HOW IT ALL BEGAN
In 1919, George and John Schulte started producing top quality solid brass faucets and plumbing fixtures in their father’s garage in Norwood, Ohio. They named the business The Schulte Brass Company. By the mid-1930s, The Schulte Brass Company was recognized as an industry leader, and established themselves as experts in metal castings and copper, nickel, and chrome plating. In 19
60, George Schulte’s son-in-law, Elmer Kokenge, took over as the second president of The Schulte Brass Company. The company’s reputation for quality manufacturing and innovation grew as Elmer developed many new plating and manufacturing methods, and drove product development with Schulte’s customers. The 1970s brought about a whole new era of metal finishing, with the introduction of epoxy powder coating. Schulte led the industry in developing methods to produce epoxy coated metal finishes. In the 1980s the company changed its name to SCHULTE and dropped the Brass to reflect its broader range of manufacturing capabilities. In 1976, Schulte entered into the storage and organization industry and was one of the first manufacturers to use epoxy powder coating for ventilated shelving. This new business resulted in the need to expand to another manufacturing facility in Bloomington, Indiana. In 1995, John Kokenge, son of Elmer Kokenge, and grandson of George Schulte, became the third president of SCHULTE. CONTINUED GROWTH
With the Vision, Mission and Values in place, the company focused on growth with development of new product lines, expanding current lines, and the strategic acquisition of the Tru-Space Company, which was a leader in the manufacturing of wood laminate storage and organization systems. When continued growth once again dictated expansion, the company decided to consolidate all its US manufacturing into one large state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Bloomington, Indiana. The 650,000 square foot facility includes its own electrical sub-station to provide the very large power required for welders, ovens, coating lines and other manufacturing equipment. As the storage and organization market grew in popularity, the company acquired the brand name Organized Living. Through all acquisitions, SCHULTE continued to maintain its long-standing heritage of partnering with independent dealers, rather than big box retailers.. In January of 2013 SCHULTE, a 94 year old company, adopted its leading brand Organized Living as its new corporate name. The legacy of quality and innovative products for the home that began in 1919 continues today as Organized Living.
