On his family's farm south of Archbold the first-born of Daniel and Annie (Schrock) Sauder did his share, but his real love was working with wood and mechanical things. Whenever he could, he slipped into the shed that housed his mother's washroom to work with wood. The neighbors immediately noticed his gift for woodworking and began bringing him jobs.

After a brief stint as an employee of the Archbold Ladder Company, Erie went into business for himself. But twice fire destroyed the business and his future lay in rubble. However, with his in-born spirit and the encouragement of community leaders, Erie rebuilt and today Sauder Woodworking, the company he founded in 1934, is the world's leading manufacturer of Ready-To-Assemble Furniture.

As Erie's sons began to get more involved in the business he began giving tours through the factory. He was troubled because the automation of his modern factory made it all seem so easy. He was concerned that people living in an area of rich farmland and rising industrialization would never know of the hearty ancestors who overcame seemingly insurmountable odds to drain The Great Black Swamp of NW Ohio. So, he bought acreage just north of Archbold and with the determination of his ancestors, he began collecting cabins, tools, and farm implements left behind by those who had transformed the swamp. His living-history Village opened to the public on June 14, 1976.

But the Village is only a part of the accomplishments of this natural-born entrepreneur. Because of his strong faith in God, Erie was one of eleven men directly involved in the resettlement of hundreds of refugees in the grasslands of Paraguay. Through his 18 trips to Paraguay he guided and encouraged the native Indian colonists and the refugees to self-sufficiency.

Although he never completed the eighth grade, Erie's belief in the value of education and the potential of every human being prompted him to provide generous funding for everything from institutions of higher learning and homes for the elderly and disadvantaged to 4-H and scouting programs. He never forgot that everything he had was a gift from God to be used faithfully.