Rowmark Europe

The Rowmark story begins with a vision. In 1987, Fred Kremer, the CEO of Hancor Inc., a drainage pipe manufacturer located in Findlay, Ohio, had a vision. Fred saw a growing need for extruded sheet materials in the engraving market. He established a working relationship with Don and Audrey Morrison of Rowland, Incorporated in New Berlin, Connecticut. With this partnership in place, he acquired a plastic sheet extrusion line and formed the Hancor Sheet Division.

In 1993, Fred purchased the sole sales and marketing rights for the awards and engraving market from Rowland. He created a new company, established as a separate division of Hancor, and named it Rowmark. With a strong domestic presence, Rowmark set its sights on the growing international market. In 1996, Rowmark established a distribution warehouse in the Netherlands to respond to increasing European sales. Rowmark was on its way to becoming the worldwide leader in extruded sheet materials for the engraving market. In 1997, Fred came to a crossroads. He had a greater vision for what Rowmark could become. In a display of unwavering belief in the employees of Rowmark and its growth potential, Fred resigned his position as CEO of Hancor and purchased Rowmark outright from Hancor in October that year.

In addition, he purchased a building for Rowmark in the nearby Findlay Tall Timbers Industrial Park. This new, state-of-the-art facility would give Rowmark the room it needed to grow and prosper. Until the building was complete, Rowmark would continue to share facilities with Hancor.