ABOUT ALSCO

History

At Alsco, when we say "first in textile services worldwide," it's no idle claim.

Our company traces its roots to the year 1889 in Lincoln, Nebraska, when George A. Steiner founded the company. Up until then, merchants, restauranteurs, tavern operators and factory owners had to pay a pretty penny to supply their workers and facilities with linens and uniforms — and to keep them clean. Of course, in 1889, the idea of "outsourcing," let alone the term, was still decades away. Nonetheless, the idea of commercial textile services and laundry began to catch on and in 1895,

Mr. Steiner moved the base of his operations to Salt Lake City, Utah. Following World War I, George's son, Frank, grew the business thanks largely to the invention of the continuous towel cabinet-one of a number of Alsco innovations that would revolutionize American life. Frank also planted the seeds for the company's international expansion by acquiring a small laundry in Cologne, Germany, as well as by starting a rental business in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

In 1958 Richard R. Steiner took over the helm from his father, Frank. He continued to extend the markets in the United States and other countries. Richard's sons, Robert and Kevin Steiner, have the honor to be the fourth generation of Steiners to lead the company.

Today, there are linen and uniform processing, cleanroom, manufacturing, and sales/distribution facilities in most every corner of the world, including Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Europe, South America and the United Kingdom. The company operates plants in cities throughout the United States and Canada.

Still, more than half of Alsco's 12,000 employees are at work in ten foreign countries. There are 1,400 employees in Germany; 1,400 in Brazil; 850 in Canada; 500 in Italy; and 2,200 in Australia and New Zealand.

In the early years of the twentieth century, the company's operations expanded into Europe and South America, sowing the seeds for the global textile services business we are today. In addition to the continuous towel dispenser, Alsco pioneered the use of garment lockers, operates state-of-the-art cleanrooms on four continents, and is a leader in the manufacture and distribution of ready-to-wear uniforms for virtually every type of application imaginable.

Over the past 110 years, thousands of textile service and industrial laundry companies have come and gone. Through it all, Alsco has remained first in textile services worldwide. It is not a boast. It is, however, a fact.