Suppliers: Old Toledo's New Brand
This longtime apparel maker aims to stand out in the high-viz market.
Some first-time STAFDA Trade Show exhibitors are young companies just starting out. Others, like Old Toledo Brands, which will occupy booths 410-412 at this year’s Trade Show in San Antonio, have been in the business a very long time. With more than 40 years in the apparel business, Old Toledo Brands produces rugged work wear for private label customers including Sears Craftsman, Grainger, Blain’s Farm & Fleet, Mills Fleet Farm, Cabela’s and Boston Industrial Tools.
Old Toledo Brands also markets its own brand of Utility Pro work wear, a comprehensive line of high-quality work wear and high-visibility safety-wear that incorporates numerous durability features and high-tech materials including DuPont Teflon Stain Protector.
“We are one of the largest users of DuPont’s Teflon Stain Protector,” states Dave Rosenbluth, vice president of sales for Old Toledo Brands. “The fabric protector is introduced to the fabric at the creation of the yarn and forms a molecular barrier around each individual fiber. This barrier does not change the color or feel of the garment. For end-users this means that the high visibility garment stays safer, longer because the stain protector keeps the garment cleaner longer. Dirt, grease, oil and water are all repelled and the wearer has a higher level of visibility for a longer period of time. This also results in fewer re-orders of these garments, which helps to reduce costs.
“Our general work wear line also uses DuPont Teflon Stain Protector, which adds life to a garment that normally is lucky to last one season of use.”
Old Toledo’s Utility Pro Wear brand of work apparel is made up of three categories: ANSI certified high visibility garments, general work wear apparel and a new flame retardant line of clothing. The Utility Pro Wear high-visibility work wear line ranges from tear-away vests to tee shirts, pullovers, jackets, pants and parkas. These items also feature DuPont Teflon Stain Protector, which increases the effectiveness and lifespan of the product.
“Additionally, we are a leader in innovation,” Rosenbluth adds. “Two examples of that are our use of a Polymide Soft Shell for many of our high-visibility outerwear garments and our introduction of ANSI-compliant apparel designed and sized specifically to fit women. With the ever-growing number of women in construction and related fields, we felt it was imperative from a safety standpoint to bring this line to the market place. We were the first to offer the soft shell garments in high visibility and we are the first to offer ANSI-certified apparel for women.”
New products coming this fall include four different ANSI-compliant ladies’ garments: a vest, two soft shell jackets and a winter parka. The company is also introducing a waterproof three-season men’s jacket with a removable liner, a five-point breakaway mesh vest with contrast stripes, and a mesh vest with contrast stripes and a zippered closure. And these are just to name a few.
“We are constantly in product development, collecting feedback from all manner of places to come up with apparel solutions for the working world,” Rosenbluth says. “We design and specify all of the clothing we offer; that means we have a consistency of product from shipment to shipment with no variance in sizing or fit and finish. Our long term alliances with high quality factories, along with our on-site quality control ensure that the product ordered is the product delivered every time.”
Decades of industry prominence have enabled Old Toledo to develop expert in-house design teams, extensive financing options and flexibility, world-class fabric sourcing and buying capabilities, and a global network of retailer-approved certified manufacturing centers. Many of Old Toledo’s appointed factories have earned WRAP (Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production) certification for quality and ethical production facilities.
Rosenbluth also stresses Old Toledo’s well-honed ability to provide custom and private label apparel either for distributors or manufacturers who wish to build their own brands on local construction sites.
“Our belief is in flexibility,” Rosenbluth says. “Our company background as a private-label manufacturer with companies like Sears and Wal-Mart allows us to either offer our own Utility Pro Wear Brand, or work with a distributor/customer to develop a custom private label program. It is about identifying customer needs and desires and fashioning a program that works best for them.”
Today, Old Toledo Brands is focusing on the STAFDA market and is eager to broaden its market share and services in the STAFDA channel.
“We joined STAFDA less than a year ago, and our goal is to become a leader and innovator in work wear apparel, both in high visibility, industry specific and general garments in the STAFDA markets,” Rosenbluth says.
Toward that end, the company is developing new products targeted to the construction trades and is actively building a distributor network. The company is also working with a dozen rep firms.
“The rep firms we are working with are exclusively STAFDA member rep firms,” Rosenbluth says. “Our coverage goes from Vermont down to Northern Florida, the Great Lakes area, the southwest, the Rockies and upper midwest. And we are actively looking for more rep firms to work with in the far west.”
Rosenbluth encourages STAFDA distributors and exhibitors to stop by the Old Toledo Brands booths 410-412 at the STAFDA Trade Show to see the new products and discuss how Old Toledo can become a valuable partner in building sales and brand identity. CS
Interested distributors and industry professionals should contact Dave Rosenbluth at Old Toledo Brands at 646-747-2801; e-mail: dave@oldtoledobrands.com. Visit the Web site at www.oldtoledobrands.com.
CONTRACTOR SUPPLY MAGAZINE
The October/November 2024 of Contractor Supply magazine is here!
Our cover story, A Rewarding Passion - Dale Hahs II, third-generation of Denver's AIS Industrial & Construction Supply, is STAFDA's incoming 2025 president.
A Special STAFDA section featuring a welcome address, an agenda, session previewss by presenters and much more. Also in this issue are our Industry Updates on: Lifting, Moving and Material Handling; Lasers, Levels and Measurement; Hand Tools; Cordless Power Tools; Drill Bits and Cutting Tools; and Toolboxes, Bags and Belts.
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