Post job

Tom's of Maine company history timeline

1970

And so, in 1970 they took out a $5,000 loan in hopes of building something that could help families like their own focus on the simple "good" in life.

When Tom and Kate Chappell founded Tom's of Maine in 1970, it was a reflection of their idealistic, creative and entrepreneurial aspirations.

1972

In 1972, Tom's of Maine moved into natural personal care, developing a line of soaps made from vegetable (not animal) glycerin.

1975

In 1975, the company debuted its shampoo and toothpaste lines.

1978

1978: Fluoride toothpaste debuts.

1981

In 1981, Tom's launched the first natural toothpaste with fluoride.

1983

By 1983 the firm's annual revenues were approaching $2 million.

1983: Tom's begins distributing its products to mass-market chains, starting with CVS.

1989

Tom's advertising budget, which until then had been minimal, was increased in 1989 to $1.3 million, and the first national ad campaign was introduced the following year, which included folksy radio spots that featured the voices of Tom and his mother, Virginia.

1989: Firm begins writing a new ethics-based mission statement.

1992

1992: New deodorant formula proves ineffective and is recalled; old formula is restored.

1993

Chappell, a frequent public speaker, went on to publish a book in 1993 called The Soul of a Business: Managing For Profit and the Public Good, which outlined his ideas on running a company with a strong set of personal ethics.

1995

Sales for 1995 reached a record level of $20 million.

1999

The year 1999 also saw the publication of Chappell's second book, Managing Upside Down, which contained further thoughts on the ethics of corporate management.

Work at Tom's of Maine?
Share your experience
Founded
1970
Company founded
Headquarters
Kennebunk, ME
Company headquarter
Founders
Kate Chappell
Company founders
Get updates for jobs and news

Rate Tom's of Maine's efforts to communicate its history to employees.

Zippia waving zebra

Tom's of Maine jobs

Do you work at Tom's of Maine?

Is Tom's of Maine's vision a big part of strategic planning?

Tom's of Maine competitors

Company nameFounded dateRevenueEmployee sizeJob openings
Burt's Bees1984$270.0M4502
Clairol-$104.4M38-
New Motors1927$2.6M5015
Cuisine Solutions, Inc.1974-20025
Knoll1938$1.2B3,541-
Abc Group Holdings Inc-$11.0M9-
Monogram International1970$3.1M49-
Textile2017$630,0007-
Valley Industries1967$3.3M251
York1874$2.4B8,00049

Tom's of Maine history FAQs

Zippia gives an in-depth look into the details of Tom's of Maine, including salaries, political affiliations, employee data, and more, in order to inform job seekers about Tom's of Maine. The employee data is based on information from people who have self-reported their past or current employments at Tom's of Maine. The data on this page is also based on data sources collected from public and open data sources on the Internet and other locations, as well as proprietary data we licensed from other companies. Sources of data may include, but are not limited to, the BLS, company filings, estimates based on those filings, H1B filings, and other public and private datasets. While we have made attempts to ensure that the information displayed are correct, Zippia is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of this information. None of the information on this page has been provided or approved by Tom's of Maine. The data presented on this page does not represent the view of Tom's of Maine and its employees or that of Zippia.

Tom's of Maine may also be known as or be related to Tom's Of Maine, Tom's Of Maine Inc and Tom's of Maine.