 | |
| Industry | Manufacturing |
|---|---|
| Founded | Ohio (1919) |
| Headquarters | Cincinnati, Ohio |
| Website | http://organizedliving.com/ |
| Industry | Retail |
|---|---|
| Founded | Kansas (1985) |
| Revenue | 
USD Est. $75-100 million in 2004-05
[1] |
Number of employees | ~1000 in 2004-05 [2] |
Organized Living, formerly known as Schulte Corp., [3] is a company that manufactures storage and organization products for the home, sold through independent dealers in the United States and Canada. [4] Prior to 2007, Organized Living was a specialty retail chain in the United States that sold storage solutions for home and office.
In 1985, Mark Ferrel founded the company as Containers Unlimited, in Kansas, [1] [2] with its first location in Overland Park. [5] In 1993, the then-two store chain changed its name from Containers and More to Organized Living. [6] By mid-1996, the chain had three stores (the original location plus two others in St. Louis) and next expanded by adding two stores in Las Vegas, in early 1997. [5] As it grew, the company consciously decided to focus expansion on markets not already served by The Container Store, its primary competitor. [7] As of mid-2000, the chain had grown to 11 stores. [8]
The store eventually grew to 25 stores before filing for bankruptcy in 2005, after planned financing did not come to fruition. [9] [1] After private equity firm Saunders Karp & Megrue bought a majority stake in the company, [2] the former head of Bath & Body Works, Beth Pritchard, was hired in January 2004 to grow the chain into a national presence. [10] Pritchard also moved the company's headquarters from Lenexa, Kansas, in the Kansas City area, to Westerville, Ohio, near Columbus. [1] Pritchard was released in May 2005 during the bankruptcy proceedings. [11] Pritchard cited changes in Saunder Karp's commitment to finance growth as the cause of the collapse. [2]
Schulte Corp., one of the company's biggest creditors, obtained rights to the Organized Living name in the bankruptcy proceedings, and operated OrganizedLiving.com as an online retailer through 2012. [12] On January 1, 2013, Schulte Corp. changed its corporate name to Organized Living and relaunched OrganizedLiving.com as its new website.[ citation needed]
- ^ a b c d Goins, Tony (June 24, 2005). "Organized Living liquidating stores". Columbus Business First. Retrieved Oct 26, 2009.
- ^ a b c d Buchanan, Doug (July 1, 2005). "'Sad deal' as Organized Living fails". Columbus Business First. Retrieved Oct 26, 2009.
- ^ "What's in a name? For this brand, everything". Cincinnati Enquirer. Archived from the original on 16 April 2014. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
- ^ "About Us". OrganizedLiving.com. Archived from the original on 16 April 2014. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
- ^ a b "Organized Living goes west (expanding in Las Vegas, Nevada)". HFN. June 24, 1996. Retrieved Oct 27, 2009.[ dead link]
- ^ "Business Plus, Bulletin Board". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. January 11, 1993. Retrieved October 26, 2009.
- ^ "Organized Living Stresses Solutions". HFN. September 21, 1998. Retrieved October 27, 2009.[ dead link]
- ^ "Upscale Organized Living opening at The Summit". Birmingham Business Journal. June 9, 2000. Archived from the original on August 16, 2016. Retrieved Oct 26, 2009.
- ^ "Organized Living Chapter 11 Petition" (PDF). PacerMonitor. Retrieved 7 June 2016.
- ^ "Organized Living names new CEO". Kansas City Business Journal. January 16, 2004. Retrieved October 26, 2009.
- ^ Goins, Tony (May 16, 2005). "Organized Living cuts chief in Chapter 11". Columbus Business First. Retrieved October 26, 2009.
- ^ "Firm shelves brass pipes for Organized Living chain". Business Courier of Cincinnati. March 30, 2007. Retrieved Oct 26, 2009.
|
| |
| Industry | Manufacturing |
|---|---|
| Founded | Ohio (1919) |
| Headquarters | Cincinnati, Ohio |
| Website | http://organizedliving.com/ |
| Industry | Retail |
|---|---|
| Founded | Kansas (1985) |
| Revenue |
USD Est. $75-100 million in 2004-05
[1] |
Number of employees | ~1000 in 2004-05 [2] |
Organized Living, formerly known as Schulte Corp., [3] is a company that manufactures storage and organization products for the home, sold through independent dealers in the United States and Canada. [4] Prior to 2007, Organized Living was a specialty retail chain in the United States that sold storage solutions for home and office.
In 1985, Mark Ferrel founded the company as Containers Unlimited, in Kansas, [1] [2] with its first location in Overland Park. [5] In 1993, the then-two store chain changed its name from Containers and More to Organized Living. [6] By mid-1996, the chain had three stores (the original location plus two others in St. Louis) and next expanded by adding two stores in Las Vegas, in early 1997. [5] As it grew, the company consciously decided to focus expansion on markets not already served by The Container Store, its primary competitor. [7] As of mid-2000, the chain had grown to 11 stores. [8]
The store eventually grew to 25 stores before filing for bankruptcy in 2005, after planned financing did not come to fruition. [9] [1] After private equity firm Saunders Karp & Megrue bought a majority stake in the company, [2] the former head of Bath & Body Works, Beth Pritchard, was hired in January 2004 to grow the chain into a national presence. [10] Pritchard also moved the company's headquarters from Lenexa, Kansas, in the Kansas City area, to Westerville, Ohio, near Columbus. [1] Pritchard was released in May 2005 during the bankruptcy proceedings. [11] Pritchard cited changes in Saunder Karp's commitment to finance growth as the cause of the collapse. [2]
Schulte Corp., one of the company's biggest creditors, obtained rights to the Organized Living name in the bankruptcy proceedings, and operated OrganizedLiving.com as an online retailer through 2012. [12] On January 1, 2013, Schulte Corp. changed its corporate name to Organized Living and relaunched OrganizedLiving.com as its new website.[ citation needed]
- ^ a b c d Goins, Tony (June 24, 2005). "Organized Living liquidating stores". Columbus Business First. Retrieved Oct 26, 2009.
- ^ a b c d Buchanan, Doug (July 1, 2005). "'Sad deal' as Organized Living fails". Columbus Business First. Retrieved Oct 26, 2009.
- ^ "What's in a name? For this brand, everything". Cincinnati Enquirer. Archived from the original on 16 April 2014. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
- ^ "About Us". OrganizedLiving.com. Archived from the original on 16 April 2014. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
- ^ a b "Organized Living goes west (expanding in Las Vegas, Nevada)". HFN. June 24, 1996. Retrieved Oct 27, 2009.[ dead link]
- ^ "Business Plus, Bulletin Board". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. January 11, 1993. Retrieved October 26, 2009.
- ^ "Organized Living Stresses Solutions". HFN. September 21, 1998. Retrieved October 27, 2009.[ dead link]
- ^ "Upscale Organized Living opening at The Summit". Birmingham Business Journal. June 9, 2000. Archived from the original on August 16, 2016. Retrieved Oct 26, 2009.
- ^ "Organized Living Chapter 11 Petition" (PDF). PacerMonitor. Retrieved 7 June 2016.
- ^ "Organized Living names new CEO". Kansas City Business Journal. January 16, 2004. Retrieved October 26, 2009.
- ^ Goins, Tony (May 16, 2005). "Organized Living cuts chief in Chapter 11". Columbus Business First. Retrieved October 26, 2009.
- ^ "Firm shelves brass pipes for Organized Living chain". Business Courier of Cincinnati. March 30, 2007. Retrieved Oct 26, 2009.