Faultless History

Company Timeline

1886
1887
1891
1901
1902
1904
1931
1951
1960
1962
1964
1965
1968
1971
1976
1987
1992
1997
1998
2000
2001
2002
2004
2007
2008
2009
2020

1886

Major Thomas G. Beaham joins Smith & Moffit.
Beaham & Moffit acquires Faultless Starch from Bosworth Manufacturing.
Bon Ami founded, Manchester, Connecticut.

1887

“Founding year” of current company.

1891

Beaham & Moffit becomes Faultless Starch Company.

1901

Gordon T. Beaham joins Faultless.

1902

Faultless Starch Company incorporates.

1904

Bon Ami is #1 Cleaner in America (‘04-’48)

1931

Gordon T. Beaham, Jr. joins Faultless.

1951

Floods strike manufacturing plant.
Faultless was the first company to restore business after the flood.

1960

Gordon T. Beaham, III joins Faultless.
Faultless introduces Spray-On Starch.

1962

Faultless offers products to U.S. commissaries and exchanges worldwide.

1964

Faultless offers starches and chemicals to commercial laundries.
Faultless introduces Fabric Finish.

1965

Faultless introduces Hot-Iron Cleaner.

1968

Faultless acquires Kleen King metal cleaners.
Faultless introduces Spray Pre-Wash.

1971

Faultless acquires Bon Ami.

1976

Faultless acquires U.S. rights to Garden Weasel.

1987

Company Centennial.
Faultless acquires WeedPopper.

1992

Faultless acquires U.S. rights to Garden Claw.

1997

Faultless acquires Magic Sizing.
Faultless acquires Trapp Private Gardens.

1998

General Alarm Fire threatens Faultless.

2000

Campus plan – to develop the oldest part of Kansas City.
Faultless Starch offers full product line and improved scents.

2001

Register of Historic places.

2002

Campus construction begins.

2004

Complete construction of state-of-art warehouse.

2007

Faultless introduces new environmentally friendly packaging for starch products.

2008

Garden Weasel extends product line.

2009

Trapp Private Gardens launches Evoque.
Completion of historically renovated world headquarters.

2020

Faultless launches ReWear Dry Wash Spray.
Garden Weasel is divested.

Faultless History

Historical Building Photo

Faultless Booklets

Throughout the years of fashion and fabric trends, Faultless has remained the brand that consumers trust to help them look fresh and fabulous. Today’s Faultless package still features the signature star of the early packaging, along with the promise “makes ironing easier.” After acquiring the Niagara and Magic brands, the company now offers a wide variety of fabric care products to respond to the needs of time-crunched households. These include premium starch, heavy starch, sizing ironing spray, lavender or lemon starch, ironing free wrinkle releasers, and new product innovations still in testing and development.

Major Beaham’s first product, dry white starch, earned immediate acceptance among housewives of the late 1880’s because it was simple to use and did not require lengthy boiling. Faultless soon became a household word in the Midwest and Southwest, as women found that the product had many uses other than starching clothes, such as adding an elegant finish to embroidery and lace, treating skin irritations and as both a baby powder and a bath powder. Faultless’ popularity was enhanced, particularly in Texas and the Indian Territory, by the Faultless Starch books attached to the boxes of starch. Salesman John Nesbitt took wagonloads of the books into Texas in the 1890’s and attached them to the Faultless Starch boxes with rubber bands. The books were designed as a supplement or substitute for school texts and primers and many people actually learned to read by reading the thirty-six books that were published from the 1890’s to the 1930’s. The books are still traded on auction web sites. Faultless Starch Books

The original Faultless Starch Company plant was rebuilt after the flood of 1903 in the West Bottoms area of Kansas City. As the company grew and required more space, the plant was expanded at the existing site at 1025 West Eighth Street. In 1968, it was apparent that the business had outgrown its office space within the plant building. The New England Building, constructed in 1887 (the year Faultless was founded) was purchased. The company offices moved into the building at Ninth and Wyandotte Streets in 1978. In 1991, the company moved its offices to the River Market district of Kansas City. It is a colorful, restored river landing district on the banks of the Missouri River. The company moved to its current headquarters in 2009.

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