ISC Companies

Founded in 1939, ISC Companies is committed to delivering customer satisfaction and the greatest overall value offered by an industrial distributor. We can design and manufacture systems tailored to meet the exact requirements of any industrial application. By providing parts, machining, fabrication, electrical panel design, and quality control under one roof, we are able to offer customized solutions that traditional distributors simply cannot match. We want to minimize your project scope by offering the parts you need and the service you expect. Whether you need a simple part or complex assembly, ISC Companies is your one-stop-shop for standard and custom solutions.

Company Vision Statement

ISC Companies strives to be a high-quality, customer-driven solutions provider in the industrial market leveraging our wide range of capabilities. We will pursue sound financial strategies and maintain superior relationships with our customers, suppliers, peers, and competitors while conducting business in an ethical manner. We will have a motivated, dynamic, forward-thinking team that will create, reward, and support an environment fostering personal and professional growth, job fulfillment, and innovative thinking

Always conduct business in an ethical way

Treat customers, employees, suppliers and competitors fairly. Integrity is the only sustainable business strategy.

Value relationships

We value our employees. We value our customers. We have second-generation employees who have inherited and carried on decade-long relationships.

Listen to the customer

Respond to customer needs. We do what we say we are going to do, when we said we would do it.

Keep pace with technology

We live in a fast-paced business environment. As a supplier, we must be on the forefront of technology in serving our customers. We were among the first distributors to use a computer to track inventory and process orders. We still believe that the wise integration of technology can help us serve our customers better.

HISTORY

Becoming the Foremost Distributor of Factory Supplies in the Midwest

In the early 1920’s W.O. Hanson and his partner V.W. Olson started Automotive Service Company in St. Paul, MN. With several years of success in the automotive industry and connections with bearing suppliers, they decided to start another business to serve manufacturing industries in the upper Midwest.

In 1939 they partnered with E.E. Rempher, who had a background in the bearing and power transmission distribution business to form Industrial Supply Company. Their stated vision was to:

“Become the foremost distributor of power transmission equipment and factory supplies in the entire Midwest.”

Their charter was to deliver strong product knowledge and application assistance beyond what was expected and to offer an in-depth local inventory of premier product brands. From the beginning, they adopted the slogan:

“A Drive or Bearing for Every Purpose.”

That slogan became a well-known identifier of Industrial Supply Company in their market area.

They outgrew the original Minneapolis location at 717 South Eighth in 1945 and moved to what would remain the long-standing address of 1100 3rd Avenue South in downtown Minneapolis with several additions to the building along the way. With the passing of V.W. Olson in 1961 and E.E. Rempher in 1975, W.O. Hanson became the sole owner.

Paul Koch joined Industrial Supply in 1960 as a sales representative and became company president in 1977 until his retirement in 1999. The main office moved from downtown to the current location in Plymouth, MN, in 1984. Over the years, the company has grown and diversified and now offers a broad range of products and services.

In 2008, Industrial Supply Company was re-branded and became ISC Companies to reflect the expanded offerings. The business can be defined by three product and service areas that include: bearings and power transmission distribution, machining and fabrication, and sensors and controls. Additional locations include ISC Companies, Inc. in Sioux Falls, SD, and subsidiary Adams-ISC, LLC. in Rapid City, SD, and Williston, ND.