With a winning combination of high quality, innovative new maintenance products and strong customer service, the company grew quickly.  As the company continued to grow, N.S. called on his children to help him keep up with the demand for Hillyard products.

With the help of his family, N.S. took on a new, uncharted area of maintenance…wood gym floors.  Determined to develop the best products, in 1920, N.S. erected a new plant and office building in St. Joseph that then housed the largest wood gymnasium floor west of the Mississippi River.  He used it as a test site to perfect new wood gym seals and finishes.  N.S. organized a company basketball team that, in the Hillyard tradition, was the best.  They became the national A.A.U. champions for two years straight and earned Hillyard a special exhibit in the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts.  To find out more about Hillyard’s Basketball Heritage, simply click here.

N.S.’s accomplishments and ambitions did not stop with basketball.  He went on to develop over 100 patented products and formulations, pioneered custodial training, and, along with his descendents, helped propel the Hillyard Companies to a leadership position in the maintenance industry.

Hillyard’s Value Proposition is to understand our customers’ changing needs, deliver effective solutions, and continuously support our customers with the right services and products.  Providing one-stop shopping effectively reduces our customers’ overall cost of procurement.  Building on our strengths as a world-class manufacturer, Hillyard has evolved and grown into one of North America’s largest distributors of cleaning equipment and supplies. 

Recognizing our customers’ desire for a quality, value-added local resource for all their cleaning supplies, Hillyard has successfully partnered with, as well as acquired, local and regional janitorial supply distributors across the country.   Hillyard customers today can take advantage of a single source for all their cleaning needs.  To find the name and location of your authorized Hillyard distributor, simply click here.

Our unique position in the industry as a manufacturer and distributor is truly a differentiator. This gives us a tremendous competitive advantage. It puts us one step closer to our end-users, plus it helps us better understand the challenges of our other partner distributors since we operate our own.

In addition, our unique position allows Hillyard branch sales consultants to provide technical information firsthand, as “the manufacturer” of the cleaning products we sell.  Unlike most all the other Jan/San distributors, a Hillyard branch can speak both as a distributor AND a manufacturer.

Our Vision is to build a distribution network focused on key market segments with the goal of providing unique services and products to optimize our customers’ cleaning resources.  We continue to strengthen our distribution base, adding the best independent distributors, as well as making strategic acquisitions that provide geographic and market share growth for Hillyard products.  We want to be recognized as THE Cleaning Resource by our customers.

Our comprehensive sales approach calls for assessing our customers’ current operations, identifying possible improvements, analyzing cleaning frequencies, and standardizing tasks, cleaning supplies, and equipment.  In the spirit of upholding our reputation of being the best at troubleshooting, consulting, training, and problem solving, we will continue to provide enhanced services to our customers, from product selection and equipment repair, to assistance in safety issues, staffing, and controlling total cleaning costs.

Hillyard continues to pioneer research and development efforts that have made us a dominant force in the creation of innovative cleaning products.  Quality is our hallmark, and our products are utilized by countless facilities across a wide variety of market segments.  Our products are developed to support cost-effective maintenance programs.  Each program utilizes state-of-the-art equipment and procedures designed to minimize labor and maintenance costs, while enhancing the appearance of our customers’ facilities.

Our national distribution network allows us to make available thousands of products for immediate shipment.  We are a major distributor for some of the largest equipment, paper, and supply manufacturers in the industry…name brands you know and trust, like Nilfisk-Advance, Windsor, Tennant, Georgia Pacific, SCA, Rubbermaid, and 3M.  From daily use supplies, paper, liners, cleaners, mops, and equipment, to the more sophisticated items like wood floor products, hard floor products, or proportioning equipment, Hillyard customers can take advantage of a single source for all their cleaning needs.

Hillyard service and dedication to our customers have become legendary.  Our goal is to ensure complete customer satisfaction.  Our branches, and many of our partner distributors, offer fast, reliable cleaning equipment service and repair. We also offer “Programmed Maintenance” service to improve productivity, control costs, and lengthen equipment life.  

Hillyard training programs and training support aids are considered by many to be the best in the industry.  We believe a trained staff is a successful staff, and standardization of methods, products, and equipment is critical to your overall success.  No one trains better than Hillyard.

Hillyard’s Cleaning Cost Analysis Program (CCAP) demonstrates our passion for providing customers with the ability to optimize their cleaning resources.  CCAP identifies, defines, and measures labor/staffing costs, cleaning frequencies, standardization of tasks, and proper utilization of supplies and equipment.  It helps our customers balance their maintenance budgets with the cleanliness of their facilities.  Simply click here for additional information on Hillyard’s Cleaning Cost Analysis Program.

Our goal remains a simple one…to be the best.  Wherever there is a need for cleanliness, Hillyard is there to provide the essential services and products.  Our business philosophy is to understand and exceed our customers’ expectations, build long-term relationships, and continuously review and improve our product and service offerings.  As consultants and business planners, our customers think of us as being “on their staff, not their payroll.” 

Facilities large and small have come to rely on Hillyard, not only for the quality products we manufacture, but also for the thousands of other cleaning supplies and equipment we distribute.  Our services and products are utilized by a wide variety of market segments, including education, industrial, commercial, government agencies, retail, hospitality, healthcare, religious, services, contract cleaners, restaurants/clubs, recreation, and transportation.

As proud as we are of our services and products, it’s really our people that have propelled us to where we are today.  Our team of dedicated Hillyard employees, as well as the employees of our independent distributor partners, has succeeded in making Hillyard one of the dominant players in our industry today.  And we believe the key to our continued success is to have the best, highly trained team members, working together, focused on the critical needs of our customers.  Then and only then, can we perform the flawless execution of our plan.

While many firms contend they don’t have time to train, Hillyard takes an opposing view.  We believe Hillyard Team members are our most valuable assets and we will continue to develop our people to steer our business into the future.

Hillyard encourages and supports both personal and professional development of our employees.  We believe that training is not a destination, but a journey. Our training efforts are ongoing and constantly changing. 

Hillyard training programs are offered to all employees, no matter where they live or in what department they work.  Each program is tailored to meet the needs of their respective area.  We’ve even created The University of Hillyard, focused on teaching Hillyard leadership personnel the skills to thrive in the changing environments of our industry. 

Our strategic acquisitions and subsequent overall growth have made available huge opportunities for our employees.  Career ladders have extended at Hillyard, and opportunities for advancement and/or relocation to new acquisition sites are better than ever.  To learn more about Career Opportunities at Hillyard, click here.

Thanks to our employees and our distributors’ employees, we’ve been successful.  It’s really our people that make the difference.  And thanks to our ongoing training efforts, we will continue to strengthen our foundation for the future.

At Hillyard, we define customers as everyone with whom we have contact.  We believe that what we do as individuals within Team Hillyard is a reflection on us all.

Our philosophy is to:

• Understand and exceed customer expectations.

• Build long-term relationships.

• Continuously review and improve our processes, services, and products.

Our goals are to:

• Treat customers with honesty, courtesy, and respect.

• Provide customers with value through competitive, high quality, innovative, environmentally conscious products, services, and training.

• Exemplify the highest levels of communication, cooperation, commitment, and trust.

• Comply with applicable laws and regulations.

• Enhance team profitability.

Hillyard distributors are staffed with highly trained consultants ready to help our customers tackle any maintenance problem.  The Hillyard national distribution network offers customers thousands of maintenance products ready for immediate delivery.  Each distribution point is stocked with quality Hillyard products plus a full line of the daily use supplies including hand soap, air care, floor equipment, mops, buckets, pads, matting, restroom supplies, paper, liners, and waste receptacles.

Each distributor offers inventory control services and equipment repair, as well as on-site training to help customers get the most out of their cleaning resources.  To find the name and location of your authorized Hillyard distributor, simply click here.

Customers at Hillyard branch locations can utilize our e-commerce web site, www.eHillyard.com to make ordering even more convenient. Hillyard B2B allows orders to be placed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  The site delivers powerful search capabilities.  Our online catalog has over 34 categories of products available with pictures, descriptions, and Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) when applicable. MSDS information is also available through our Fax-On-Demand Service  (1-800-365-1555).

Combining our manufacturing strengths with our growth in distribution has made the Hillyard Companies a dominant force in the sanitary supply industry.  We continue to plan for growth and expansion so we can better meet the needs of our customers.

Hillyard’s mission is to be a customer-driven, profitable, growth-oriented leader of quality, innovative maintenance products and programs to the institutional, commercial, and industrial markets.  Hillyard will consistently strive for excellence and to exceed customer expectations by providing superior value-added products and programs, as well as professional service and training, as we fulfill our vision to be recognized as “THE Cleaning Resource”.

American Chemical Society
American Concrete Institute
American Hospital Association
American Industrial Hygiene Association
American Society for Healthcare Environmental Services
American Society for Testing and Materials
Association of Physical Plant Administrators
Association of School Business Officials
Building Services Contractors Association
CSPA Product CareSM - CSPA Product Stewardship Program
Construction Specifications Institute
Environmental Management Association
International Sanitary Supply Association
Maple Flooring Manufacturers Association
Marble Institute of America, Inc.
The Soap and Detergent Association
Missouri Basketball Hall of Fame
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
National Association of Basketball Coaches
National Association of Manufacturers
National Basketball Hall of Fame
National Catholic Educational Exhibitors, Inc.
National Executive Housekeepers Association
National Terrazzo and Mosaic Association
National Tile Contractors Association, Inc.
National Wood Flooring Association