Gojo Industries

Private
Industry Consumer goods
Founded 1946 Akron, Ohio
Founder Jerry and Goldie Lippman
Headquarters Akron, Ohio, United States
Area served
 Worldwide
Key people
 Joseph Kanfer, (CEO)
Marcella Kanfer Rolnick (Vice Chair)
Mark Lerner, (President and COO)
Products Cleaning agents, hand sanitizers, Foam soap dispensers
Revenue US$ 83 million
Number of employees
 2,000
Website http://www.gojo.com/
Footnotes / references
[1]

GOJO Industries, Inc., is a privately held manufacturer of hand hygiene and skin care products. Its best known product is Purell instant hand sanitizer. The company was founded in 1946 in Akron, Ohio, where it is again headquartered after a period in Cuyahoga Falls. GOJO introduced Purell Instant Hand Sanitizer in 1988, and its Provon brand name in 1989.[2]

History

GOJO was founded in 1946 in Akron, Ohio, by Goldie and Jerry Lippman. Goldie worked at the Miller Tire Co. rubber factory during World War II where graphite, tar, and carbon often got on her hands, as well as the hands of other employees, and was difficult to remove. Jerry worked at the Goodyear Aircraft plant. Both came home covered in sticky black carbon. They disliked what the cleaners used to clean their clothes so they set out to find an effective cleaning product that could be used without water. Goldie and Jerry worked together with Professor Clarence Cook from Kent State University’s chemistry department to formulate a heavy duty hand cleaner. They called it GOJO Hand Cleaner and sold it to rubber workers. Prior to their product, chemicals such as benzene were used to remove soils, but these irritated the skin. After the war they began marketing to automotive service facilities. They quit their factory jobs and started GOJO.[3]

The company's first name and product was GoGo, Goldie's nickname, but another company had already used the name, so the founders came up with GOJO, with the "G" standing for Goldie and the "J" standing Jerry.[4]

GOJO invented a liquid soap dispenser in 1950 to dispense their product in limited quantities after realizing that users were using much more than was needed to clean their hands, hence causing buyers to think the product was too expensive. Jerry Lipmann filed a patent for this portion-limiting dispenser in 1952.

In 2004, Pfizer acquired, from GOJO, the exclusive rights to distribute Purell in the consumer market, while GOJO Industries retained the rights to existing industrial markets.[5] The Pfizer Consumer Healthcare division, soon thereafter was acquired by Johnson & Johnson (on June 26, 2006) moving the consumer market distribution rights of Purell into their portfolio, and thereby creating an agreement between the two independent companies.[6] In 2010 GOJO bought the brand back from Johnson & Johnson.[7]

In February 2014, GOJO Industries acquired privately held Laboratoires Prodene Klint of Croissy-Beaubourg, France. The acquisition allows both companies greater geographic footpring and increased manufacturing operations. Prodene Klint manufactures professional hygiene, cosmetics and disinfectant products. [8]

On 6 June 2015, GOJO launched its GOJO SMARTLINK Observation System, a mobile application that connects to GOJO SMARTLINK web-based software and allows for the electronic collection and collation of hand hygiene and personal protective equipment (PPE) compliance metrics.[9]

Operations

GOJO headquarters

GOJO, headquartered in Akron, Ohio, operates worldwide, with offices in the United Kingdom, France, Australia, Japan, and Brazil. It operates a number of manufacturing facilities in Ohio and across North America, as well as in Latin America, South America, Europe, and Asia. GOJO's main manufacturing and distribution facilities are based at its Lippman Campus in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.

Ownership

GOJO is a private, family-owned company. In 1946, GOJO was founded by Jerome "Jerry" Lippman and Goldie Lippman. Today, Joseph Kanfer runs his Uncle Jerry and Aunt Goldie's company, along with other family members. Kanfer's eldest daughter, Marcella Kanfer Rolnick, is vice chairwoman of GOJO's board.[10] Marcella Kanfer Rolnick also runs The Lippman Kanfer Family Foundation focused on Jewish philanthropy and its sister organization Lippman Kanfer Foundation for Living Torah, along with other family members.[11]

Products

GOJO manufactures and markets skin health and hygiene solutions for away-from-home settings. Its products include hand soaps and sanitizers, moisturizers, shower washes, shampoos, foam hand washes, surgical scrubs, perineal care products, skin conditioners, chemical removing hand cleaners, hand protection products, and dispensers.[1] GOJO's products are usually found in public facilities. For many of these facilities, such as manufacturing and hospitals, GOJO makes placement guides, helping consumers place various GOJO product brands in strategic locations.[12] GOJO's most popular products are its industrial hand soaps and sanitizers, as well as its Provon and Purell brands.

Headquarters

GOJO is headquartered in a 213,000 sq ft (19,788 m2) building at One Gojo Plaza on South Main Street in Akron, Ohio. GOJO bought the property from the City of Akron for $1 in 2000 as part of a deal to bring the headquarters to the downtown Akron area from Cuyahoga Falls. The building was originally the headquarters of Goodrich Corporation and then Michelin Americas Small Tires. GOJO employs approximately 600 people at its headquarters.[13]

References

  1. 1 2 "Company Overview of GOJO Industries, Inc.". Bloomberg Business. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  2. ↑ "GOJO Information". GOJO Industries, Inc. Retrieved 28 February 2009.
  3. ↑ Walker, Jade (21 March 2005). "Jerry Lippman". The Blog of Death. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  4. ↑ "GOJO Company History". GOJO Industries.
  5. ↑ "Pfizer to Acquire PURELL(R) From GOJO; Alliance With GOJO and QualPak Will Drive Expansion of Brand". PR Newswire. 5 October 2004.
  6. ↑ Saul, Stephanie (27 June 2006). "Johnson & Johnson Buys Pfizer Unit for $16.6 Billion". The New York Times.
  7. ↑ Byard, Katie (30 October 2010). "Purell brand handed back to Akron's GOJO". Akron Beacon Journal. Retrieved 30 October 2010. GOJO — the Akron soap maker — purchased the Purell hand-sanitizer brand from Johnson & Johnson Consumer Cos. Inc. Financial terms were not disclosed.
  8. ↑ Keren, Phil (9 February 2014). "GOJO acquires French company". Cuyahoga Falls News Press. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  9. ↑ "GOJO Launches the GOJO® SMARTLINK™ Observation System". GOJO USA: Newsroom. 16 June 2015. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  10. ↑ Lin-Fisher, Betty (5 December 2011). "GOJO CEO Kanfer takes life lessons from mentor, uncle". Akron Beacon Journal. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  11. ↑ "Lippman Kanfer Family Philanthropies". Lippman Kanfer Family Philanthropies. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  12. ↑ "GOJO Skin Care Placement Guide" (PDF). GOJO Industries - Skin Care. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  13. ↑ Lin-Fisher, Betty (1 November 2015). "GOJO wants to sell its downtown Akron headquarters and lease it back". Akron Beacon Journal. Retrieved 21 January 2016.

External links

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