history of standard textileweb.standardtextile.com/pdf/history_standard_textile.pdf · history of...

History of Standard Textile  What  started  in  1940  as  a  small  linen  distribution  company  in  the  Heiman  family’s  Cincinnati  apartment  has  grown  into  the  international  technology  leader  in  the  manufacturing  and  distribution  of  textiles,  apparel,  surgical,  and  decorative  products.    Standard  Textile  was  founded  by  the  Heiman  family,  headed  by  Charles  Heiman,  a  recent  immigrant  from  Germany,  who  had  been  incarcerated  in  the  Dachau  concentration  camp.  Charles  escaped  from  the  concentration  camp,  joined  his  family,  and  left  Germany  for  the  United  States.    “We  came  to  the  lovely  city  of  Cincinnati,”  states  Paul  Heiman,  former  chairman  and  CEO  and  son  of  Charles  Heiman,  “We  had  to  learn  the  American  way  of  doing  things.  When  my  father  couldn’t  get  a  job  in  the  city  during  the  depression,  he  decided  to  start  his  own  business.”  Standard  Textile  was  established  on  July  1,  1940  as  a  small  company  working  from  a  third  floor  apartment  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio.    The  company  grew  quickly  and  in  1945,  the  business  expanded  to  an  old  shoe  factory  in  downtown  Cincinnati.  At  the  end  of  World  War  II,  the  growing  demand  for  products  helped  create  demand  for  Standard’s  high  quality  products.    In  1963,  Standard  Textile  moved  to  a  Cincinnati  area  site  that  would  eventually  become  its  world  headquarters.  With  Paul  Heiman  as  the  CEO,  Standard  Textile  expanded  into  a  successful,  growing  company,  specializing  in  healthcare  textiles.    

 Standard  Textile  has  been  committed  to  its  philosophy  of  exceeding  customer  expectations  through  three  generations  of  Standard  Textile  family  leadership-­‐from  Charles  Heiman,  to  his  son,  Paul,  to  his  grandson  Gary  Heiman,  who  today  is  the  company’s  President  and  CEO.    In  the  mid  1970’s  the  company  created  its  first  international  manufacturing  operation  in  Arad,  Israel.  During  the  1980’s,  Standard  Textile  developed  what  would  become  the  industry  standard  for  reusable  surgical  technology,  ComPel®  fabric.  Along  with  28  other  patented  textile  technologies  Standard  Textile  developed  products  and  services  that  led  to  the  company’s  dramatic  growth  in  healthcare  textiles  throughout  the  United  States  and  32  other  countries  around  the  globe.    In  2000,  Standard  Textile  completed  its  acquisition  of  Pfeiffer  Textile  which  significantly  strengthened  its  market  position  in  Europe.  Standard  Textile  has  manufacturing  facilities  in  North  America,  the  Middle  East,  Europe,  and  in  the  Far  East.    Today,  Standard  Textile  is  focusing  its  manufacturing  capability  within  three  core  business  units:  Healthcare,  Institutional  Textiles  and  Hospitality.  Each  day,  Standard  Textile  creates  new  chapters  in  its  history-­‐working  to  develop  superior  quality  textiles  and  sophisticated  management  systems.  The  engine  of  Standard  Textile’s  growth  has  always  been,  and  will  always  will  be,  its  partnership  with  customers.