THE REASON
Amazon Hose is a distributor and fabricator of Industrial and Hydraulic hoses for a variety of industries, including Food and Beverage, Construction and Automotive. We are a 100-year, family-owned business focused on customer service and quality products.
OUR STORY
Rubber hoses made back in the early 1900s were comprised of pure gum rubber tapped from the Amazonian trees, which often grow more than 100 feet high. The original source for most of this quality gum rubber was the Amazon River Basin of South America from which Amazon Hose & Rubber Founder Harry E. Jacoby adopted the name “Amazon.”
A woman-owned business for three generations, Orlando-based Amazon Hose & Rubber Company is celebrating its 100th anniversary. According to sources, only an estimated .0089% of US companies will see a hundred-year milestone.
Amazon Hose was founded on July 1, 1919, in Chicago, Illinois, by Harry E. Jacoby. The company started small with a 5,000 square foot warehouse, formerly a bowling alley. Today, the company has four Florida locations and over 126,000 square feet of production space.
After Harry’s passing in 1973, his wife, Lorena Jacoby, was the first woman to lead Amazon Hose & Rubber Company. Lorena pioneered female leadership in a male-dominated industry. Harry moved the headquarters from Chicago to Miami, Florida in 1948 and expanded the company’s footprint to Tampa in 1953. Lorena later expanded to the Orlando market in 1981 with her daughter, Gale Petronis.
Summer Rodman, daughter of Gale Petronis, became the third generation of leadership to join the company. Summer became CEO in 2006 and remains in that role today. Rodman’s business acumen has led to consistent growth of the company resulting in top-line sales doubling over the last eight years. This included a new 50,000 square foot corporate headquarters in 2014 and an additional Hose Service Center in South Orlando in 2017.
“Amazon Hose & Rubber Company has been family-owned for 100 years and woman-owned for 46 of those years,” Rodman said. “I’m so proud of my family and the strength demonstrated by my grandmother and mother who’ve helped me succeed as CEO. My family extends beyond blood, our employees are family and have helped us achieve this important milestone.”
Rodman attributes Amazon Hose & Rubber Company’s success to long-lasting relationships with clients and key suppliers. It is these relationships that reflect on a proud history, and more importantly a bright future for Amazon Hose & Rubber Company.
