Mission and History
Our Mission and Vision
We own and grow a diversified portfolio of businesses, enabling our employee owners to deliver exceptional value to customers and make a positive impact in their communities.
Our vision is to be the world’s leading example of employee ownership —where people thrive, businesses flourish, and success is shared through consistent enterprise value growth.
Our Brand Promise
Trusted Quality & Lifetime Support
Generations of Excellence
Our History
Late 1800s
Our legacy began with an ambitious young inventor named W.H. George. In the late 1800s as washing machines began to gain popularity, Mr. George decided that he could improve on the existing designs and capabilities. He quickly built several hand-powered washer models, and the business began to grow in size and prestige.
1894
The Dexter Company was formed in 1894 and began manufacturing wringer washers for the general public.
1912
In 1912, as the business operations outgrew the original factory, the company was relocated to Fairfield, Iowa, where the Dexter Laundry headquarters and manufacturing operations remain to this day. Since then, manufacturing operations have expanded beyond laundry to include additional manufacturing, financing and distribution channels.
1987
In 1987 the employees of Dexter purchased the company through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan. Over preceeding years, the employee ownership facilitated growth through acquisitions.
1991
Dexter Financial Services, as it's now knows, was founded.
2000
Century Laundry is aquired.
2006
In 2006, Apache Stainless was acquired and Dexter Apache Holdings, Inc. was formed.
2008
We grew again in 2008 with the acquisition of Leer.
2011
In 2011 we grew further with the acquisition of Crystal Group.
2020
Blue Kangaroo is acquired.
2021
Laundry One is acquired.
2021
In 2021, Dexter Apache Holdings was re-branded to Employee Owned Brands to better highlight the common thread running through our businesses and better scale as we continue to grow.
Today
By diversifying our business interests and applying the ownership culture, we’ve made ourselves a leader in every industry that we’ve entered. Our business structure has allowed us to succeed while providing our customers with a high level of service and satisfaction that’s not found at most businesses today. Contact us to find out how our employee owners can help grow your business.
Our Core Strategies
Team
We develop industry leading teams of people focused on delivering our long-term objectives.
Innovation
We create products and solutions focused on helping our customers become more efficient, productive, and successful.
Partnering
We work to align ourselves with industry leading suppliers, resellers, and service providers.
Continuous Improvement
We try to simplify processes, eliminate waste, and improve our environment.
100% Employee-Owned
We are a leading 100% employee-owned company with diverse business interests in manufacturing, distribution, retail, financial services and mission critical technologies. We proudly manufacture all our products in the USA, serving customers worldwide.
