The whole thing starts off with what seems like an easy question: Who invented the plastic outdoor chair? They're everywhere, it's a relatively new invention as inventions go, so the original designer should be easy to find.
That's how the staff at "Every Little Thing" starts to tackle the plastic chair in a podcast titled "Chair, Misunderstood." The journey goes to Europe and the story of the chair eventually ends up with a full-throated defense of the plastic chair from Bill Adams, founder of Adams Manufacturing Corp. in Portersville, Pa. Adams is the largest producer of plastic outdoor chairs in the country.
Host Flora Litchman and producer Christine Driscoll report from the factory floor at Adams, watching chairs get produced. (Full disclosure, Driscoll reached out to us early in the reporting process to better understand the market.) It's an entertaining episode, and worth a listen.