Our History
The Ruwe family has been in the linen business since the early 1900’s, when
Bernard A. Ruwe decided to get into the laundry and linen business. He borrowed five hundred dollars and set up shop in the basement of his home in Cincinnati. George, the oldest of his ten children, helped make deliveries to accounts like Kroger in streetcars. By 1917 they had developed 6 routes and decided to sell out to another company.
Having been withdrawn from school to help support the family, George convinced his father that they should go back in business for themselves. In 1927, they purchased a company called the Hotel Laundry Company and were on their own. The company name was changed to Superior Laundry and Towel Supply Company and was incorporated in Ohio in 1927. In the 1930's they decided to exit the family laundry business and concentrate on textile rental.
The original plant was located across from Crosley Field, which was the home of the Cincinnati Reds. That plant was once put out of business for 26 weeks when the flood of 1937 had it submerged under 80 feet of water. Then, during World War II, they were barely able to stay in business because of labor shortages and rationing of tires, trucks and other supplies. Still, they persevered.
Bernard passed away in the 50's, and George became the sole owner. His oldest son, Jerry, started working in the business as a youngster. In 1960, the plant met with disaster yet again, this time burning to the ground. Jerry was a junior in college and George wasn’t sure if he'd have any continuity. With the help and support of his wife, in just four months they were back in business, operating out of their plant at its present location on Wayne St. in Cincinnati. Jerry joined his father full time after graduation from Notre Dame.
Jerry purchased a portion of the company from his father. Since that time, he has become the sole owner, and now the fifth generation of the family is working for Superior. The business has grown, but the goals and values that have sustained the company through the years haven’t changed, and Superior continues to strive towards its goal of world class quality and service to all its customers. Superior now services the Greater Cincinnati, Columbus, and Dayton markets, northern and central Kentucky including Lexington and Louisville, and parts of southeastern Indiana.