brown supply
Brown Supply Company is a privately held B2B distributor founded in 1955, headquartered in Lima, Ohio, supplying janitorial, cleaning, food service, and facility maintenance products to custodial professionals, facilities managers, and commercial cleaning businesses in northwestern Ohio.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1955
- HeadquartersLima, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What brown supply does
Brown Supply Company is a privately held regional B2B distributor of janitorial supplies, cleaning equipment, food service items, and facility maintenance products, headquartered in Lima, Ohio, with a secondary office in Sandusky. Founded in 1955, the company serves northwestern Ohio and surrounding regions, targeting custodial professionals, facilities managers, and commercial cleaning businesses. Its core offering spans cleaning chemicals, paper products, cleaning equipment, hand and personal care, matting, food service disposables, grounds supplies, and safety equipment, sourced from established vendor partners including Tennant, Betco, Unger, ProTeam, M+A Matting, Deb Stoko, and Fresh Products.
The company operates without proprietary technology and is structured as a sales and distribution business rather than a technology company. Its go-to-market combines an e-commerce catalog at brownsupply.com (with account management, shopping cart, and quote request functionality) with direct sales from its two Ohio offices, supported by co-marketing through vendor brand features on its homepage. Marketing channels include the online catalog (bottom-of-funnel), Facebook organic social, content marketing via News & Training, and featured vendor brand promotions.
Brown Supply generates revenue through one-time product transactions, with potential for recurring orders from established customer relationships. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; customers are directed to contact the company or submit quote requests. The firm holds BBB Accredited Business status, ISSA membership, and Pro-Link cooperative membership, and operates as a sole-source regional supplier with extensive inventory and competitive pricing positioning.
brown supply firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- brown supply
- Legal name
- Brown Supply Company
- Website
- https://brownsupply.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1955
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Brown Supply Company is a privately held B2B distributor founded in 1955, headquartered in Lima, Ohio, supplying janitorial, cleaning, food service, and facility maintenance products to custodial professionals, facilities managers, and commercial cleaning businesses in northwestern Ohio.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
brown supply industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Janitorial Supplies Distribution
- NAICS
- Service Establishment Equipment and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers (42385), Paper and Paper Product Merchant Wholesalers (4241)
- SIC
- Wholesale-Professional & Commercial Equipment & Supplies (5040), Wholesale-Paper & Paper Products (5110)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Janitorial & Sanitation (JanSan) Supplies Wholesale (CRAOAGAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Paper, Tissue, Wipers & Dispensers Distribution (CRAOAGAC), Janitorial & Sanitation Supplies (Foodservice) Wholesale (AFAIALAD)
Keywords
Where brown supply is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Lima
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
brown supply business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Product Sales: Brown Supply Company generates revenue through the sale of cleaning supplies, equipment, and related products to custodial professionals, facilities managers, and commercial cleaning businesses. Revenue is derived from one-time product transactions through their online catalog, with potential for recurring orders from established customer relationships.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
brown supply product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Brown Supply Company is a regional janitorial supplies and cleaning equipment distributor serving northwestern Ohio since 1955. The company sells a comprehensive portfolio of cleaning chemicals, paper products, cleaning equipment (sweepers, scrubbers, vacuums), hand tools and cleaning supplies, matting, skin and personal care products, food service disposables, facilities and grounds supplies, and safety equipment from multiple vendor brands including Tennant, Betco, Unger, ProTeam, M+A Matting, Deb Stoko, and Fresh Products. Customers can order through an online catalog or via direct sales from the company's Lima and Sandusky, Ohio offices.
Product overview
Brown Supply Company is a distributor of cleaning supplies and equipment serving northwestern Ohio since 1955. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of janitorial products organized into distinct categories: Cleaning Chemicals (including disinfectants, deodorants, carpet care), Paper Products (tissues, towels), Cleaning Equipment (Tennant sweepers, ride-on scrubbers, Nobles wide-area vacuums, ProTeam wet/dry vacuums), Cleaning Supplies (Unger window cleaning tools including the award-winning Stingray system, squeegees, mops), Matting (M+A Matting products), and Skin/Personal Care (Deb Stoko products). They also carry Food Service supplies, Facilities & Grounds products, Safety Equipment, and Hospitality items. Key brands include Tennant, Betco, Unger, ProTeam, and Fresh Products. The company positions itself as a sole-source supplier for custodial needs with extensive inventory and competitive pricing.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Cleaning Chemicals Chemical cleaning agents including absorbents, bleach, car/truck wash chemicals, carpet care products, chemical dispensers and equipment, deodorants, and disinfectants/sanitizers for professional cleaning operations.
- Paper Products Paper supplies including tissues, toilet seat covers, towels, and Dixie Ultra guest towels for restrooms, facilities, hotels, and country club locker rooms.
- Cleaning Equipment Heavy-duty janitorial equipment including burnishers, extractors, floor machines, propane equipment, scrubbers (auto, walk-behind, and ride-on), sweepers (walk-behind and ride-on), vacuums, and wet/dry vacuums from brands such as Tennant, Nobles, and ProTeam.
- Cleaning Supplies (Hand Tools) Hand tools and supplies including bottles and pumps, brooms and dust pans, brushes, buckets and wringers, carriers/caddies/totes, carts, dust cloths and dusters, floor pads, mops, squeegees, sprayers, and window cleaning equipment.
- M+A Matting Products Matting products including anti-fatigue mats, entrance wiper/scraper mats, slip-resistant backing systems, and specialty mats for commercial facilities.
- Deb Stoko Hand Soaps and Skin Care Skin and personal care products including hand soaps, sanitizers, lotion, moisturizers, and skin protection products for workplace hand hygiene.
- Fresh Products Air Care and Urinal Screens Air fresheners, urinal screens, and deodorizing products for maintaining fresh-smelling commercial restroom and facility environments.
- Floor Care Cleaning Equipment (Tennant brand) Floor care cleaning equipment including the autonomous T7 Micro-Rider Floor Scrubber powered by BrainOS advanced vision-based AI, walk-behind sweepers, ride-on sweepers, wet/dry vacuums, and floor machines.
- Betco Cleaning Chemicals and Equipment Betco cleaning chemicals, SmartSCREEN bioactive enzyme urinal screens, SmartValve dispensers, and cleaning equipment including the Workman wet/dry vacuum.
- Unger Stingray Window and Glass 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, including indoor window cleaning kits, glass cleaning pads, glass washing pads, refillable microfiber cleaning kits, and professional glass cleaner.
- Floor Maintenance Equipment Equipment for floor care including burnishers, scrubbers, floor machines, and extractors for various cleaning and maintenance tasks in commercial settings.
- Food Service and Dishwashing Supplies Disposable food service items including aprons, apparel, bags, cups, lids, cutlery, napkins, plates, platters, and table/tray covers for restaurants, cafeterias, and food service operations.
- Facilities and Grounds Supplies Facility maintenance items including air cleaner machines, batteries, ice melter, and grounds maintenance supplies for commercial and institutional properties.
- Safety Equipment Safety supplies including apparel, clean-up kits, eye protection, footwear, gloves, and traffic control equipment for workplace safety and compliance.
Companies that use brown supply
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
brown supply technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
brown supply partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- M+A MattingcoreM+A Matting is a key vendor partner whose products are featured prominently on Brown Supply Company's homepage slider. The partnership enables Brown Supply to offer anti-fatigue mats, entrance mats, and specialty matting solutions to their custodial customers.
- Deb Stoko (Deb-Stoko)coreDeb Stoko is featured as a featured vendor brand on the Brown Supply Company homepage, promoting their hand soaps and skin care products for workplace hand hygiene.
- Fresh ProductscoreFresh Products is showcased as a featured vendor, with their air fresheners and urinal screens prominently displayed on the homepage slider.
- TennantcoreTennant is a major equipment vendor featured on the homepage slider and throughout the catalog. Brown Supply offers Tennant's floor care cleaning equipment including scrubbers, sweepers, and vacuum products.
- Betco CorporationcoreBetco Corporation is prominently featured as a key vendor partner, with Brown Supply expressing pride in being a source for Betco cleaning chemicals and equipment needs.
- Pro-LinkcorePro-Link is a cooperative organization for independent distributors in the cleaning industry. Brown Supply Company displays the Pro-Link logo as a member, indicating access to group purchasing power and shared marketing resources.
- UngerminorUnger is a vendor partner supplying professional window cleaning tools and equipment including the award-winning Stingray system. Their products are featured in the window cleaning supplies category.
- WizKidminorWizKid supplies urinal screens including Stingray branded products. Their products appear in the deodorant and urinal blocks category.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
brown supply competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Strengths4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
brown supply social profiles
Digital presencebrown supply financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
brown supply leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
brown supply funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
brown supply M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about brown supply
What does brown supply do?
Brown Supply Company is a regional janitorial supplies and cleaning equipment distributor serving northwestern Ohio since 1955. The company sells a comprehensive portfolio of cleaning chemicals, paper products, cleaning equipment (sweepers, scrubbers, vacuums), hand tools and cleaning supplies, matting, skin and personal care products, food service disposables, facilities and grounds supplies, and safety equipment from multiple vendor brands including Tennant, Betco, Unger, ProTeam, M+A Matting, Deb Stoko, and Fresh Products. Customers can order through an online catalog or via direct sales from the company's Lima and Sandusky, Ohio offices.
Is brown supply a public or private company?
brown supply is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was brown supply founded?
brown supply was founded in 1955. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is brown supply based?
brown supply is headquartered in Lima, United States, in the North America region.
How does brown supply make money?
One revenue line is on record: product Sales.
Does brown supply have an API?
No public API is recorded for brown supply.
What industry is brown supply in?
brown supply's product category is Janitorial Supplies Distribution. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAOAGAA, Janitorial & Sanitation (JanSan) Supplies Wholesale, with a secondary code of CRAOAGAC, Paper, Tissue, Wipers & Dispensers Distribution. Its NAICS code is 42385 and its SIC code is 5040.