ɪn wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd ˈeɪthˈʌndɹɪd ˈeɪɾi fˈoːɹ, ðə kˈʌmpəni wʌz ɪŋkˈoːɹpɚɹˌeɪɾᵻd æz ðə dʒˈɑːn pɹˈɪtslæf hˈɑːɹdwɛɹ kˈʌmpəni, wɪð kˈɑːk æz vˈaɪs pɹˈɛzɪdənt.
In 1884, the company was incorporated as the John Pritzlaff Hardware Company, with Koch as vice president.