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(800) 232-2299
Fax
(847) 831-3533
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Market Square was founded in 1982 by James L. Lockhart and his son David. Their goal was to provide a superior food
product packaged in a unique upscale format. The company has grown steadily over the past eight years because of a
singular dedication to maintaining both food quality and their competitive advantage in package design. In order to
fully understand the Market Square "advantage" it is necessary to know something about each of the Lockharts.
Jim Lockhart grew up in Arkansas the son of a railroad engineer. His early years were spent enjoying the Arkansas
woods and the wildlife that abounded. At the age of six he was inspired by a visiting uncle to try his hand at
drawing. Encouraged by some early success he entered a state-wide art contest with a drawing of his father's
locomotive and won first prize.
Lockhart completed high school and went on to attend the University of Arkansas where he designed the school's
Razorback Pig logo and became the art editor of the yearbook. During his summer vacations he worked for the government
drawing cotton acreage maps. One rainy day when he was unable to go to the fields to draw, he drew instead a picture
of the then President of the United States, Franklin D. Roosevelt. While at lunch a supervisor noticed the drawing and
amazed by the quality of the drawing sent it to F.D.R. himself. The President shared the supervisor's enthusiasm for
Lockhart's work and wrote to him stating "that a future in art would be his if he worked hard." It was shortly after
this event that he switched his major from architecture to art and traveled from Arkansas to Chicago to attend the
American Academy of the Fine Arts.
In the 190's Lockhart became a magazine illustrator creating covers for magazines such as the Saturday Evening Post,
Coronet, Colliers and advertising for companies such as Maxwell House Coffee, Wrigley's Gum, General Electric and
Winchester. Technical advances in photographic equipment and film threatened the future of magazine illustrators
during the 1950's and Lockhart decided to specialize in order to protect himself. His love of nature prompted him to
choose wildlife as his specialty and he soon became the primary cover artist for Sports Afield. Beginning with a
series on championship dogs his subjects rapidly expanded with the freedom granted him by the magazine.
In order to capitalize on the opportunities presented by his growing library of artwork which he had always kept the rights to, Lockhart started his own publishing company, Walden Press. Specializing in wildlife prints and calendars, his commercial success quickly grew. Today his wildlife calendars are the #1 selling calendars in this country.
The demands of the publishing business required that he develop a working knowledge of the printing process. Jim was
not satisfied with just a basic knowledge of printing and soon became an expert in the field developing a new
seperation process. Because of his commercial success with wildlife art he approached Ducks Unlimited with a new
concept for fund raising utilizing his prints and related products. The program was a great success and today their
"Artist of the Year" event is one of the most successful fund raising programs in the world. Inspired by this new
success Lockhart sought additional channels to use his artwork. In 1982 his son provided the answer.
David Lockhart was born in 1943 and grew up in a world of art and printing. Inspired by his father, his love of the
arts and photography in particular grew steadily. After graduating from Lake Forest High School in 1961 he attended
Washington University where he received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. David then traveled to Europe to study art in
Switzerland returning later to the University of Iowa where he received both a Master of Arts and a Master of Fine Arts
degree.
Printing and photography became his specialties. While attending college and graduate school the young Lockhart worked
at a printing plant during the summer. The experience that he gained in every phase of printing enabled him to create
a multimedia presentation used by the Lithographers Union in America and Canada to highlight the various printing
processes available to potential customers. David's photographic talents can be substantiated through the U.S. State
Department's decision to include his work as part of a Young American Photographers show and the fact that he was the
youngest photographer ever to have a one-man show at the Art Institute of Chicago.
David and a life long friend started a small advertising agency in 1974 and worked with such clients as Jim Beam and
Sara Lee, plus local banks and businesses. In 1980 David was approached by an aquantance to design a tin to be used to
hold popcorn. The project was a success and the next year additional designs were requested. The success of these
ventures led David into discussions with his father regarding by the opportunities presented by combining quality
packaging design and superior food products. Market Square was the result of their conversations.
Today, Jim and David Lockhart are the creative force behind Market Square. They design and produce all the artwork
required. The designs which are used are proprietary to our company and cannot be used by anyone without Market
Square's permission. Combined, the Lockharts' have over 100 years of experience in product design and
printing.
Jim Lockhart continues to be active as both artist and conservationist serving on the Board of Governors of both the
Brookfield Zoo and Shedd Aquarium and as a Trustee of Ducks Unlimited.
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