About
Our Mission
Bringing the world a better way to clean through innovation, design and quality.
For over 120 years, the Libman family has made quality their utmost priority. William Libman started The Libman Company in 1896 with one mission; to make the finest, most durable wire-wound corn brooms. William’s sons, grandsons and great grandchildren have since expanded that mission to include the finest mops, brooms, brushes and cleaning tools.
Starting Up
William Libman left Lithuania for the United States in the 1890’s. He landed in Chicago and started life in the New World by peddling sundries from a pushcart. He sold everything from brooms to clothes-pins. The old-fashioned corn broom was always a top seller. Seeing a need and an opportunity, William Libman opened a corn broom factory on Kinzie Street in Chicago, the commercial heart of the Midwestern broom corn market.
Advancing in Tough Times
During the height of the Great Depression, William’s three sons, Clarence, Sam and Ben joined their father in the broom making business. They added a new generation of ideas and energy. Although times were hard, the sons looked to the future. They modernized operations and built a second plant in Detroit, Michigan.
The Big Move
In 1932, the sons moved operations out of the big city and into Tuscola, Illinois, a town in the heart of “broom corn country”. 180 miles south of Chicago, Tuscola and the surrounding towns produced much of the 374,000 acres of broom corn harvested each year in the U.S.. Being close to the crop allowed The Libman Company to keep an eye on the harvest, streamline operations and increase production.
Wartime Production
During World War II, The Libman Company joined the effort with wartime production. They produced over 2,500 brooms a day for the War Department from 1942-1945. Made to specification, these brooms cleaned the decks of aircraft carriers and troop ships in the Atlantic and Pacific.
Bigger Economy, Bigger Move
The great economic boom of the 50’s found The Libman Company looking for a bigger location. In 1957, Libman moved into a converted red brick schoolhouse down the road in Arcola, Illinois.
Innovating, Expanding
Two of the founder’s grandsons, William and Robert, joined the company in the mid-1960’s. Like their father and uncles before them, Bill and Robert looked to the future and expanded to create radical new production lines utilizing modern technology. They invested heavily in injection molding, blow molding, fiber extrusion and steel tube fabrication. By 1980, all major production was pulled under one roof. The Libman Company became one of the largest vertically integrated houseware facilities in the country. During the past 15 years, the company has expanded its product line to become the leading manufacturer of high-quality brooms, mops and brushes in the U.S.
Libman in The 21st Century
Twenty years later the 4th generation, Andrew, Rachel and Aaron have come aboard. Like their predecessors, they are looking towards the future. They are focused on expanding distribution in the retail and commercial markets with the Libman High Power line and expanding into the international market with the entire Libman line. While working on growing distribution, they continue to focus on quality, national advertising, service and product innovation.
