Many standards and values in business have been handed down over the generations within the Rowell family. Values such as recognizing opportunities in the marketplace, delivering a quality product, honesty, having a concern for our employees' well-being and that of our fellow man have been present in every Rowell business for more than 150 years. These values are still important to us today, and this is why the Rowell name and a relationship with a Rowell company should be important to you.
John S. Rowell (1825-1907) founded the JS Rowell Manufacturing Company in 1855. As a teenager, he apprenticed with his uncle George Rowell in Goshen, Indiana who was making cast iron plows and selling them to the local farm trade. John eventually settled in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin where he bought a black smith's shop, built the flumes and plow castings, and begun manufacturing plows.
In visiting with the local farmers, he learned of the problems they were having with existing plow designs. He became obsessed with finding new and more efficient methods of soil cultivation, and began finding new and better methods to solve these problems. He eventually had more than 40 patents in plow and implement improvements, and by 1900 had one of the largest manufactories in the Mid-west. He succeeded because the Rowell name became synonymous with quality and integrity.
Rowell Laboratories, Inc, was a manufacturer of prescription (Rx) and over-the-counter (OTC) pharmaceuticals. Located in Minnesota and founded in the 1930s by Joseph C.N. Rowell (1880-1946, grandson of John S.) and a commercial fisherman on Lake of the Woods, Minnesota, and son Theodore H. Rowell (1905-1979) a 1928 graduate from the University of Minnesota in Pharmacy.
The company began when they recognized that the Burbot, the only fresh water relative of the cod family which constantly filled Joe's nets, contained oil of much higher vitamin potency than the Cod liver oil. They formed the Burbot Liver Products Company, which eventually became Rowell Laboratories, Inc, and grew to be a national manufacturer and distributor of prescription and OTC drugs.
Ted Rowell, Jr. became CEO in 1965 and eventually became Chairman of the Board.
In the mid-1980s, the company became Reid-Rowell, Inc., a public company, upon the merger with Reid Provident Labs of Atlanta and whose stock was traded on the NASDAQ exchange. With offices in Minnesota, Atlanta, GA, and Orlando, FL, the controlling shareholders accepted a tender offer from Solvay & Cie of Brussels Belgium to purchase the company. Ted Rowell, Jr stayed on the board for a number of years under Solvay ownership.
Rowell Capital Partners was founded in 1987 to capitalize on different manufacturing opportunities in Central Florida, and over the years has had numerous successes in many different industries. Today Rowell Capital is specializing in pharmaceutical manufacturing, including Rx, OTC, and dietary supplements. Rowell Capital is currently seeking out pharmaceutical candidates for acquisition.
