Bissell Inc. , also known as Bissell Homecare , is an American privately owned vacuum cleaner and floor care product manufacturing corporation headquartered in Walker, Michigan in Greater Grand Rapids . The company is the number one manufacturer of floor care products in North America in terms of sales, with 20% marketshare.
6-591: Melville Bissell developed an early carpet sweeping machine to aid in cleaning the crockery shop he and his wife Anna owned and operated. The device was patented as the Bissell Carpet Sweeper in 1876. In 1883, Bissell built the company's first manufacturing plant in Grand Rapids. By the 1890s the company had an international presence and was producing 1000 sweepers per day. Melville Bissell died in 1889 and his wife Anna took over as leader of
12-425: A sweeper with a central brush, rubber wheels, and other improvements over previous sweepers. A fire in 1884 destroyed his first factory, but he was able to overcome the loss and still later expand his business. Following his death from pneumonia in 1889 in Grand Rapids, his wife, Anna Bissell , took control of the company, becoming America's first female corporate chief executive officer. This article about
18-537: A young adult, he opened a grocery store in 1862 with his father, Alpheus, in Kalamazoo, Michigan , selling it in 1869 and opening a crockery and glassware store in Grand Rapids, Michigan , in 1870. He made money manufacturing crockery and investing in real estate. Following the financial Panic of 1873 and the following economic depression, Bissell began working on a carpet sweeper. In 1876 Bissell patented
24-563: The economic downturn , Bissell's sales remained steady. In 2009, they outpaced Hoover to take the number one position for floor-care sales in North America. Their top-selling carpet shampooer is Bissell ProHeat 2x Revolution Pet Pro which is the market leader as of 2020. It was the title sponsor for the Bissell Pro Cycling Team . Bissell also has a pet foundation. With every purchase, it donates some percentage to
30-655: The company. She served as the company president from 1889 - 1919 and chair of the board from 1919 - 1934. Over the years the company expanded from manufacturing only mechanical sweepers to producing vacuum cleaners and carpet shampooers. In 2004, the company acquired a license for the Woolite trademark for all carpet and upholstery cleaning formulas for $ 62 million. It has also moved into the pet-care industry, manufacturing attachments and solutions designed specifically for cleaning up pet hair and stains. Whereas other competitors saw sales decline by numerous percentage points during
36-519: The foundation to save pets, and grant money and assistance to various animal non-profits in all 50 states. Melville Reuben Bissell Melville Reuben Bissell (September 25, 1843 – March 15, 1889) was an American entrepreneur who invented the modern carpet sweeper . The Bissell corporation is named after him. Bissell was born in Hartwick, New York , and grew up in Berlin, Wisconsin . As
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