The Norwood, Massachusetts company began as a paper manufacturer in the 18th century, and grew to be a major supplier of building materials. In the 1960s Bird & Son led the way in the creation and marketing of new vinyl building material, especially and cellular foam for the booming housing market.

Following World War II, Bird expanded during the postwar housing boom. In 1964, it introduced vinyl siding at the New York World's Fair, a product that became extremely popular and earned record profits for Bird year after year into the 1970s. In 1968, Bird & Son advertised the "All-Plastic House," including vinyl siding, shutters, gutters, downspouts, soffits and roof edgings.

In the 1980s, Bird invested $15 million in a state-of-the-art computerized facility to produce shingles with refinements such as fiberglass matting and improved coatings. In 1983, the company changed its name from "Bird and Son" to "Bird Inc." to show it had become a modernized company. In 1990, the names was changed again to Bird Corporation.

The company expanded into window fabrication and environmental services, but refocused in the mid-1990s and sold these operations. Facing severe financial loses Bird sold its vinyl building products manufacturing operation in 1995 to Jannock, Inc. for $47.5 million, and used the proceeds to reduce debt. This marked the company's departure form the plastics industry.

The remaining business was reduced to one primary unit, the Housing Group, which manufactured and sold asphalt roofing products from the home base in Norwell, Massachusetts. Facilities at this location included a roofing manufacturing facility, a granule plant, a quarry, an asphalt plant, and a private landfill.

See:

Ad, Industry, Vol 33:10 (July 1968)

"Bird Corporation," at Funding Universe.