| Type | Private corporation |
|---|---|
| Genre | Home Care |
| Founded | 1883 |
| Founder(s) | Melville Bissell |
| Headquarters | Walker, Michigan |
| Key people | Mark J. Bissell, President |
| Products | Vacuum cleaners and other floorcare products |
| Revenue | $800 million (2008) |
| Employees | 2,500 |
| Divisions | Consumer Services 1-800-237-7691 Mon-Fri: 8am to 10pm ET Sat:9am to 8pm ET |
| Website | http://www.bissell.com/ |
| References: [1][2] | |
Bissell Inc., also known as Bissell Homecare, is a privately owned vacuum cleaner and floor care product manufacturing corporation headquartered in Walker, Michigan, a suburb of Grand Rapids.[3][4] The company is the number one manufacturer of floor care products in North America in terms of sales, with 20% of the marketshare.[5]
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Melville Bissell developed an early carpet sweeping machine to aide 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.[3] By the 1890s the company had an international presence and was producing 1000 sweepers per day.[6]
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.[7]
Over the years the company expanded from manufacturing only mechanical sweepers to producing vacuum cleaners and carpet shampooers.[3]
In 2004 the company purchased the Woolite corporation for $62 million and has also moved into the pet-care industry, manufacturing attachments and solutions designed to clean up pet hair and stains. Whereas many competitors saw sales drop by several percentage points during the economic downturn, Bissell's sales held steady.[2] In the process, they pulled ahead of Hoover, and became number one in terms of sales in North America in 2009.[5]
Bissell Inc. is the title sponsor for the Bissell Pro Cycling Team.[8]