Our History

Established in 1945, Birdwell Cleaning Products began as a manufacturing source and supplier to the grocery trade exclusively. The first plant was actually a barn located near the Birdwell family home in Keene. E.K. Birdwell, the founder of Birdwell, made the brooms and mops in the evenings and went to "town" to sell the products the next day. "Town" was Dallas and Ft. Worth.

First Plant 1945 - Picture taken in 1991. E.K. Birdwell standing in foreground

By 1955, the company had grown to have several employees and a customer base that required a larger facility. A former broom shop, located on Hwy 67 in Keene was purchased. A small white building in front was used as office space. Located next to this building is a large parking lot, which served as space to park the 18-Wheel Diesel rigs, used to distribute the products in the 70's and 80's.

Plant from 1955 - 1980

The product line increased to include sponges, scrubbers, dustpans, dusters, mop heads, and vacuum bags/belts in 1978. This was about the same time the HUMMINGBIRD logo was designed and adopted as a "Symbol of Quality".

Business continued to grow, especially during the 80's. Once again, the growth created the need for additional space and an old church furniture building was purchased on East 4th Street, in Keene, Texas.

Plant 1980 - 1996. Picture taken in 2003

This location plus four other locations served as home to Birdwell until 1996. Multiple locations were necessary to house the inventory, manufacture, and stage products for shipping. All five locations were probably 50,000 Square Feet. The opportunity to relocate to one facility with 60,000 Square Feet became available in 1996.

Burleson, Texas 1996 - Present

This facility in Burleson has the capacity for growth in the building and surrounding areas. The move has facilitated growth in manufacturing and distribution and we continue to diversify.

Birdwell is a pioneer in "merchandising" broom displays, incorporating other cleaning items, and developing a complete cleaning product section. Rack jobbing and custom displays were included in this program. Direct Store Delivery and Warehouse Programs remain an integral part of the business today. In DSD, we continue to offer the highest level of customer service, and in the Warehouse Programs, the same customer service is reflected in excellent response time and high percentage of complete shipments.

With the experience in the cleaning products industry, the transition to other markets for cleaning supplies was a natural progression. Birdwell expanded manufacturing and now supplies the Hardware, Industrial, and Janitorial markets. The success in the Hardware Market equals the earlier successes enjoyed by Birdwell. Thus the Diamond B was developed with a slogan reflecting all our experience, "Birdwell, a brand you can trust."

Ever responsive to customer needs, Birdwell added "Brandywine", an Equine Product in 2002. We continue to offer variety in several product lines, but we have never substituted quantity for quality.

Birdwell proudly boasts American-made products from the plant located in Burleson, Texas. Birdwell Cleaning Products remains a family-owned and operated corporation. It has grown and expanded in fifty plus years, but did not leave behind the basic principles on which the company was founded.

We are large enough to handle your business, but small enough to treat you as our only customer!