a key driver of growth.
The anniversary comes at a time when global copper demand is rising rapidly, fuelled by the expansion of AI infrastructure, electrification projects and energy systems development.
Reflecting on the company’s unique position in American manufacturing history, O’Shaughnessy added: “How many people can say, ‘I run the oldest manufacturing company in the United States?’ I sit in – not the literal chair – but the chair that Paul Revere occupied. That’s pretty special, and I’m excited to carry that legacy forward.”
