The Sellars Story: 40 Years of History, Innovation & Success

The Sellars story is not only filled with innovation and promise but built on a hardworking and humble foundation. It all started in 1985 in John Sellars’ garage with one innovative product: the Hardliner Mat. John set out to create a revolutionary absorbent product to replace the dusty, messy and heavy kitty litter that was commonly used to soak up oil and fluids. After hard work, long nights and dedication, our newly founded  Sellars company secured our first client, a major Wisconsin-based graphics company, and expanded our absorbent product line with the Super Soaker Sock – designed to wrap around objects and adsorb fluids with the same efficiency as the Hardliner Mat. And we were just getting started. 

John’s brother Bill joined the team in 1986 and by 1987, we moved out of the garage and into our first manufacturing facility in Milwaukee. By keeping a constant pulse on the market, competitors and evolving needs, we identified an opportunity to manufacture superior nonwoven substrate rolls in 1991. Our continued success led to the opening of our second manufacturing facility in 1993. Around this time, competition from another large nonwoven brand entered the market but our smart, nimble team was already two steps ahead.

In 1995, we celebrated 10 years of success and entered a new space—finished goods. Our team worked tirelessly to perfect double re-creped (DRC) technology, aiming to create a more sustainable line of products. With the addition of industry experts Jerry Ballas and Dick Hefford, we became one of only two DRC manufacturers in the world.

We welcomed Tom Sellars as CEO in 1999 and Kathy Huntsinger as head of Human resources in 2002, who both helped to expand our product lines, technologies and talent. Fueling our continued success was the Milwaukee community and the people within it. The city’s strong community college network provided access to top-tier talent that made technologically advanced manufacturing possible. Our DRC machines specifically are one-of-a-kind, which means we needed the best to help keep them running and avoid downtime.

The presence of our finished goods in big box stores grew rapidly, in part thanks to a co-branding agreement with NASCAR from 2002-2008. Sellars established a great relationship during the height of NASCAR's popularity and became the brand of choice for sorbents and shop towels. In 2006, we established our  headquarters in Milwaukee’s Havenwoods neighborhood and forged strong partnerships with major DIY retailers like Home Depot, Menards, Lowes, Walmart, O’Reilly Auto Parts and more.

As the list of retailers and wholesale distributors grew, so did our product offerings. Between 2011 and 2012, Sellars launched the TOOLBOX® Brand of wipers and the DuraSoak® Absorbents line, both utilizing our perfected, patented DRC technology.

To ensure wipers were accessible when and how they were needed, we examined new, innovative put-up options. Thinking outside the box (literally) we developed the patented Big Grip® Dispenser in 2014, which allowed users to keep wipers dry in moist environments while easily bringing them from job to job, mess to mess.

In 2015, we added Mayfair® Towel and Tissue to our diverse product offering, positioning ourselves as a single solution for paper product distributors looking to fill many types of orders.

We leased space for a new distribution center in 2016 and a warehouse in 2018 to keep up with rising demands and keep products moving efficiently.  

Our first consumer product, Bravo, launched in 2023, competing with household paper towel brands while offering a unique advantage. Bravo Paper Towels are the only high performance paper towels made with up to 90% recycled material making them much more sustainable and good for the planet. 

After 40 years, what’s next for Sellars– 50 years, 60 years, 100 years? Only time will tell. What we do know is that we have products our customers need and a world that is prioritizing cleaner, more sustainable options. Combine that with our dedicated team and the right community to foster growth and we’re confident our company will keep moving towards success. Here’s to many, many more years.