Our History
ACCO Brands Corporation has been one of the world's largest suppliers of office products for more than a century. The company boasts a proud history of industry leadership, innovation and focus on delivering exceptional value for shareholders and customers by providing unique, leading-edge office products.
ACCO Brands Corporation’s roots stretch back to the founding of Wilson Jones in 1893, the American Clip Company (ACCO) in 1903 and the Swingline Company in 1925. Together these companies helped revolutionize the ways in which we record, store and organize information through the creation of products like the ring binder, the paper clip and the widespread popularization of staplers. In the mid-1920s, ACCO became an international presence when it opened offices in Canada and England, and it eventually acquired popular European office products brands such as Rexel and NOBO. Later, it established itself in Australia and New Zealand with the addition of the Marbig line of products.
In 2005, the ACCO World office products unit of Fortune Brands joined together with General Binding Corporation (GBC), creating ACCO Brands Corporation, an independent publicly traded company. The transaction brought together the complementary businesses, brands and strengths of ACCO World and GBC to form the world's largest supplier of branded office products.
In 2012, ACCO Brands Corporation merged with MeadWestvaco’s Consumer & Office Products business, adding well-known brands including Mead®, Five Star®, Trapper Keeper®, AT-A-GLANCE®, Cambridge®, Day Runner®, Hilroy, Tilibra and Grafon’s. Combining with this MeadWestvaco business unit expanded ACCO Brands’ global reach and impact in important consumer channels.
The beginnings of MeadWestvaco, a global leader in packaging and packaging solutions, date back to 1846 when Colonel Daniel E. Mead helped establish a paper company in Dayton, Ohio. The company grew, adopted the name Mead Paper Company and acquired mills and production plants across the U.S. In 1966, Mead Corporation acquired spiral notebook inventor Westab, Inc., adding school, home and office products to its line of business.
Mead subsequently added several premier home, school and office products brands, including Hilroy – a Canada-based home, school and office supply brand (1994) — and AT-A-GLANCE®, a leading producer and marketer of dated and time management products (1999). These additions helped Mead become a leading manufacturer and marketer of school supplies, office products, and planning and organizing tools. In 2002, Mead Corporation merged with Westvaco Corporation to form MeadWestvaco. The new corporation subsequently acquired two Brazilian-based businesses – Tilibra (2004), a producer of consumer and office products, and Grafon’s (2009), a pre-eminent maker of greeting cards.
Today, the products of ACCO Brands can be found in more than 100 countries around the world. As home to more than 20 top brands in their categories, the company is poised to continue its global leadership and growth.