It has been 95 years since Bro-Tex was originally founded as the Minnesota Rag and Paper Stock Company, Inc. by Arnold Greenberg and Charles Brotsky. Arnold, my father, handled the purchasing and office side, Charles managed the plant side. Here we are in 2018 and the company is still going strong.
We started as a rag company in 1923 which recycled cloths into different grades of rags for local roofing mills. In 1932, we had a 50/50 partnership with Capitol City Woolen Mills of Des Moines, Iowa and reprocessed wool for Melton cloth. In 1936, we invested in laundry equipment so we could become a full-service wiping rag supplier.
In 1957, our company changed the name to Bro-Tex, Inc. We moved in 1969 to our current location in St. Paul’s Midway area. Today we sell over 400 new and reclaimed cloth and paper wipers, towels and absorbents. Check out our website at www.Brotex.com.
In 2005, we started a division for recycling carpet and pads. I think it’s exciting to reclaim nylon from old carpet and turn it into parts like automotive valve covers and wheelchair spokes. With the reclaimed materials we save the country over 1 million gallons of oil a year.
Then in 2010, Bro-Tex added a Midwest Floating Island division. This division manufactures floating wetlands to clean the water and provide habitat for a variety of wetland creatures.
My daughter Arlys started with the company over 30 years ago and my son Dan joined us in 2015. “We are proud to be family owned and managed for 3 generations,” stated President Arlys Freeman.
Many of our employees have been with us a long time. Our plant manager Archie Monsour (pictured above in 1988) was here 60 years.
Our bookkeeper Lois Kroll (pictured above) is still working for us and celebrating her 56th anniversary with the company this year. Many of our employees have family members in the company. One employee started in the plant 37 years ago and moved to sales. She is now our customer service manager.
Together, we work hard to see that the products meet our customer’s individual needs for everything from customized floating islands to private label wipes. We are large enough to handle your wiper converting needs and yet small enough to be flexible for smaller orders.
Bro-Tex would like to thank everyone who has helped contribute to our success the past 95 years. From our dedicated staff, to our hard-working managers, to our terrific customers, thank you. I am proud of what we have accomplished together.