A former Belle Valley school building in Erie County is the headquarters of a book company that has been helping students and teachers with math for decades. And it's grown to also include a digital footprint.

In the late 1970s, Ron Larson, a quilter turned Penn State Behrend math professor, got to work creating a calculus book... writing every single paragraph, drawing diagrams by hand from his home, and designing the front cover.

It would shape what is now known as Larson Texts, an Erie-based company that started in 1984 to provide textbooks to students around the globe: kindergarten through college calculus.

"Keep it readable, keep it understandable, focus on what you can practically teach and practically learn," said Tim Larson, Chief Product Architect. 

His son, Tim, also a mathematician, says that's the company motto.

Much to the surprise of Ron Larson, the books that he's created have actually prompted fan letters to come to him around the world, even up to thousands of fan letters, and every one he gets, he responds to.

Tim, who is the Chief Product Architect, says his dad still creates, but Tim is now tasked with helping to oversee Larson Text's publishing subsidiary, Big Ideas Learning, which started in 2008. Books are published in all 50 states, and textbooks vary for different states and countries, and are not just for students.

"We write handbooks for the teacher in order to be successful in teaching those lessons, but we also have support material," said Matthew Totzke, President & CEO. "So, if somebody is struggling with a concept, it can help with that."

Matthew Totzke started at Larson as a college student. He's now the President and CEO and has helped with the addition of digital tools too.

Like video using daily tasks that relate to math, and for the younger learner...math musicals, math-themed videos for kindergarten through fifth graders with two fictional, furry characters.

Filming is done right on site in the studio inside the Norcross Road building in Erie. The stories for the online videos are written by Jill Larson, who helps carry on her dad's growing legacy at Larson, one that includes around 170 employees, from writers and book editors and software engineers to a creative team making illustrations relatable.

"To put together one book, it usually requires more than 100 people in some way," said Matthew. 

Books that showcase a more than 40-year, family-run education business.

"It's great being able to do it in our hometown," said Tim.