Bissell Inc., also known as Bissell Homecare, is an American privately owned

vacuum cleaner A vacuum cleaner, also known simply as a vacuum or a hoover, is a device that causes suction in order to remove dirt from floors, upholstery, draperies, and other surfaces. It is generally electrically driven. The dirt is collected by either a ...

and floor care product manufacturing corporation headquartered in

Walker, Michigan Walker is a city in Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 23,537 at the 2010 census. Walker was originally organized as Walker Township in 1837 and later incorporated as a city in 1962. It is part of the Grand Rapi ...

in Greater Grand Rapids.Street Map
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City of Walker. Retrieved on December 25, 2012. The headquarters of Bissell Inc. are at B4, labeled as "Bissell" The company is the number one manufacturer of floor care products in North America in terms of sales, with 20% marketshare.

History

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 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.

Today

In 2004, the company acquired a license for the

Woolite Woolite is an American brand of laundry detergent and cleaning products owned by the British multinational company Reckitt. The company acquired the Woolite brand when it bought Boyle-Midway from American Home Products / Wyeth in 1990. The comp ...

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 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. They were the title sponsor for the

Bissell Pro Cycling Team Bissell Pro Cycling Team, or simply Bissell, () was an elite men's cycling team registered in the United States as a UCI Continental. The team competed on the USA Cycling National Racing Calendar and the UCI America Tour. The team folded at t ...

. Bissell also has a pet foundation. With every purchase, they donate some percentage to the foundation to save pets, and grant money and assistance to various animal non-profits in all 50 states.

References

External links

Official Bissell website
* {{citation , title=Melville and Anna Bissell , work=The Engines of Our Ingenuity , author=Andrew Boyd , issue=2572 , url=http://www.uh.edu/engines/epi2572.htm , access-date=27 March 2019 , date=2010 Vacuum cleaner manufacturers Manufacturing companies based in Michigan Companies based in Kent County, Michigan American companies established in 1876 Manufacturing companies established in 1876 1876 establishments in Michigan Privately held companies based in Michigan Home appliance manufacturers of the United States American brands Family-owned companies of the United States