BROWN SUPPLY CO

What BROWN SUPPLY CO does

Brown Supply Co is a privately held B2B janitorial and cleaning supplies distributor founded in 1955 and headquartered at 2455 Cable Court, Lima, Ohio, with a secondary office in Sandusky, Ohio. The company serves commercial custodial services and facility/building operations customers in northwestern Ohio and surrounding markets, operating an e-commerce catalog with shopping cart, account login, and quote-request functionality, supplemented by phone-based direct sales and customer consultation from both offices. The business runs with approximately 18 employees and no disclosed parent company, subsidiaries, funding rounds, or M&A activity. Industry affiliations include ISSA (industry association), Pro-Link (buying group for collective purchasing), and Better Business Bureau accreditation.

The product portfolio is horizontal and comprehensive, spanning cleaning chemicals (absorbents, bleach, disinfectants, carpet care, deodorants), cleaning supplies (brooms, brushes, buckets, mops, sprayers, squeegees), cleaning equipment (burnishers, extractors, floor machines, scrubbers, vacuums), paper products, skin and personal care items, food service and dishwashing supplies, facilities and grounds products, matting, liners, and receptacles. Notable branded lines carried include the Unger Stingray window cleaning system, Betco SmartSCREEN bioactive enzyme urinal screens, Fresh Eco air fresheners, PRO-LINK TuffSkins liners, SoftSoap commercial hand soaps, and Tennant floor maintenance equipment, including the T7 Micro-Rider Floor Scrubber, which is powered by BrainOS vision-based AI for autonomous navigation.

Brown Supply Co generates revenue through one-time product sales on a quote-based pricing model, with no public pricing displayed on the website. The GTM motion combines a self-service e-commerce catalog for top-of-funnel discovery with phone-based direct sales for product consultation and order placement, targeting mid-market commercial and institutional customers. The value proposition centers on being a sole-source local supplier offering wide product variety, extensive inventory, competitive pricing, and over 60 years of customer service experience, rather than on technology leadership or proprietary IP.

Name

BROWN SUPPLY CO

Legal name

Brown Supply Co.

Website

https://brownsupply.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1955

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Brown Supply Co is a privately held B2B janitorial and cleaning supplies distributor founded in 1955, serving commercial custodial and facility operations customers in northwestern Ohio through an e-commerce catalog and phone-based sales across two Ohio offices.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Janitorial and Cleaning Supplies Distribution

NAICS

Service Establishment Equipment and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers (42385)

SIC

Wholesale-Professional & Commercial Equipment & Supplies (5040)

akta.pro primary industry

Janitorial & Sanitation (JanSan) Supplies Wholesale (CRAOAGAA)

Keywords

• Janitorial supplies distribution
• Cleaning equipment supply
• Commercial cleaning products
• Floor maintenance equipment
• Facility maintenance supplies

Headquarters

HQ city

Lima, Ohio

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Janitorial & Cleaning Supplies Sales: Brown Supply Co generates revenue through direct product sales of cleaning supplies, equipment, and related products to commercial and institutional customers. The company operates an online catalog with shopping cart functionality and account-based ordering.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Brown Supply Co is a regional B2B distributor of janitorial and cleaning supplies and equipment, serving northwestern Ohio commercial and institutional customers since 1955. The company sells cleaning chemicals, paper products, cleaning equipment (including Tennant floor care machines), general cleaning supplies, skin and personal care products, food service supplies, facilities and grounds supplies, and safety equipment through an online catalog and phone-based direct sales, augmented by customer service and product consultation.

Product overview

Brown Supply Co is a janitorial/cleaning supplies distributor serving northwestern Ohio since 1955, operating as an online catalog-based B2B distributor. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio organized across multiple product categories including: Chemicals (absorbents, bleach, carpet care, disinfectants/sanitizers), Cleaning Supplies (brooms, brushes, buckets, mops, sprayers, squeegees, window cleaning tools), Cleaning Equipment (burnishers, extractors, floor machines, scrubbers, sweepers, vacuums), Paper Products (tissues, towels, toilet seat covers), Skin & Personal Care (hand soaps, sanitizers, dispensers), Food Service supplies, Facilities & Grounds products (safety equipment, batteries, ice melter), Matting, Liners, and Receptacles. Key branded product lines include the Unger Stingray window cleaning system (kits, pads, replacement parts), Betco SmartSCREEN bioactive enzyme urinal screens, Fresh Eco Bowl Clip fragrance products, PRO-LINK TuffSkins HD liners, and SoftSoap commercial hand soaps. The product portfolio also features professional cleaning equipment from Tennant, Unger, and various cleaning chemical brands. The company operates primarily as an e-commerce catalog distributor rather than a platform-based software company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cleaning Chemicals Chemical product category covering absorbents, bleach, carpet care, deodorant, disinfectants and sanitizers, car/truck wash and detailing chemicals, and chemical dispenser equipment for commercial cleaning operations.
• Cleaning Equipment Professional cleaning equipment category including burnishers, extractors, floor machines, auto and walk-behind scrubbers, dryers, propane-powered equipment, and cleaning equipment parts, including Tennant floor care machines and the autonomous Tennant T7 Micro-Rider Floor Scrubber powered by BrainOS.
• Cleaning Supplies General cleaning tools and supplies category including bottles and pumps, brooms and dust pans, brushes, buckets and wringers, carriers/caddies/totes, carts, dust cloths and dusters, mops, sprayers, squeegees, and window cleaning tools.
• Paper Products Paper product category including tissues, paper towels, toilet seat covers, and related restroom paper consumables for commercial and institutional facilities.
• Skin and Personal Care Products Commercial hand soaps, hand sanitizers, and dispensers including Deb Stoko, SoftSoap, and related personal care brands supplied to workplaces and facilities.
• Food Service and Dishwashing Supplies Food service and dishwashing supplies including cleaning buckets, color-coded containers meeting HACCP guidelines, and related commercial kitchen and food service consumables.
• Facilities and Grounds Supplies Facilities and grounds maintenance products including matting (M+A Matting), ice melter, batteries, and related outdoor/grounds maintenance consumables.
• Safety Equipment Safety equipment offerings for commercial and institutional customers, addressing workplace safety needs as part of the company's sole-source supplier positioning.
• Unger Stingray Window Cleaning System ISSA Award winning professional indoor glass cleaning system proven to clean windows 25% faster while using 39% less chemicals than traditional cloth window cleaning, available in multiple lightweight extending pole configurations for cleaning windows of any height.
• Betco SmartSCREEN with Bioactive Enzymes Urinal screen infused with Neutrabond technology and bioactive enzymes, rated for 2400 uses, designed to convert flushing urinals to water-conserving urinals while maintaining restroom freshness.
• Fresh Eco Bowl Clip Air Fresheners Discreet air fresheners that clip to the toilet rim, containing 30x more fragrance than standard bowl clips with 30-day fragrance duration, made with natural fragrance oils and no harmful chemicals, offered in multiple scent profiles.
• PRO-LINK TuffSkins HD Coreless Roll Liners High-density polyethylene can liners made with HDPE resins for superior strength and load capacity, featuring chemical resistance, temperature resistance, odor containment, and a star seal design for commercial waste handling.
• RMC Rest Assured Toilet Seat Cover 100% biodegradable half-fold toilet seat covers that are 100% flushable, septic system safe, and designed to fit most standard seat cover dispensers in commercial restrooms.
• Service Order Submission Online service order submission capability allowing commercial customers to request servicing, delivery, or related support through the company's website, complementing the product catalog.

Quantifiable outcome

• ISSA Award recognition for Stingray Window and Glass Cleaning System - cleans windows 25% faster while using 39% less chemicals than traditional methods

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• ISSAminorOthersBrown Supply Co is an ISSA member, demonstrating commitment to the cleaning industry and access to industry resources, training, and networking opportunities.
• Pro-LinkminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBrown Supply Co is a member of the Pro-Link buying group/network, providing access to competitive pricing and a broader range of products through collective purchasing power.
• Better Business BureauminorOthersBrown Supply Co maintains BBB Accredited Business status, demonstrating commitment to ethical business practices and customer trust.

Scale indicators2 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• SupplyHouse.com: SupplyHouse.com is a fast-growing e-commerce distributor of plumbing, HVAC, and cleaning/maintenance supplies, increasingly competing with regional JanSan distributors for facility maintenance spend via direct-to-customer online ordering.

Direct peers

• Daycon Products Company: Daycon is a regional janitorial and sanitary supply distributor serving the Mid-Atlantic with cleaning chemicals, paper products, and equipment — a directly comparable regional JanSan distribution model.
• Imperial Dade: Imperial Dade is a leading national distributor of foodservice packaging, janitorial, and industrial supplies, with a strong regional branch-based operating model that mirrors Brown Supply's local-warehouse approach to serving commercial customers.
• Brady Industries: Brady Industries is one of the largest independent JanSan and foodservice distributors in the Western U.S., combining regional janitorial supply distribution with a multi-state operating model — directly analogous to Brown Supply's regional B2B janitorial distribution model.
• Spruce Industries: Spruce Industries is a regional janitorial supply distributor serving the Midwest with a comparable mix of cleaning chemicals, paper products, equipment, and supplies distributed to commercial accounts — closely aligned to Brown Supply's product and customer profile.
• Eagle Janitorial Supply: Eagle Janitorial is a regional JanSan distributor serving the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast U.S., offering a similar catalog of chemicals, paper, equipment, and supplies to commercial and institutional buyers — a direct functional peer to Brown Supply.

Broad incumbents

• Zoro: Zoro is Grainger's e-commerce-only MRO platform, competing with regional JanSan distributors on transparent pricing, broad SKU availability, and fast fulfillment — particularly for mid-market commercial buyers.
• Grainger: Grainger is the largest U.S. MRO and janitorial products distributor, offering cleaning supplies and equipment as part of a much broader industrial catalog. It competes head-on with regional JanSan distributors for large commercial and institutional accounts.
• Uline: Uline is a large national distributor of shipping, industrial, and janitorial supplies with a strong catalog and rapid fulfillment model. Its Midwest distribution centers serve Ohio customers directly, putting it in competition with Brown Supply on broad janitorial and facilities supply orders.

Regional players

• Midwest Cleaning & Supply: Midwest Cleaning & Supply is a small regional JanSan distributor operating across the Midwest, providing janitorial supplies and equipment to commercial accounts — directly comparable to Brown Supply's regional B2B janitorial distribution model in scale and customer mix.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/BrownSupplyCompany
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/brown-supply-co

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about BROWN SUPPLY CO