Mr. Elmer Rich may not be the household name of the company he turned into an iconic brand, but he was the driving force behind it.  Born in 1910, the Simoniz brand is an American icon and, notably, the world’s oldest and most recognized car appearance brand that shaped and revolutionized the car care, home care, and commercial and industrial markets in the United States and worldwide.  The Simoniz® Company came into being as the first American car wax company in 1911.  Its formation was made possible by George Simons, who developed a cleaner and a carnauba wax product for car finishes, and Elmer Rich of the Great Norther Railway when they organized Simons Manufacturing Co.  Their products were named Simon’s Cleaner and Simon’s Paste Wax.

In 1912, Mr. Elmer Rich and his brother, R.J. Rich, acquired full ownership of the company.  They changed the name of the firm to Simoniz® Company and located the first office and back room factory at 2121 Michigan Avenue in Chicago, a judicious choice because, at the time, Michigan Avenue was Automobile Row.

A believer in the power of advertising, Mr. Rich created what was to become one of the world’s best-known slogans: “Motorists Wise, Simoniz®.”  When radio attained prominence, Simoniz® was quick to take advantage of the novel opportunities afforded by the new medium, and “Motorists Wise, Simoniz®,” was popularized by continuous radio broadcast advertising.  His efforts essentially founded an industry.  It was known as Simonizing back then, but we would know it as detailing today. 

For the next 40 years, Simoniz® was the #1 car wax company in the world.  It was during 1957 that Vista One-Step Cleaner/Was entered the market.  Considered the first of its kind, this innovation is still a staple of the industry today.  Combining a cleaner and wax in one product, Vista made it possible for car owners to get the unequaled benefits of both Simioniz® Kleener and Simoniz® Wax in a single step. 

An Institutional Division was officially organized in 1954.  This division offered a complete line of floor waxes, finishes, polishes, cleaners, and sponges that were formulated and packaged expressly for business and public large-volume users.

In 1965, Morton International purchased the controlling interest in Simoniz® Company.  By this time Mr. Rich had made the term “Simonizing” part of the public Lexicon, as a means to wax one’s car.  So much so, it entered into Webster’s Dictionary and is defined as “to polish with or as if with wax” – in essence, it is the very definition of car care.  His advertising efforts made the brand itself iconic, with it getting mention in plays like Death of a Salesman, movies like A Christmas Story and advertised using celebrities such as the Three Stooges.

It was Elmer Rich that turned Simoniz® into an American Icon.