0622 FLIPBOOK

Intro

The History of WAXIE Sanitary Supply

very different markets when sales offices were opened in Los Angeles and El Centro, California. “You have to be a visionary,” stated Morris Wax. “You have to know when to gamble and when to stop. Most importantly, you have to be quick to react. Much of our growth came about because we are a flexible organization that could react quickly to the ever changing market.” With Charles on board, Morris continued to become an industry leader by expanding and building the business. For the first time in WAXIE history, the long-standing San Diego-based company ventured across state lines in 1984 with the purchase of the Lovinger Company, located in Salt Lake City, Utah—a homecom- ing for Morris and the Wax family. The Lovinger merger turned out to be a wise investment and in three short years, WAXIE built a new facility in Salt Lake City to accommodate its growing business. Sharing his father’s innate business sense, Charles recognized a smart opportunity in 1986 for growth in the Arizona marketplace. WAXIE established a start-up operation in Phoenix, Arizona as well as another branch office in Palm Springs, California. His foresight would not only prove to be profitable, but foreshadowed the leader Charles would become. He was named President that same year. “I have grown up with the company,” says Charles. “We don’t plan on changing things that work. We need to stay responsive to our customers’ needs and focus on the future. And we are willing to continuously invest in the future – in our people and our facilities, and new innovative products and technology.” The close of the decade saw the opening of branches in Las Vegas, Nevada (1988) and Tucson, Arizona (1989). In 1989, Morris put his final mark on the industry with the con- struction of WAXIE’s flagship facility in Santa Ana, California—a distribution facility unlike any other in the industry.

With the next generation of family business leaders in mind, Harry and Morris began their process of including Morris’s young sons, Charles, born in 1951, and David, born in 1955, in the family business. On July 30th, 1971, 26 years after starting WAXIE, Harry Wax retired and handed the reins to his younger brother Morris Wax.

Harry Wax’s retirement party, 1971

REDEFINING THE JAN/SAN INDUSTRY Morris saw his brother’s retirement as a new beginning, an op- portunity to preserve a family legacy by setting a high standard not only for WAXIE, but for an entire industry. In just a few short years, Morris’ vision began taking shape with the construction of three state-of-the-art facilities— unheard of in the industry at that time. As the company continued to grow during the 1970s, an important internal shift was underway. In 1973, Morris’ oldest son Charles Wax officially joined the WAXIE team. No stranger to the business, Charles continued to learn under his father’s watchful eye. Morris believed that a person had to start at the bottom and work their way up, and his own sons were no exception. In 1977, the company purchased property in a new develop- ment in Kearny Mesa. A year later, when the company moved its headquarters from downtown to its current address on Ruffin Road, WAXIE’s building was one of the few in the east Kearny Mesa area. In 1979, the company expanded into two new and

Morris Wax and Charles Wax in front of Morris’ flagship facility in Santa Ana, California

Iconic blue WAXIE trucks, circa 1970s

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(800) 995-4466

www.waxie.com

(800) 995-4466

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