Fuller Brush Company
Encyclopedia
The Fuller Brush Company sells branded and private label
products for personal care as well as commercial and household cleaning; it is a subsidiary of CPAC Inc., which since 2007 has been owned by the private equity
group Buckingham Capital Partners. Fuller Brush was founded in 1906, by Alfred Carl Fuller
, and since 1968 it has been owned by CPAC.
; In 1906 he moved to Hartford, Connecticut
and founded the company.
In 1931, the establishment of the first of what became known as the Green River Ordinance
led Fuller Brush to challenge the ordinance's limits on door-to-door sales; the case went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, where on March 1, 1937 it dismissed the appeal "for want of a substantial federal question."
World War II
saw the company "cut its normal civilian output drastically to make brushes for the cleaning of guns"; Fuller's son Howard became president in 1943. After the war,
Fuller added Daggett & Ramsdell, Inc.'s Débutante Cosmetics to its line of products it sold house-to-house, sold by a sales force of women, a strategy resurrected after a wartime attempt to have "Fullerettes" sell their core products. Fuller had evidence that women could succeed at sales since Stanley Beveridge, who had left his position as Fuller's sales vice president in 1929, had by 1949 employed women as "dealers" to grow sales at his own company, Stanley Home Products, to $35 million, exceeding Fuller's sales for the first time.
In 1966, Fuller Brush hired 17,500 women, motivated by the lack of qualified men (the unemployment rate was 3.8%) and the example set by Avon Products
. Sara Lee Corporation acquired Fuller Brush in 1968; Avard Fuller retired a year later.
By 1985, all of the company's sales were still generated door-to-door
. By the mid-1980s, in recognition of the increasing number of women working outside the home, Fuller Brush began introducing other sales channels
beyond door-to-door, including a mail-order catalogue that sent out 10 million catalogues a year, and several outlet store
s selling "slow-selling items, returned merchandise or slightly flawed goods"; by mid-1989, 35% of that year's estimated $160 million in sales came from catalogues, with another 5% of coming from its stores. Later that same year, a group of investors from Kansas headed by Lee Turner, a trial lawyer, took Fuller private; by 1991 the company now known as Fuller Industries and led by Stuart A. Ochiltree, had integrated its door-to-door and catalog business, with its 12,000 mostly-part-time sales representatives receiving commissions for sales from either channel.
-based manufacturer of photographic chemicals; CPAC took on the "heavy debt burden" accumulated while the company was private and whose annual sales, increasingly focused on chemicals, had shrunk to $24 million.
In 2007, CPAC Inc. was acquired by Buckingham Capital Partners in a leveraged buyout
.
during the 1960s, where Fuller's son Avard ran the company. It had moved from Hartford on the other side of river some years earlier. The Research Division was there, along with the plastics molding operation.
The Industrial Brush Division was also at the East Hartford plant, where they made large motor-driven brushes for developing newspaper printing photo metal plates. All the mops were sewn at this plant. The perfuming operation was there also, including a large machine to detect what was in perfume made by other companies.
In front of the East Hartford plant was a large glass case with a stuffed large boar that represented the boar hair used in some of the original Fuller brushes.
Fuller had a "private label" division, Charter Products, that sold duplicate products under other brand names chosen by the distributor. Avard's interest in boating resulted in experiments at the plant with plastic molding of port lights (windows) for boats, including full plastic hardware.
. According to Fuller's memoir, Fuller Brush distributed the Bristlecomb, a hairbrush introduced by the Mohawk Company in 1928. In 1942, Fuller Brush bought out the Mohawk Brush Company and subsequently all the hairbrushes and industrial floor brushes were manufactured at the Mohawk Plant in Albany, New York
.
, near Great Bend, Kansas
.
, who became a Fuller Brush salesman during the summer after high school, and outsold "every other salesman in North Carolina"; in his 1997 autobiography, Just As I Am
, Graham describes in some detail his experiences selling Fuller brushes door-to-door. Ellen Barkin
was "born in the Bronx to a father who worked as a Fuller Brush man". Clifford Irving
"was a Fuller Brush man in Syracuse
."
More recently, Paul Reubens
of Pee-wee Herman
fame, worked as a Fuller Brush salesman while attending California Institute of the Arts
.
Other former employees include Frank Gross
, photographer Tom Leutwiler
, J. Bruce Llewellyn
(co-founder of 100 Black Men of America
), Ed Mirvish
, Jack Sensenbrenner
, Kin Shriner
, and Ed Stelmach
.
Private label
Private label products or services are typically those manufactured or provided by one company for offer under another company's brand. Private label goods and services are available in a wide range of industries from food to cosmetics to web hosting...
products for personal care as well as commercial and household cleaning; it is a subsidiary of CPAC Inc., which since 2007 has been owned by the private equity
Private equity
Private equity, in finance, is an asset class consisting of equity securities in operating companies that are not publicly traded on a stock exchange....
group Buckingham Capital Partners. Fuller Brush was founded in 1906, by Alfred Carl Fuller
Alfred Fuller
Alfred Carl Fuller was a Canadian-born American businessman. He was the original "Fuller Brush Man."...
, and since 1968 it has been owned by CPAC.
Early years
Alfred C. Fuller began what was to become Fuller Brush Company in a basement shop in Somerville, MassachusettsSomerville, Massachusetts
Somerville is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, located just north of Boston. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 75,754 and was the most densely populated municipality in New England. It is also the 17th most densely populated incorporated place in...
; In 1906 he moved to Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
and founded the company.
In 1931, the establishment of the first of what became known as the Green River Ordinance
Green River Ordinance
The name Green River Ordinance is given to a common United States city ordinance prohibiting door-to-door solicitation. Under such an ordinance, it is illegal for any business to sell their items door-to-door without express permission from the household beforehand...
led Fuller Brush to challenge the ordinance's limits on door-to-door sales; the case went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, where on March 1, 1937 it dismissed the appeal "for want of a substantial federal question."
World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
saw the company "cut its normal civilian output drastically to make brushes for the cleaning of guns"; Fuller's son Howard became president in 1943. After the war,
Fuller added Daggett & Ramsdell, Inc.'s Débutante Cosmetics to its line of products it sold house-to-house, sold by a sales force of women, a strategy resurrected after a wartime attempt to have "Fullerettes" sell their core products. Fuller had evidence that women could succeed at sales since Stanley Beveridge, who had left his position as Fuller's sales vice president in 1929, had by 1949 employed women as "dealers" to grow sales at his own company, Stanley Home Products, to $35 million, exceeding Fuller's sales for the first time.
1959 to 1994
In 1959, Avard E. Fuller, one of the founder's sons, became Fuller Brush's president.In 1966, Fuller Brush hired 17,500 women, motivated by the lack of qualified men (the unemployment rate was 3.8%) and the example set by Avon Products
Avon Products
Avon Products, Inc. is a US cosmetics, perfume and toy seller with markets in over 140 countries across the world and sales of $9.9 billion worldwide as of 2007.-Business Model:...
. Sara Lee Corporation acquired Fuller Brush in 1968; Avard Fuller retired a year later.
By 1985, all of the company's sales were still generated door-to-door
Door-to-door
Door-to-door is a sales technique in which a salesperson walks from the door of one house to the door of another trying to sell a product or service to the general public. A variant of this involves cold calling first, when another sales representative attempts to gain agreement that a salesperson...
. By the mid-1980s, in recognition of the increasing number of women working outside the home, Fuller Brush began introducing other sales channels
Distribution (business)
Product distribution is one of the four elements of the marketing mix. An organization or set of organizations involved in the process of making a product or service available for use or consumption by a consumer or business user.The other three parts of the marketing mix are product, pricing,...
beyond door-to-door, including a mail-order catalogue that sent out 10 million catalogues a year, and several outlet store
Outlet store
An outlet store or factory outlet is a brick and mortar or online retail store in which manufacturers sell their stock directly to the public. Traditionally, a factory outlet was a store attached to a factory or warehouse, sometimes allowing customers to watch the production process like in the...
s selling "slow-selling items, returned merchandise or slightly flawed goods"; by mid-1989, 35% of that year's estimated $160 million in sales came from catalogues, with another 5% of coming from its stores. Later that same year, a group of investors from Kansas headed by Lee Turner, a trial lawyer, took Fuller private; by 1991 the company now known as Fuller Industries and led by Stuart A. Ochiltree, had integrated its door-to-door and catalog business, with its 12,000 mostly-part-time sales representatives receiving commissions for sales from either channel.
CPAC subsidiary
In June 1994, Fuller, once again known as Fuller Brush Company, was acquired by CPAC Inc., a Leicester, New YorkLeicester, New York
Leicester, New York may refer to either:*Leicester , New York, in Livingston County*Leicester , New York, within the Town of Leicester...
-based manufacturer of photographic chemicals; CPAC took on the "heavy debt burden" accumulated while the company was private and whose annual sales, increasingly focused on chemicals, had shrunk to $24 million.
In 2007, CPAC Inc. was acquired by Buckingham Capital Partners in a leveraged buyout
Leveraged buyout
A leveraged buyout occurs when an investor, typically financial sponsor, acquires a controlling interest in a company's equity and where a significant percentage of the purchase price is financed through leverage...
.
Connecticut
The main factory for the Fuller Brush Company was located in East Hartford, ConnecticutEast Hartford, Connecticut
East Hartford is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 51,252 at the 2010 census.-Geography:...
during the 1960s, where Fuller's son Avard ran the company. It had moved from Hartford on the other side of river some years earlier. The Research Division was there, along with the plastics molding operation.
The Industrial Brush Division was also at the East Hartford plant, where they made large motor-driven brushes for developing newspaper printing photo metal plates. All the mops were sewn at this plant. The perfuming operation was there also, including a large machine to detect what was in perfume made by other companies.
In front of the East Hartford plant was a large glass case with a stuffed large boar that represented the boar hair used in some of the original Fuller brushes.
Fuller had a "private label" division, Charter Products, that sold duplicate products under other brand names chosen by the distributor. Avard's interest in boating resulted in experiments at the plant with plastic molding of port lights (windows) for boats, including full plastic hardware.
New York
The plastic bottle and toothbrush manufacturing operation was in Philmont, New YorkPhilmont, New York
Philmont is a village in Columbia County, New York, USA. The population was 1,379 at the 2010 census.The Village of Philmont is located in the northeast corner of the Town of Claverack on Route 217.-History:...
. According to Fuller's memoir, Fuller Brush distributed the Bristlecomb, a hairbrush introduced by the Mohawk Company in 1928. In 1942, Fuller Brush bought out the Mohawk Brush Company and subsequently all the hairbrushes and industrial floor brushes were manufactured at the Mohawk Plant in Albany, New York
Albany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
.
Great Bend, Kansas
Since 1973, Fuller brushes and over 2,000 other Fuller products have been manufactured in Barton CountyBarton County, Kansas
Barton County is a county located in Western Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 27,674. Its county seat and most populous city is Great Bend. The county is named in honor of Clara Barton, responsible for the founding of the American Red Cross...
, near Great Bend, Kansas
Great Bend, Kansas
Great Bend, named for its location at the historic big bend of the Arkansas River, is the most populous city in and the county seat of Barton County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 15,995.-History:...
.
Former employees
Examples of former employees include evangelist Billy GrahamBilly Graham
William Franklin "Billy" Graham, Jr. is an American evangelical Christian evangelist. As of April 25, 2010, when he met with Barack Obama, Graham has spent personal time with twelve United States Presidents dating back to Harry S. Truman, and is number seven on Gallup's list of admired people for...
, who became a Fuller Brush salesman during the summer after high school, and outsold "every other salesman in North Carolina"; in his 1997 autobiography, Just As I Am
Just as I Am
Just as I Am can refer to:*Just as I Am — a 1971 album by Bill Withers. It includes the hit single "Ain't No Sunshine".*Just as I Am — the debut album by Australian Idol winner Guy Sebastian....
, Graham describes in some detail his experiences selling Fuller brushes door-to-door. Ellen Barkin
Ellen Barkin
Ellen Barkin is an American film, television and theatre actress.-Early life:She was born Ellen Rona Barkin in Bronx, a borough of New York City, New York, the daughter of Evelyn , a hospital administrator who worked at Jamaica Hospital, and Sol Barkin, a chemical salesman...
was "born in the Bronx to a father who worked as a Fuller Brush man". Clifford Irving
Clifford Irving
Clifford Michael Irving is an American author of novels and works of nonfiction, but best known for using forged handwritten letters to convince his publisher into accepting a fake "autobiography" of reclusive businessman Howard Hughes in the early 1970s...
"was a Fuller Brush man in Syracuse
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
."
More recently, Paul Reubens
Paul Reubens
Paul Reubens is an American actor, writer, film producer, and comedian, best known for his character Pee-wee Herman. Reubens joined the Los Angeles troupe The Groundlings in the 1970s and started his career as an improvisational comedian and stage actor...
of Pee-wee Herman
Pee-wee Herman
Pee-wee Herman is a comic fictional character created and portrayed by American comedian Paul Reubens. He is best known for his two television series and film series during the 1980s. The childlike Pee-wee Herman character developed as a stage act that quickly led to an HBO special in 1981...
fame, worked as a Fuller Brush salesman while attending California Institute of the Arts
California Institute of the Arts
The California Institute of the Arts, commonly referred to as CalArts, is located in Valencia, in Los Angeles County, California. It was incorporated in 1961 as the first degree-granting institution of higher learning in the United States created specifically for students of both the visual and the...
.
Other former employees include Frank Gross
Frank Gross
Frank George Gross, OMC was awarded the Ontario Medal for Good Citizenship one month after his death in 2006, the only Chatham-Kent resident to be recognized by the Government of Ontario for humanitarianism....
, photographer Tom Leutwiler
Tom Leutwiler
Tom Leutwiler was an internationally renowned sailing photographer, whose work graced the covers of Yachting and Yacht Racing magazines, and was published in Time, Sailing World, Seahorse , Voile et Voiles and others for nearly two decades...
, J. Bruce Llewellyn
J. Bruce Llewellyn
J. Bruce Llewellyn was a prominent American businessman. His personal wealth has been estimated to exceed $160 million. In 1963 he joined others to found 100 Black Men of America, a social and philanthropic organization...
(co-founder of 100 Black Men of America
100 Black Men of America
100 Black Men Of America is a men's civic organization and service club whose stated goal is to educate and empower African American children and teens. As of 2009 the organization has 110 chapters and over 10,000 members in different cities in the United States and throughout the world...
), Ed Mirvish
Ed Mirvish
Edwin “Honest Ed” Mirvish, OC, CBE was a Canadian businessman, philanthropist and theatrical impresario who lived in Toronto, Ontario...
, Jack Sensenbrenner
Jack Sensenbrenner
Maynard Edward "Jack" Sensenbrenner was an American politician of the Democratic party, who served as a populist mayor of Columbus, Ohio....
, Kin Shriner
Kin Shriner
Kin Shriner is an American actor, best known for playing Scott Baldwin on both daytime serials General Hospital and Port Charles .-Personal life:...
, and Ed Stelmach
Ed Stelmach
Edward Michael "Ed" Stelmach, MLA is a Canadian politician and served as the 13th Premier of Alberta, Canada, from 2006 to 2011. The grandson of Ukrainian immigrants, Stelmach was born and raised on a farm near Lamont and speaks fluent Ukrainian. He spent his entire pre-political adult life as a...
.
In popular culture
- The Big Bad WolfBig Bad WolfThe Big Bad Wolf is a term used to describe a fictional wolf who appears in several precautionary folkloric stories, including some of Aesop's Fables and Grimm's Fairy Tales.-Interpretations:...
disguises himself as a Fuller Brush salesman in Disney'sWalt DisneyWalter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O...
1933 Academy Award-winning Silly SymphoniesSilly SymphoniesSilly Symphonies is a series of animated short subjects, 75 in total, produced by Walt Disney Productions from 1929 to 1939, while the studio was still located at Hyperion Avenue in the Silver Lake district of Los Angeles...
version of Three Little PigsThree Little Pigs (film)Three Little Pigs is an animated short film released on May 27, 1933 by United Artists, produced by Walt Disney and directed by Burt Gillett. Based on a fairy tale of the same name, Three Little Pigs won the 1934 Academy Award for Best Short Subject: Cartoons. In 1994, it was voted #11 of the 50...
. Other examples include: - In a 1944 Warner Brothers Looney TunesLooney TunesLooney Tunes is a Warner Bros. animated cartoon series. It preceded the Merrie Melodies series and was Warner Bros.'s first animated theatrical series. Since its first official release, 1930's Sinkin' in the Bathtub, the series has become a worldwide media franchise, spawning several television...
cartoon titled "Duck Soup to NutsDuck Soup to NutsDuck Soup to Nuts is a 1944 Warner Brothers Looney Tunes cartoon, directed by Friz Freleng, and starring Daffy Duck and Porky Pig. Porky is a hunter looking to shoot Daffy, but Daffy keeps outwitting Porky....
" staring Daffy DuckDaffy DuckDaffy Duck is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons, often running the gamut between being the best friend and sometimes arch-rival of Bugs Bunny...
and Porky PigPorky PigPorky Pig is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons. He was the first character created by the studio to draw audiences based on his star power, and the animators created many critically acclaimed shorts using the fat little pig...
. At one point in the episode Daffy Duck is hiding underwater from Porky Pig who is playing the role of the duck hunter. Daffy, is found lounging in a hammock at the bottom of the lake, he spots Porky Pig who is wearing an old diving helmetDiving helmetDiving helmets are worn mainly by professional divers engaged in surface supplied diving, though many models can be adapted for use with scuba equipment....
. Daffy Duck is then drawn wearing a hat and holding a salesperson's very large briefcase. Daffy Duck then knocks on Porky's helmet. "Knock, knock!" to which Porky answers, "Who's there?". Daffy then exclaims "It's The Fuller Brush ManThe Fuller Brush ManThe Fuller Brush Man is a 1948 comedy film starring Red Skelton as a door-to-door salesman for the Fuller Brush Company who becomes a murder suspect.-Cast:*Red Skelton as Red Jones*Janet Blair as Ann Elliott*Don McGuire as Keenan Wallick...
!", causing Porky to promptly open his mask, sending a flood of water into the diving helmet which in turn rockets Porky to the surface for air! - The company also inspired two comedy films, The Fuller Brush ManThe Fuller Brush ManThe Fuller Brush Man is a 1948 comedy film starring Red Skelton as a door-to-door salesman for the Fuller Brush Company who becomes a murder suspect.-Cast:*Red Skelton as Red Jones*Janet Blair as Ann Elliott*Don McGuire as Keenan Wallick...
, a 1948 movie starring Red SkeltonRed SkeltonRichard Bernard "Red" Skelton was an American comedian who is best known as a top radio and television star from 1937 to 1971. Skelton's show business career began in his teens as a circus clown and went on to vaudeville, Broadway, films, radio, TV, night clubs and casinos, all while pursuing...
and Janet Blair and The Fuller Brush GirlThe Fuller Brush GirlThe Fuller Brush Girl is a 1950 slapstick comedy starring Lucille Ball and directed by Lloyd Bacon. Animator Frank Tashlin wrote the script. Ball plays a quirky door-to-door cosmetics salesperson for the Fuller Brush Company...
, a 1950 movie starring Lucille BallLucille BallLucille Désirée Ball was an American comedian, film, television, stage and radio actress, model, film and television executive, and star of the sitcoms I Love Lucy, The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour, The Lucy Show, Here's Lucy and Life With Lucy...
and Eddie AlbertEddie AlbertEdward Albert Heimberger , known professionally as Eddie Albert, was an American actor and activist. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1954 for his performance in Roman Holiday, and in 1973 for The Heartbreak Kid.Other well-known screen roles of his include Bing...
. - A Fuller Brush salesman is mentioned in French-Canadian author Gabrielle Roy's short story "Ely! Ely! Ely!", first published in 1979 then in 1988 in the book "De quoi t'ennuies-tu Eveline?"
- The Fuller Brush salesman is mentioned by rock and rootsRoots rockRoots rock is a term now used to describe rock music that looks back to rock's origins in folk, blues and country music. It is particularly associated with the creation of hybrid sub-genres from the later 1960s including country rock and Southern rock, which have been seen as responses to the...
artist James McMurtryJames McMurtryJames McMurtry is a Texas rock/Texas Country singer, songwriter, guitarist, bandleader and occasional actor...
in the song Fuller Brush Man. The song appears on his 1995 release Where'd you Hide the Body, released by Columbia records. - The 1972 song by John Prine "The Frying Pan" from Diamonds in the RoughDiamonds in the Rough (album)Diamonds in the Rough is the second studio album by American country/folk singer-songwriter John Prine, released in 1972.-Reception:Writing for Allmusic, critic William Ruhlman wrote of the album "John Prine's second album was a cut below his first, only because the debut was a classic and the...
begins with the line "I came home from work this evening, there was a note in the frying pan, it said cook your own supper babe, I've run off with the Fuller Brush Man." - The song "Sneakin' Around" from The Best Little Whorehouse in TexasThe Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (film)The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas is a 1982 film adaptation of the musical of the same name released by Universal Pictures, which was co-written and directed by Colin Higgins...
(1984) mentions "jokes about the Fuller brush man," presumably of a bawdy nature. - In a 1987 Episode (on Disc 2 of Disney's DuckTales), Uncle ScroogeUncle ScroogeUncle Scrooge is a comic book with the stingy Scrooge McDuck "the richest duck in the world" as the main character. The series also featured Donald Duck and his nephews as supporting characters. The first 70 issues mostly consisted of stories written and drawn by Carl Barks, the creator of Scrooge...
(voiced by Alan YoungAlan YoungAlan Young is an English-Canadian actor and voice actor, best known for his role as Wilbur Post in the television series Mister Ed and as the voice of Scrooge McDuck in Disney films, TV series and video games...
) accidentally let a Fuller Brush salesman (Filler Brushbill) into his house and sells all kinds of junk that Donald DuckDonald DuckDonald Fauntleroy Duck is a cartoon character created in 1934 at Walt Disney Productions and licensed by The Walt Disney Company. Donald is an anthropomorphic white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a sailor suit with a cap and a black or red bow tie. Donald is most...
's nephews (Huey, Dewey and LouieHuey, Dewey and LouieHuey, Dewey, and Louie Duck are a trio of fictional, anthropomorphic ducks who appear in animated cartoons and comic books published by the Walt Disney Company. Identical triplets, the three are Donald Duck's nephews. Huey, Dewey, and Louie were created by Ted Osborne and Al Taliaferro, and first...
) think it is not funny at all and when Scrooge Yelled "Filler Brushbill! Give Back That Book!" towards him while being stranded on a island with his nephews (from episode "Much Ado About Scrooge").