BANG-UP BUSINESS; POPLAR BLUFF FIRM OPERATES ELITE FIREWORKS TRADE WITH INTERNATIONAL TIES TO ORIENT

POPLAR BLUFF -- Don't let the modest, cluttered veneer of Wisdom Sales fool you. This is an elite establishment with international ties.

Although the rusting trailers parked in the lot and the piled wood scraps scattered throughout the lot are a paltry indication, Dennis Wisdom's little fireworks operation soon will be the only U.S. distributor of Oguchi wares, the Cadillac of fireworks.

Wisdom, who started in the fireworks business as the 5-year-old son of Ben Wisdom traveling with the Shrine Circus, is an international importer of Class B and Class C fireworks.

Class C fireworks are the kind that can be purchased at any number of makeshift stands around Southeast Missouri. But Class B are the fireworks reserved for the impressive aerial shows that have become synonymous with the July 4 celebration of this nation's independence.

As an importer, Wisdom has travelled throughout the Orient to purchase both types of fireworks and was recently given one of only six distributorships in the world of Siam International Fireworks Co.

"I started going to Thailand in 1983," Wisdom said. "In the third year, the company I dealt with merged with Oguchi Fireworks Co. out of Japan.

"The Oguchi company makes the best shells in the world, but never manufactured anything for sale because they were much too expensive."

But Wisdom said the Japanese company found that it could employ Thai workers for a fraction of the cost of the Japanese workers and make the same quality fireworks at an affordable price.

"They started really small, offering the franchise to six countries, including the United States," Wisdom said. "We're the only one to get the U.S. franchise.

"Dealers already have called me and asked me about it.

To get the distributorship, Wisdom said, it took six months of government paperwork and the personal investment of $9,000.

But Wisdom considers the investment a wise one. "When I get this product, it will revolutionize my business," he said.

He said he likely will have his first shipment sold out before he receives it later this year. He said that due to the high quality of the Siam shells, production is limited and he won't have an unlimited supply of the best fireworks.

But Wisdom said he hopes to one day deal exclusively with the elite product.

"My ambition is, I want to get to the point where I handle only their products," he said. "I want to spend six months there and six months here."

Wisdom, a former history teacher, said he wants to eventually work toward a doctorate in Oriental history. "What better place to study the Orient than in Asia," he said.

Each year, Wisdom travels to the continent and already speaks some Thai. But he said one of the first things he would like to do is learn the Japanese language.

Wisdom said the cultural differences between the United States and Oriental nations like Thailand are vast, and in many ways, he said, he prefers the latter.

"I go over there, they treat you with respect," he said. "The people there believe your word is your solemn vow and you can trust them at their word. It's just a totally different culture."

He said he's also fascinated with the meticulous care that's taken to produce some of the best fireworks in the world.

"This is an art that's been going on for more than 2,000 years," Wisdom said. "If you see how this is constructed, you'd be amazed it even works, because it's so technical."

But in the United States, Wisdom said he must constantly contend with ever-changing, ever-tightening federal and state regulations.

He said the biggest headaches of the business aren't those he suffers the morning after Independence Day shellings, but from the many regulatory agencies that always seem to look for new ways to protect people like Wisdom from himself.

"I've worked with fireworks all my life," he said. "I started when I was 5 years old, and I've been exposed to all kinds of things that now are illegal.

"I was injured in 1983 from a faulty shell and spent three months in the hospital, but that's something we get paid for.

"We've never had a spectator hurt. It's real simple: You can't be haphazard and careless. Those people aren't in fireworks anymore."

Wisdom said that since the family operation began putting on shows in 1935, they've only had "about a half dozen" accidents and none that interrupted a show. He said it's difficult for him to understand why people who know little about fireworks are his biggest antagonists.

"Fireworks are unique, and they have to be dealt with that way," he said. "It's not a bonfire. You have to know the business. That's why there's not many people selling Class B fireworks.

"If you had $1 million to start a Class B fireworks operations, you couldn't do it, because you don't know the background. You don't have the experience.

"But no matter what they do, I still have to stick with it. How do you get out of something that's part of your life?"

The fireworks business is part of Wisdom's heritage. The Wisdoms of St. Louis have the distinction of having fired the first fireworks show in metropolitan St. Louis over Busch Stadium. They later travelled with the world famous Flying Wallendas for more than 10 years.

"My father never threw anything away," Wisdom said. "When I bought the business in 1983, I started to destroy some of the old stock. But I was in Kansas City and this guy overheard me talking about these old fireworks.

"He followed me here and bought $6,000 worth of stuff. Since then, I've sold $60,000 worth of old fireworks."