Sterling Pacific is a company that manufactures full aluminum travel cases.[2][3][4] It was previously known as R. Herz & Bro Inc., which was incorporated in 1907, and was well-known for its jewelry and watches.[5][6][7][8] The company is headquartered in Reno, Nevada.[9]

Sterling Pacific
FormerlyR. Herz & Bro Inc.
IndustryTravel, luggage design, manufacturing, and marketing
Founded1907[1]
FounderRichard Herz, Carl Otto Herz
Headquarters
ProductsHigh-quality luggage
Websitehttps://sterlingpacific.com/

History

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R. Herz & Bro was established by two brothers, Richard Herz and Carl Otto Herz, who immigrated from Leipzig, Germany.[10] Richard left Germany first in 1875, settling in Virginia City as he apprenticed as a jeweler and watch-maker in M. M. Fredericks Jewelers, and Carl Otto later followed his older brother in 1884. They opened their first store in Reno, Nevada, in 1885.[11] As R. Herz & Bro continued to expand their business in Reno, Carl Otto and his wife, who settled in the city, ended up purchasing the Lake Mansion in 1902 from Jane Lake, the previous wife to Myron C. Lake.[12][13]

 
R. Herz & Bro Inc.'s jewelry resetting service advertisement in 1921, published in Six Months in Reno by George W. Bond[14][15]

In 1910, the company’s founders established the Herz Gold Medal together with the University of Nevada, Reno, to award a gold medal to the graduating senior with the highest GPA each year.[9][16] Still, in 2021, the award continues to be granted through funding by the university as well as the Thelma B. and Thomas P. Hart Foundation.[17] During the Depression-era, when Nevada became one of the first states that loosened the legal requirements for no-fault divorce, R. Herz & Bro was one of the jewelers who offered wedding ring resetting services for visitors who went to Nevada to dissolve their marriages.[18][15]

In 1954, the original store burned down after the next-door building caught on fire, and the store was moved to a different location within the same year, although it is still located in Virginia Street. A similar fire incident also occurred in 1965, though the store remained in the same location and was instead rebuilt from the remaining structure.[19] From 1947 to 1965, the store collaborated with a well-known Nevadan firearm engraver, Guy Leutzinger.[20]

The company’s operations have been under the direction of the Herz family since its year of establishment and remained so until 2007 when the R. Herz & Bro store was officially closed.[7][11] Later, the company was renamed to Sterling Pacific and started offering travel cases as its main products after receiving an investment from brand developer Galton Voysey.[8][21] The company's headquarters are still in Reno, although the location has changed from the original R. Herz & Bro store.[6][22]

Products

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Sterling Pacific offers aluminum suitcases in four sizes, with capacities of 35L, 40L, 80L and 90L. The two-wheel full aluminum design of the suitcases features handles made from Italian leather.[3][8][23][24] The 40L cabin travel case and the 90L check-in travel case features a four-wheel design for better mobility and usability.

References

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  1. ^ "Open Corporates: Sterling Pacific Group Inc". opencorporates.com. Retrieved 2021-08-31.
  2. ^ "Sterling Pacific Highlights the Materials and Timeless Design Involved in the Production of its Travel Cases". Yahoo Finance. Retrieved 2021-08-31.
  3. ^ a b "Sterling Pacific Shares Why Quality Luggage Is Important While Traveling". EconoTimes. 2021-05-06. Retrieved 2021-08-31.
  4. ^ "37 Must-Haves for One Last Summer Hurrah!". Worth Magazine. 2021-08-19. Retrieved 2021-08-31.
  5. ^ "Certified Deep Silver Dealers". LIFE Magazine. 24 September 1956.
  6. ^ a b "Nevada's Oldest Store to Soon Shut Its Doors in Reno". KTVN. Retrieved 2021-08-31.
  7. ^ a b "Wallace Sterling Specials". LIFE Magazine. 26 November 1956.
  8. ^ a b c "Sterling Pacific – Uncompromising Aluminum Suitcases". Hinton Magazine. 2021-06-27. Retrieved 2021-09-01.
  9. ^ a b "Wilton Frederick Herz Obituary (2020)". Legacy.com. Retrieved 2021-08-31.
  10. ^ "Carl Otto Herz Dies At Home in Reno". Reno Gazette-Journal. 19 March 1938.
  11. ^ a b "Herz Store Looks Back on Interesting Years As It Prepares for Move to New Location". Nevada State Journal. 4 September 1954.
  12. ^ Horan, M. E. (2011-04-01). "Visit The Lake Mansion". Arts for All Nevada. Retrieved 2021-08-31.
  13. ^ Cafferata, Patricia (2006). Lake Mansion: Home to Reno's Founding Families. Reno, Nevada: Eastern Slope Publisher. ISBN 978-0974699639.
  14. ^ Bond, George W. (1921). Six Months in Reno. Broadway, New York: Stanley Gibbons. p. 16.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  15. ^ a b "Ad for R. Herz & Bro. Jewelers". Reno Divorce History. Retrieved 2021-08-31.
  16. ^ ThisIsReno (2019-05-15). "Herz Gold Medalist Named at UNR for 2019". This Is Reno. Retrieved 2021-09-01.
  17. ^ "Lily Liu selected as Spring 2021 Herz Gold Medalist". University of Nevada, Reno. Retrieved 2021-09-01.
  18. ^ "Exhibit". The Marce Herz Foundation. Retrieved 2021-08-31.
  19. ^ "Downtown's the Place for R. Herz & Bro. Jewelers". Nevada State Journal. 21 May 1967.
  20. ^ "Decorative Arms: Treasures from the Robert M. Lee Collection". Nevada Museum of Art. Retrieved 2021-08-31.
  21. ^ "Sterling Pacific luggage – backed up by brand developer Galton Voysey". Galton Voysey. Retrieved 2021-09-01.
  22. ^ "Sterling Pacific – Contact Us". Sterling Pacific. Retrieved 2021-09-01.
  23. ^ "Add Style to Your Summer Travels with a Sterling Pacific Aluminum Suitcase". JustLuxe. Retrieved 2021-08-31.
  24. ^ "Style & Design: Best Innovative New Gear". Men's Journal (September/October 2021). September 2021. p. 36.
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