Danny 1955

Danny would be 82 tomorrow had we not lost him suddenly in 2004.  But his lagacy lives on in all that we do here at Shisler’s Cheese House!

Growing Up

Dan Shisler was born in Dalton in 1937 and graduated from Dalton High School in 1955. He was one of the best baseball players that ever came out of Dalton High School. He played for Ohio University and got drafted into the St. Louis Cardinals. Then came a shoulder injury that abruptly ended his pro baseball career.

Buying the Cheesehouse

So in 1959 he came back home and bought Shisler’s Cheese House, then a brand-new fledgling business, from his father, John Shisler.  Dan quickly tripled the size of this business, with hard work and ingenuity in the retail.  He was the one who developed our cherished concept of treating every customer like family.

Shipping Cheese

Dan also started the shipping division of our business to serve locals who had moved out of the area.  Back then, he had to vacuum-pack the products himself using a shop-vac and plastic bags made pliable in a bucket of hot water.  We didn’t have the insulated shipping containers, the frozen gel packs, or dry ice we use to keep the products fresh today.  Trail Bologna and Swiss Cheese were the only  product he shipped, and he could only ship to the warmer climates during the winter months.  Dan prided himself in finding the right size box,  and would do a little happy dance when when we drove to Canton to drop the packages off at UPS.

The shipping division wasn’t very profitable at the time due to the effort and additional costs involved.  But he seemed to do it out of a sense of service to his loyal long-term customers.

Today, we ship to all 50 states and over 30 countries year-round, and our shipping division is rapidly approaching our retail division as our primary business model.    He had the foresight into the value of direct shipping long before Amazon was born.

Legacy

Going from a professional baseball player to a cheese monger may not have been Dan’s dream.  But he left a legacy of a successful retail business behind that has continued to thrive for 61 years.

Dan and His Two Boys: D.J. and Dennis

We miss you, Dan.  We are sure you are cutting lots of cheese in heaven and playing baseball every day, reciting the scores of every professional game in history and still dreaming of the St. Louis Cardinals.  DJ and Dennis have followed in your footsteps in the cheese business. We still joke about your vacuum packing methods back then. we still remember you joking with the customers and keeping the landscaping around the store to perfection.

We love you, and are proud of three generations of Shislers , thanks to your hard work and dedication.  The fourth generation is already becoming active in the business.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DANNY SHISLER….hope you and the angels are playing baseball and still savoring cheese today.