Akron, OH
330.255.6000
www.gojo.com

Sales: $140 million (estimated).
 
Key Personnel: Joe Kanfer, chief executive officer; Mark S. Lerner, president and chief operating officer; Scott Levin, chief financial officer and chief administrative vice president; Tim Dye, Gojo International Business Group Vice President; Steve Schultz, Gojo North American Business President and COO.
 
Major Products: Purell Advanced Hand Sanitizer Gojo, Provon, Micrell.

New Products: Smartlink, Activity Monitoring System, Purell Advanced Green Certified Instant Hand Sanitizer.
 
Comments: Founded in 1946, Gojo Industries, Inc. was created by the ingenuity, inventiveness and compassion of Goldie and Jerry Lippman. Goldie Lippman worked at a rubber factory during World War II and after a hard day’s work, it was nearly impossible for her and her co-workers to remove the graphite, tar and carbon black from their hands without irritation. This set Jerry Lippman on a quest to find a safer, gentler solution. Jerry collaborated with Professor Clarence Cook from Kent State University and together, they invented a hand cleaner that cut through the tough soils, safely removing the soil from hands. Today, Gojo remains a privately-held, family-owned company with Jerry’s nephew Joe Kanfer serving as Chief Executive Officer.

The Lippman mission to get dirty hands clean without damaging the skin has greatly evolved over the past six decades. With a team of microbiologists, research and development professionals, Gojo expanded into specialized markets like healthcare and foodservice in the 1990s. A complete line of products for healthcare was introduced under the Provon brand name..
 
Creation of Purell hand sanitizer was sparked when a fast-food chain started to face legal action when food borne illness cases were traced to hand-spread germs. At the same time, healthcare associated infections (HAI) were identified as a significant risk in hospitals and long-term care facilities. Concern grew over how to clean hands when soap and water were unavailable. Gojo scientists developed the solution and invented  Purell Instant Hand Sanitizer.
 
Gojo has recently been introducing some of the most revolutionary products in the monitoring and detection of hand hygiene compliance in hospitals and other health care facilities. The new Smartlink Activity Monitoring System is just one of these technologies. As a wireless system, the Smartlink technology collects data and analyzes the actual number of hand hygiene opportunities compared to the actual dispenses of hand hygiene products, including both soap and hand sanitizer. The data helps hospital execs uncover high and low compliance areas so they can provide the appropriate support to improve and sustain hand hygiene compliance. Gojo also leads the way in the development of hand sanitizer formulations that are ecologically friendly while still just as effective at killing germs. In fact, the new Purell Advanced Green Certified Hand Sanitizer is the only green-certified hand sanitizer to meet FDA germ kill requirements with a single 1.2mL dispense. The 100% naturally renewable ethanol is made with a biodegradable formulation that is free of fragrance and dye.

“Companies pursuing aggressive sustainability objectives find this certified product to be an effective hand sanitizer that helps promote the well-being of people and the planet,” said Nicole Koharik, the global sustainability marketing director of Purell. It is available in gel or foam form.
 
Gojo continues to evolve the science of skin care with new forms of technology. It has created new forms of hand hygiene products, such as hand sanitizer foam, gel and wipes. Gojo has also created innovative dispensing solutions: touch-free, counter-mount and wall-mount systems, freestanding hand hygiene stations and personal, wearable dispensing systems.