Telescope Casual Furniture in Granville, NY is more than an address. It is the foundation of a 120-year success story. That story is rooted in Washington County’s natural resources, skilled workforce, and the kind of community that keeps a family business strong across generations.
Today, Telescope remains one of the most recognized outdoor furniture brands in the United States, still building every piece right here.
Why Washington County: Natural Resources, Hard Workers, and Room to Grow
Telescope Casual Furniture traces its origins all the way back to 1903. That year, founder Henry Joseph William Vanderminden Sr. launched the Telescope Cot Bed & Novelty Company in Manhattan. The company produced folding cots and campstools with collapsible “telescoping” legs, the detail that gave it its name. But it was a deliberate move north in 1921 that set the company on its lasting course.
“He had room to grow and he wanted to come someplace where we were close to the natural resources that we use,” says CEO Kathy Juckett, Vanderminden’s great-granddaughter and the fourth generation of the family to lead the business. “The Green Mountains of Vermont and the Adirondacks provided a really good source of timber that was difficult to get into Manhattan even back then, and he wanted to come to a place where there was a good source of very hard-working people.”
Granville, tucked into Washington County’s Slate Valley, offered all of it. Dense woodlands supplied raw materials, part of the same natural resources that have powered industries in Washington County for centuries. Railroad lines stood ready to move finished product across the country. Steadily, a workforce already shaped by generations of skilled trades filled the factory floor.
By 1932, Telescope had consolidated its entire operation under one Washington County roof. That move marked the beginning of its transformation from small novelty manufacturer to industry leader.
How Telescope Casual Furniture in Granville, NY Builds Its Workforce
What distinguishes Telescope Casual isn’t just its longevity. It’s the depth of its roots in the community it calls home. Because for many employees, Telescope isn’t just a job; it’s a family tradition.
Sara Williams, Telescope’s Quality Assurance Supervisor and Warranty Manager, knows that as well as anyone. “I can’t tell you how many of my family members have worked at Telescope, so I’ve just always known Telescope,” she said in a 2025 interview with Washington County Economic Development. Williams started working summers at age 16 in customer service. She then moved through receiving, engineering, and product development, and now oversees quality across the operation. “I now do quality, so I’m hands-in most of the departments out there and really learning and understanding the way that things work.”
That kind of cross-departmental career growth isn’t accidental. It reflects a company culture that actively invests in the people on its floor. That commitment to workforce development in Washington County extends well beyond Telescope’s walls, with regional programs and institutions supporting the skilled workforce that businesses here depend on. “They support the employees so much so that it makes you want to grow within the company,” Williams says. “You show up and it’s just a great day. It just makes you want to do better and succeed.”
Williams was also the first recipient of the Mia Nault Unsung Hero Award after Mia Nault herself. The award recognizes excellence in customer service. “Honestly, one of the greatest honors that I’ve had the chance to win,” she says.
The Values Behind the Legacy
That spirit of continuity extends to the ownership as well. “I think our business has stayed relevant because we’ve stuck to the core values that came from our ancestors,” says Juckett. “Their desire to do it right and be able to feel good about what they did was something that just was an inherent part of what we do.”
A Nearly Million-Square-Foot Commitment to Washington County Manufacturing
Today, Telescope’s facility spans nearly one million square feet. It is a fully integrated campus where design, engineering, research, and production all happen under one roof. That self-sufficiency is by design. By keeping the entire operation in Washington County, Telescope maintains quality control and responsiveness that overseas competitors cannot replicate.
Over time, the company’s product line has grown to over 600 items. Those products span aluminum, cast aluminum, sling, wicker, resin, and Marine Grade Polymer collections, which are now distributed to retailers and businesses nationwide. In fact, Telescope was one of the major pioneers of aluminum outdoor furniture in the 1950s. It then introduced outdoor sling furniture in the 1960s, meaning both innovations were born in an upstate New York factory, not an overseas facility.
In recent years, Telescope completely restructured its factory floor using Lean Manufacturing principles. Working with lean consulting group Honsha, the company redesigned operations using the philosophy and principles learned at Toyota. As a result, the company earned the ICFA Manufacturer of the Year award in 2022, recognized for product quality, customer service, ethics, and trade relations. Kathy Juckett was later honored with ICFA’s Lifetime Achievement Award. That recognition capped a career spent proving that a rural upstate New York manufacturer could set the standard for an entire industry.
Through it all, Telescope’s commitment to American-made, American-sourced production has held firm. While the pressures of overseas competition in the 2000s and pandemic-era supply chain disruptions tested that commitment, its long-term relationships with domestic suppliers provided real insulation when competitors scrambled. To this day, every piece of furniture that leaves the Granville plant is made with American labor and American materials.
What 300 Jobs Mean to a Small Town
For Ken Andrews, a sewing room machine repair technician at Telescope, the company’s impact on Washington County goes far beyond furniture.
“They do a lot for the community,” he says. “A small community like this and you got 250 or 300 jobs, I mean that’s pretty amazing for a small community like this. They’re owners but they’re out on the factory floor and they know people and they listen to you and work with you. People look out for each other here in Washington County.”
That relationship between employer and community is exactly what Washington County Economic Development works to cultivate and sustain. Here, manufacturing is the largest employment sector and primary economic driver. As one of the major employers anchoring Washington County, Telescope Casual Furniture is a big reason why.
Yet Telescope is just one piece of a much larger picture. Washington County’s manufacturing tradition runs deep, from the industrial revolution that reshaped the region’s landscape and communities to modern success stories like The Fort Miller Group and Adirondack Studios, each building something world-class from the same foundation.
Washington County Economic Development works to keep that tradition strong, connecting businesses with the resources, workforce, and community that make this region the right place to build something lasting.
Ready to explore what’s possible?
Washington County Economic Development supports businesses at every stage of growth. Connect with us to learn how we can help your company start, grow, and succeed here.
