A certain birthday is on the horizon for a certain country about to turn the resolute age of 239 years old. We're proud to be an American-made company and thought we'd share our story with you. From the Motor City to Maine, back down into Massachusetts and through Maryland, our stores are in half of these United States and still growing!
From A to Ziebart – The History of Our Company
If you could picture the quintessential, perhaps even quixotic, ‘from nothing to something’ company, it would be ours. Ziebart’s founder, Kurt Ziebart, was an immigrant from Germany that came to this country in the 1950’s with nothing to his name. He had to borrow money just to get his bags from the train depot! He started in Detroit working as a mechanic in an automobile dealership and later started work in a collision shop. It was there that he met Rudy Herman, a future business partner, and began work on a certain sealant used for rust protection.
Initially, people thought the product was a hoax but eventually the product spoke for itself and within weeks the appointment calendar was completely booked. Franchises were opened and the business did so well that it caught the eye of a corrosion expert, Roger Waindle. In 1963, Mr. Waindle expanded the business and grew franchising opportunities around the world. Stores are opened, success becomes imminent and the rest, as they say, is history.
This story speaks to us not because it is our own company, but because it is our own country. Kurt Ziebart was able to sell a business he created even though he had nothing when he started. The history of our company is a lot like the history of our country. Hard working men who had a dream and did all they could to fulfill it.
It truly is awe inspiring. Coming from nothing and making something of yourself is the American dream; and it’s through hard work and dedication that those dreams are realized. Never count yourself out and always give it everything you have. In this great country, you have the freedom to pursue any passion and the right to your own happiness. Always appreciate where you come from and always be proud to be American made!