Old Dominion Acquired

Haven't smoked my Old Dominion in a long time ... thanks for the info!

Are they going to move the production to Missouri?

I have at least three Briar pipes labeled Old Dominion; is there a connection? I don't know the history of these briars ,and I've always thought they were house pipes from The Tinder Box.

Copied from Corn Cob Nation on Facebook.

"Hi all. Bob Savage from Old Dominion Pipe Co. Since MM’s posting about MM’s acquisition of ODP yesterday, I’m sure there’s been some stir on the forums and I just wanted to alleviate everyone’s fears and dispel any rumors that somehow this acquisition was some form of corporate takeover of the little guy. It was not. MM’s acquisition of ODP was mutually beneficial for both our companies and I feel will prove beneficial to our loyal customers as well.
My Brother and I founded ODP back in 2013. As a farmer, amateur historian, and avid pipe smoker myself, I took a strong interest in wanting to revive the classic “reed stem” cob. Also, around the same time, with the discovery of a 17th c. tobacco plantation on our Virginia farm, I was intrigued with recreating many of the clay pipes that we encountered from pipe fragments at the historic site. Thus, from those interests and passions, ODP was born. Like any new business, it was my brother’s and my hope to grow it into a full-time enterprise. However, at the time he was already working a full-time job and I owned and operated another full-time business in the real estate/housing sector conducting soil testing. So, while we had hoped to grow ODP into a full-time business, due to the growth of my other business, ODP remained limited to a part-time enterprise. Unfortunately, over the last couple of years with the exponential growth of my other business, I found I had less and less free time to devote to pipe making. While I strived to maintain the quality of our pipes, I felt production and product development suffered. This past Fall I came to the realization that I could no longer keep the pace I was going and that I may have to consider shutting down ODP. I was the one who approached MM and Phil Morgan late last year to see if they may have an interest in acquiring some of the assets of ODP, mainly our clay pipe line. Over the years it has been my honor and privilege to come to know Phil and his wife at the pipe shows, especially Chicago, and despite the fact that many considered our two companies competitors, I truly feel honored to call Phil a friend. I was pleasantly surprised when Phil got back to me. While he was genuinely sorry to hear that I was leaving the pipe manufacturing business, he said that MM was interested in our cobs as well as our clays and wanted to continue the ODP brand. Not only were they interested in our existing pipe models, but were interested in expanding the clay pipe line as well.
So, fast forward to present. From a business perspective, I feel that MM treated us very well with the acquisition. I’ve also agreed to work with MM to further develop the ODP clay pipe line, so I’m not 100% out of the pipe making business. The fact is, a company doesn’t stay in business for over 150 years if they aren’t doing something right, and I know with the utmost confidence that MM will honor and preserve the legacy my brother and I started and will be able to manufacture ODP pipes to the same strict quality standards that they have always done with their own pipes and be able to offer them in greater quantities than our limited production capabilities allowed. In the end, I just want to thank all of our loyal and dedicated ODP customers who have supported us over the years and I honestly feel I am leaving you all in very capable hands. To all the MM customers out there, once MM gears up the ODP line, definitely try an ODP bamboo stem cob or an ODP clay and enjoy! Hopefully once we get through this Pandemic I'll still be able to see many of you at the shows and will have more time to sit back, enjoy some pleasant conversation, and smoke a bowl with you."