S. C. Johnson & Son

S. C. Johnson (S. C. Johnson & Son, Inc.), previously known as S. C. Johnson Wax, is a global manufacturer of household cleaning supplies and other consumer chemicals based in Racine, Wisconsin. It has operations in nearly 70 countries and its brands are sold in over 110. It is the largest component of the Johnson Family Enterprises, which also includes the Johnson Financial Group, JohnsonDiversey, Inc. (formerly Johnson Wax Professional and the acquisition of DiverseyLever, comprising primarily the former Dubois Chemical), and Johnson Outdoors. In 2006 S. C. Johnson & Son employed approximately 12,000 and had estimated sales of $7.5 billion.

Unusual for a corporation of its size, S. C. Johnson is family-owned. The company began when Samuel Curtis Johnson, Sr. purchased the parquet flooring business of Racine Hardware Company in 1886 and renamed it Johnson's Prepared Paste Wax Company. Management has since passed down through five generations of the Johnson family; the longevity of this dynasty is itself unusual.

In 1939 the first part of the Johnson Wax Building, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, opened. The tower opened in 1950.

From April 1935 until May 1950, the company was the sponsor for the Fibber McGee & Molly radio show; each episode featured an appearance by pitchman and Johnson representative Harlow Wilcox. To maximize show time, Wilcox was written into the script as a Johnson's-obsessed friend of the McGees (commonly called "Waxy" ) who would show up mid-episode and managed to weave an ad into his lines, often using extremely far-fetched segues for comedic effect. Common products advertised on the show were Johnson's Wax, Johnson's Glo-Coat, and Johnson's Car-Nu.

In 1984, Cornell University renamed its business school the S.C. Johnson Graduate School of Management in recognition of the Johnson family's long generosity to that institution.

In 1992, the company bought Drackett, manufacturer of Windex, Drano and other specialty cleaning products. In 1997 S.C. Johnson expanded its roster of consumer brands when it purchased Dow Chemical's DowBrands division, which included Ziploc, Saran, fantastik, Glass Plus, Scrubbing Bubbles, and Spray 'n Wash. The company received approval for the deal in 1998 from the Federal Trade Commission by agreeing to sell Glass Plus and Spray 'n Wash to competitor Reckitt Benckiser.

The current Chairman and CEO, Dr. Herbert Fisk Johnson III, is the fifth generation of the Johnson family to lead the company. He succeeds his father, Samuel Curtis Johnson, Jr., who died in May, 2004.

The company was one of three 2006 recipients of the Ron Brown Award for corporate leadership.

From 2005 to 2007, S. C. Johnson & Son has been ranked by Fortune Magazine as one of the top 10 "Companies to Work For" in their annual ranking. In 2007, the company was ranked #7.

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Diversity

In each and every year since 2003, S. C. Johnson & Son has received a perfect 100% rating on the Human Rights Campaign' s annual Corporate Equality Index report. In 2005 and 2006, Working Mothers magazine named the company among the top ten in their annual list of 100 Best Companies for Working Mothers.

Brand names

Among the brands owned by S. C. Johnson & Son are the following:

• Household cleaning and scent products
  • Drāno
  • fantastik
  • Glade and Glade Candle Scents
  • Grab-it
  • Mr. Muscle
  • Oust
  • Pledge
  • Scrubbing Bubbles
  • Shout (brand)
  • Toilet Duck
  • Windex
  • Bayfresh

• Household food storage
  • Saran Wrap
  • Ziploc

• Personal care
  • Edge
  • Skintimate

• Household pest control
  • OFF!
  • Raid
  • Baygon

• Car care
  • Tempo

Competitors

• Clorox
• Colgate-Palmolive
• Henkel
• Procter & Gamble
• Reckitt Benckiser
• Unilever

References

Past CEOs and Presidents: Samuel Curtis Johnson, Sr., founder • Herbert Fisk Johnson, Sr. • Herbert Fisk Johnson, Jr. • Samuel Curtis Johnson, Jr.