Misson & History

Mission

At Dexter Services, our mission is to provide integrated equipment and service solutions, with customer focus.  In short, we want to be a trusted and highly valued resource for our customers.  As such, we strive to deliver a diversified portfolio of products and services, unmatched in quality and value, through a team of professional, responsive and dedicated employee owners.

History

The Dexter Apache Holdings (Dexter Services parent company) legacy began with an ambitious young inventor named W.H. George.  In the late 1800s as washing machines began to gain popularity, Mr. George decided that he could improve on the existing designs and capabilities.  He quickly built several hand-powered washer models, and the business began to grow in both size and prestige.  The Dexter Company was formed in 1894 and began manufacturing wringer washers for the general public. 

In 1912, as the business operations outgrew the original factory, the company was relocated to Fairfield, Iowa, where the Dexter Laundry headquarters, and manufacturing operations remain to this day.  Since then, manufacturing operations have expanded beyond laundry to include additional manufacturing, financing, distribution and vended laundry channels.

In 1987, the employees of Dexter purchased the company through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan.  Over proceeding years, the employee ownership facilitated growth through acquisitions.  Our first acquisition occurred in 2000, when both Century Laundry Distributing and Dexter Financial Services were acquired.  In 2006, Apache Stainless was acquired and Dexter Apache Holdings, Inc. was formed.  We grew again in 2008 with the acquisition of Leer, and in 2011 when Crystal Group was added to the portfolio.

In 2018, Dexter Services was formed to serve as the holding company for our various service-oriented businesses, which are primarily focused on serving multiple segments of the commercial laundry market.  While assembled under the Dexter Services umbrella in 2018, several of our portfolio companies have a long history and rich tradition, with Century Laundry Distributing dating back to 1961. 

By diversifying our business interests and applying the Dexter Apache culture, we’ve made ourselves a leader in the industries that we’ve entered.  Our employee owned business structure has allowed us to succeed while providing our customers with a high level of customer service and satisfaction that’s not found at most businesses today.  Contact us to find out how our employee owners can help you.