Where it all began

1919

Where it all began

Organized Living history goes back over 100 years. In 1919, George Schulte started producing top-quality solid brass faucets and plumbing fixtures under the name The Schulte Brass Company. He started the business with his brother in their father’s garage in Norwood, Ohio, a suburb of Cincinnati. George saw a need in the market for higher-quality plumbing products to satisfy his customer's needs. It all started with innovation and a focus on providing high-quality products. The manufacturing effort born in that garage in Norwood, Ohio was the beginning of what is today one of the largest closet and storage manufacturers in the country. 

1930s

Era of Invention

The 1930s began our history of inventing and patenting products and establishing new markets for the company. At the end of prohibition, George Schulte invented and patented a unique ice crusher. He took the established business of chrome plating household items and saw an opportunity to get into a booming market.

1930s

Depression Hits

During the Great Depression, George sought new opportunities to grow the business. He developed the very first line of chrome and brass bathroom accessories. Today George Schulte would be called a market maker as chrome bathroom accessories became the new standard over traditional tile-matched fixtures. Throughout our history, Organized Living is always one step ahead of market demands.

1930s

Metal Casting Experts

By the mid-1930s, the company was recognized as an industry-leader and established itself as an expert in metal plating and casting. Schulte expanded into contract plating, making parts for many companies throughout Greater Cincinnati. This growth required opening a new factory. At Organized Living, we continue our success in building winning partnerships established from our inception.

1940s

World War II

During WWII, our expertise in corrosion resistant plating became essential to the American war effort. Schulte Brass and its employees did their part, converting the majority of the factory to machine parts for military aircrafts. In every challenge, history has presented, Organized Living remains true to its core values: Do the right thing; act with passion; build winning partnerships; think long term; learn, grow, change, excel.

1950s

Investing in the Future

Post WWII, Schulte got back to business, building a new factory in Oakley, Ohio. This expansion focused on the growing market of bathroom accessories and contract plating. We not only expanded manufacturing capability but also modernized operations.

1960s

New Leadership

In the 1960s, Elmer Kokenge married into the family business and took over as the second president of The Schulte Brass Company. The company’s reputation for quality manufacturing and innovation grew under this new leadership. By passing the baton to his son-in-law Elmer, George Schulte began our legacy of being a family-owned business. Organized Living today continues as a professionally run, privately held company.

1960s

Expand into New Markets

In this new Era, Schulte developed cutting-edge manufacturing and plating methods. Including establishing the very first fully automatic plating lines. Schulte's unmatched quality plating meant our products were resistant to wear and corrosion. Many luxury brand manufacturers sought out Schulte to plate their most vital parts. Organized Living's commitment to providing the best solution for our partners is demonstrated throughout our history and continues today.

1970s

A New Era

The 1970s brought about a whole new era of metal finishing, with the introduction of epoxy powder coating. It is no surprise that Schulte led the industry in developing methods to produce epoxy powder coated metal finishes. Soon, Schulte was coating parts for most of the major faucet manufacturers of the time. This addition brought about expansion and another manufacturing facility was built in Blue Ash, Ohio.

1970s

A Revolution in Shelving

Elmer saw an opportunity to elevate the business into a new market. He stripped the vinyl coated shelving in his condo and re-coated it in epoxy powder coating. His neighbors all wanted in on this upgraded solution.

We were the first company to use epoxy powder coating on shelving. In 1976, the company launched its ventilated shelving line of products.

1980s

Booming Business

In the 1980s it became clear storage and organization was a booming industry. We established a nationwide network of installing Dealers. In 1986, we expanded manufacturing into Bloomington, Indiana to meet this demand. Our predominant manufacturing still takes place in Bloomington to this day. In the late 80s, our focus on powder epoxy coating had become the green standard. We divested completely from our metal plating business.

1990s

Corporate Values

John Kokenge became the third president of SCHULTE in 1995. As now a third-generation family business, he saw the need for a more focused approach. John captured the company’s long-standing vision and values that had made it a success for over 75 years. The establishment of these corporate values propelled the culture from a family-owned business to the privately-owned professional organization that Organized Living is today.

1990s

Enriching our Breadth of Products

In 1995, we produced our first line of built-in wood shelving. We listened to our customers, who wanted high-quality wood storage options and expanded our breadth of products by making several acquisitions. These strategic initiatives were a success! Our built-in wood shelving systems exist today as our Select® and Classica™ product lines.

1990s

Vertical Integration

As technology changed, we saw an opportunity to make customized storage easier for every customer we serve. Organized Living's vertical integration strategy into software development allows us to provide the most cutting-edge technology solutions for our industry. Our industry-leading software makes closets easy from design to installation. Technology continues to play an important role in Organized Living's operations today.

1996

Flagship Product

In 1996 with the invention of freedomRail®, Schulte was the first to combine wood and metal to create the complete and adjustable storage system. The OBox accessories create high-end functionality to fit every customer’s needs. Today, freedomRail is Organized Living’s flagship product line, the number one quality leader on the market.

2000s

The 680,000 Square Foot Plant

In 2004, we had outgrown our manufacturing facility for the fifth time. We consolidated all US manufacturing into one, state-of-the-art facility. The company purchased the largest building in Bloomington, Indiana over 680,000 square feet. Today we continue to manufacture and distribute from our plant in Bloomington as well as other facilities globally.

2013

New Corporate Name

With almost a century in the business, by 2012 we recognized the need to establish one unified brand to convey not only our history but the future vision of the organization. Organized Living became our new corporate name.

Today Organized Living is the largest privately held company in the storage and organization industry.

2016

Making Closets Easy

We continued our focus on software solutions in storage and organization. We recognized there was an opportunity to do more for our Dealers and help with their needs beyond supplying shelving. In 2016, we developed proprietary software that provides 3D renders of upgrade closet options. This makes closet selections easy for the homeowner and makes selling closet upgrades simple for our Market Members.

2019

Traditional Built-In Storage

In 2019 Organized Living launched Select^®, combining modern technology innovations with traditional built-in style. Accessories maximize form and function to make the most of the closet space. With Select, we saw an opportunity in the market for a built-in closet solution that streamlines design and installation. Our proprietary hardware and process improvements make Select an ideal choice for both homeowners and our Market Members.

2019

100 Year Anniversary

In 2019, Organized Living celebrated 100 years of business success. With all product and software innovations, we prioritize integration to benefit our partner Dealers. As a global manufacturer, our corporate headquarters remain today in Cincinnati, Ohio, less than 10 miles from where it all began in 1919.

2021

The New Standard

With the launch of VUE®, Organized Living completes its full breadth of product offerings. VUE is the strongest fixed wood shelving system on the market. We set a new standard for Builders to offer to their homebuyers. VUE offers a sleek look with no exposed hardware and patent-pending gap-free installation. With our industry-leading product lines and workflow software tools, Organized Living serves our Market Members with excellence.

2023

Award Winning Partnerships

Organized Living partners with Bid360^® to launch the first-ever bid and project management tool for closets in the Multifamily and Single Family industries! With Bid360 Dealers will now be able to work smarter, collaborate better, and install faster with the only complete construction project workflow software for closet shelving.

Today

Today Organized Living is America’s brand of choice for home storage and organization.

We are proud to have shaped the building materials industry, manufacturing quality products for over 100 years. The business principles that made us successful in 1919, continue to guide Organized Living. One garage in Norwood laid the foundation for what today ranks as the largest privately held storage and organization company in the country.