Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
Utah has no shortage of business success stories, but you still may not know one of the state's most impressive entrepreneurial journeys – one that began long before technology startups and venture capital became a standard part of the local economy. In fact, the story doesn't even start in this century. Or last.
In 1889, a 15-year-old boy named George A. Steiner purchased a towel delivery route in Lincoln, Nebraska, for $50.80.
More than 135 years later, that modest investment has grown into Alsco Uniforms, one of the world's largest providers of uniform and linen laundry services, headquartered right here in Salt Lake City.
While many business owners recognize the name Alsco Uniforms and the products and services they provide to their facilities, fewer know the story behind how the company started — or how it helped create the modern uniform and linen laundry industry.
A teenage entrepreneur spots an opportunity
Steiner was still in school when he began working a towel route in Lincoln.
Before classes, he would collect soiled towels from local businesses and deliver freshly laundered replacements. Seeing the potential of the business, he purchased the route himself—at age 15.
As demand grew, Steiner recruited his younger brother, Frank, according to Bob Steiner, the great grandson and current CEO of Alsco Uniforms. Together, they expanded beyond towels and began supplying clean aprons to local businesses, creating what many historians, and the prestigious Hohenstein Institute have cited as having invented the uniform and linen laundry industry.
The brothers continuously improved their operation, upgrading from hand-carried deliveries to hand carts and eventually horse-drawn wagons.
More importantly, they recognized a challenge many businesses faced: keeping employee uniforms, floor mats, towels, aprons, and table linens clean without dedicating valuable time and resources to laundering them in-house.
That simple insight became the foundation of an entirely new industry.
Why Salt Lake City became home
In 1895, Steiner relocated the business to Salt Lake City, believing, as many entrepreneurs still do, that Utah offered stronger economic opportunities and greater potential for growth.
Soon after arriving, he secured his first Utah customer, the Rigby Brother Market on Main Street, and began building what would become the American Linen Supply Company, the predecessor to today's Alsco Uniforms.
From those early beginnings, the company expanded throughout North America and eventually around the globe.
Today, Alsco Uniforms serves more than 350,000 customers through more than 180 laundry facilities worldwide and remains headquartered in Salt Lake City.
The company continues to be owned and operated by the Steiner family, now in its fifth generation of leadership.
Building a business by doing laundry
At its core, Alsco Uniforms still provides the same value proposition to businesses that helped George Steiner succeed more than a century ago: helping businesses stay clean, professional and safe.
Today, the company provides professionally managed uniform and linen rental programs for businesses across industries including healthcare, hospitality, manufacturing, automotive, restaurants and retail. Services include employee uniforms, towels, table linens, aprons, floor mats, mops, restroom supplies and first aid products, all for a low weekly rental fee.
For many businesses, managing these services on their own is a hassle and takes away from the time they can be focused on their own customers .
Businesses can outsource uniform and linen management while ensuring employees always have clean, professionally maintained apparel and linens.
Every week, an Alsco Uniforms Route Sales Representative delivers fresh products, replenishes inventory, and collects soiled items—all at your location—so your team can focus on what matters most.
"It Pays To Keep Clean" remains one of the company's core service commitments, allowing businesses to leave the laundry to Alsco Uniforms while they focus on their customers.
Industry pioneers serve the community
Throughout its history, Alsco Uniforms has played a significant role in shaping industry standards.
Most people have unknowingly used the company's products while visiting their favorite businesses.
Whether dining with a linen napkin, walking across an entrance floor mat, or washing their hands with soap from a stocked dispenser, millions of people in Utah and across North America benefit every day from the products and services Alsco Uniforms provides to businesses.
Businesses and their guests are cleaner and safer because of the entrepreneurial risks that early industry pioneers like George Steiner took when he bought a small towel route back in 1889.
Lessons for today's business owners
George Steiner's story resonates because it highlights principles that remain relevant for entrepreneurs and business owners today.
He identified a recurring problem, created a service-based solution and focused on reliability. Rather than selling a product once, he built a business around helping customers solve an ongoing operational need.
That same philosophy continues to guide Alsco Uniforms more than 135 years later.
Businesses today face many of the same challenges their predecessors encountered: maintaining professional appearances, ensuring hygiene and cleanliness, managing employee uniforms and controlling operational costs.
By managing uniform and linen programs, Alsco Uniforms empowers organizations to focus on serving their own customers instead of managing inventories and laundry operations.
For Utah business owners, the company's history serves as a reminder that some of the world's most successful enterprises begin with simple ideas, consistent service and a commitment to solving real problems.
That's how a $50 towel route purchased by a 15-year-old entrepreneur became one of Utah's longest-running success stories.
To learn more about how Alsco Uniforms can help your business, visit Alsco Uniforms.
