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In 1888, leveraging his engineering acumen, Drury co-founded the Cleveland Foundry Company with entrepreneur H.P. Crowell to produce fuel-burning stoves for heating and cooking. The breakthrough came when standard oil giant John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil Company agreed to sell Drury's oil stoves, creating a boom in demand for kerosene, a byproduct of excess oil production. Under Standard Oil's expansive distribution network, Drury’s "Perfect" oil stoves became a nationwide sensation, selling approximately 10 million units between 1905 and 1915, catapulting Drury into millionaire status before the age of 65. By the 1920s, his company, later rebranded as the Perfect Stove Company, had become the world’s largest manufacturer of similar appliances.