About Us

Let me be honest... “Change is the NAME of the GAME!”  Harcourt Outlines was started in 1956

in an old chicken house with a dirt floor.  My brother and business partner,

Joe Harcourt, V.P. of Sales & Marketing, was 5 years old and I was 3 years old.  Dad, Conrad

C. Harcourt along with our mother Norma S. Harcourt and Grandpa Pick Harcourt started

printing outline maps on carbon master units for use on duplicating machines.  School Name

pencils were also sold as a secondary line.

 

The demand for printed master units fell off with the invention of copy machines, but the sale

of school name pencils continued to increase.  In 1958, Grandpa Pick invented and perfected a

pencil vending machine to be loaned free to schools if the schools continue the purchase of

pencils from Harcourt Outlines.  We still have 24,000 vending machines located in 12,000

schools across the USA.

 

Conrad C. Harcourt died unexpectedly at the age of 48 of a heart attack in 1975.  Joe was

24 years old and I was 22 with a brand new college diploma in business administration.....

we were IN CHARGE!  The past 39 years have been interesting..... many good years and

several stressful years with all the TECHNOLOGY CHANGES!  Students use I-PADS today

and limited pencils!  Harcourt Outlines continues to make CHANGES to benefit YOU....

TODAY we offer several programs beyond just School Supplies:  Student Planners;

Fundraising Programs; Motivational Products; Back-to-School Packs and several

Fundraising Programs!