Lee F Chaney, a druggist by profession, began making mercury thermometers and barometers in his home in Springfield, Ohio in 1904.  He founded the Ohio Thermometer Company in 1922, and it was incorporated in 1934.   At first they were thermometer distributors, but started making their own thermometers in 1929.  Their experience in glasswork led them into the neon sign business starting in 1932.  They began making bimetallic thermometers during World War II.  At their peak they produced over 15,000,000 thermometers annually in more than 200 different types.  They were acquired by the Thermometer Corporation of America (TCA) in 1983.