Family-Owned Work Uniform Company on Chicago's West Side Celebrates a Landmark Anniversary

CHICAGO - Aug. 11, 2021 - PRLog -- Roscoe, a family-owned work uniform company started by two co-workers who tapped into the growing city's demand for professional laundry services, will celebrate 100 years in business on August 13.

J.P. "Jack" O'Connell and George C. Buik, who met in 1915 at Maywood's American Can Company and bonded over a shared entrepreneurial spirit, entered into partnership to begin laundering industrial work clothes while still in their 20s.

From their $200 investment in second-hand laundry equipment, the company grew to be a local leader with a national reputation. Today it is run by a third generation of Buik family leadership under President Jim Buik, whose daughter Julia leads the company's IT team.

From the Great Depression through the 2020 pandemic, the company has weathered multiple chapters of difficult Chicago and American history from a 100-year-old building on the city's West Side.

A Century of Pride & Innovation

Over the decades, the company both struggled and thrived, but never lost its spirit of innovation and connection to the city and the neighborhood.

"A century puts a lot of things into perspective," notes Jim Buik. "It is much more difficult to take a short-term view of things when you are standing on the shoulders of people who kept this business going through so much upheaval, from economic collapse to world war."

The long-term view, along with a corporate culture built around the motto "Take Pride," has driven a pursuit of innovation that, at times, has outpaced even Roscoe's larger competitors. Milestones include the development of the industry's first wastewater treatment system in 1975 and the installation of a state-of-the-art automated sorting system in 2017.

Along the way, the company has also provided leadership to business development efforts on Chicago's West Side through the Lawndale Business Renaissance Association, among other organizations.

About The Roscoe Company

Businesses throughout the Chicago area have counted on Roscoe since 1921 for the highest quality work uniforms and floor mats that elevate your brand, make employees look great, maintain compliance, and ensure workplace safety – without the headaches of national suppliers. If you're looking to change your work uniform program, Roscoe will deliver the highest uniform quality and most responsive customer service available. If you're new to work uniforms, outsourcing to Roscoe will provide an ROI you can see, with consistently professional uniforms. You can also take advantage of a worry-free system of floor mats and restroom supplies. More: www.eroscoe.com