 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Leather tannery |
| Founded | Chicago, Illinois (1905) |
| Founder | Isadore Horween |
| Headquarters | 2015 North Elston Avenue, Chicago, Illinois , United States |
| Revenue | $25 million (2012)[1][2] |
Number of employees | 160 (2012)[2] |
| Website | www |
Horween Leather Company is an American company specializing in the manufacturing and refining of leather and related products. It is one of the oldest continuously running tanneries in the United States of America. Since its founding in the early 20th century it has been located in Chicago.[2][3][4][5][6]
Isadore Horween founded the company in 1905, and worked in it until 1949. His two sons, Arnold Horween (chairman and president; 1949–84) and Ralph Horween, became executives of the company and worked in it after their careers as All American football players for the Harvard Crimson, and playing in the National Football League.
Arnold's son Arnold Horween Jr. worked with it from 1953 to 2003, and his son Arnold "Skip" Horween III has worked with it since 1972. The fifth generation of Horweens, Nicholas (Nick) Arnold Horween, has worked at the company since 2009.
Horween Leather Company offers an array of tannages using primarily cowhide and horsehide, and also using smaller quantities of calf and bison hides. Its leather is used in a number of products including sports equipment, sports and casual footwear, bags, wallets, briefcases, belts, coats, jackets, and other apparel and accessories.[7] It is known for its production of Shell Cordovan (the Chicago Tribune called it the "Cordovan capital of the world"), professional football leather, and Chromexcel, among other leathers.[4][8] It is the exclusive supplier of leather for National Football League footballs, and also supplies the leather that is used for National Basketball Association basketballs.
Horween Leather Company is located in a five-story block-long factory at 2015 North Elston Avenue, at Ashland Avenue near the Chicago River.
- ^ Howard Wolinsky (May 16, 2008). "Horween Leather Faces an Uncertain Future". Business Week. Archived from the original on July 8, 2012. Retrieved March 26, 2013.
- ^ a b c Schneider, Sven Raphael (March 21, 2012). "Horween Leather Company Chicago". Gentleman's Gazette. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
- ^ Tom Gavin (January 12, 2013). "Welcome to the Time Machine; Tom Gavin Visits Horween Leather Co". Haberdashmen.com. Archived from the original on May 13, 2013. Retrieved March 28, 2013.
- ^ a b Rolek, Barbara (October 27, 2003). "Horween's leather bound by tradition". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on May 13, 2013. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
- ^ Wolinsky, Howard (May 16, 2008). "Horween Leather Faces an Uncertain Future". Business Week. Archived from the original on May 18, 2008.
- ^ Nuzum, Thomas (September 30, 1954). "'Pigskin' They're Kicking is Cow". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on April 11, 2013. Retrieved March 26, 2013.
- ^ Horween Leather Company. encyclopedia.com. Archived from the original on July 18, 2013. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
- ^ Arena, Stephanie (December 8, 1991). "Leather Land: At Horween Tannery, Cordovan has Been King for 86 Years". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on October 2, 2019. Retrieved October 1, 2019.