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Our History
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| We at Kennicott Brothers Company are proud of our long and successful history. The Illinois State Historical Society has recognized our company as one of the oldest continuous businesses in Illinois. Our story begins when Dr. John A. Kennicott founded The Grove Nursery by taking out a federal land grant on the Milwaukee Stage Road in Northfield Township in 1836. He was the area's first physician and first horticulturist. By the 1840's, the Grove Nursery was regularly advertising rose bushes and other nursery and floral products in the Chicago Tribune. Dr. Kennicott was an early editor of the Prairie Farmer, Illinois' oldest farm magazine; and a frequent promoter of agriculture in Springfield, Illinois and Washington, D.C. He was instrumental in the establishment of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and he promoted the Morrill Act, which established Land Grant Colleges. His home, "The Grove" is a National Historic Landmark and nature preserve owned and maintained by the Glenview Park District. |
Harrison Kennicott Sr. working on Kennicott Family Peony Farm |
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Kennicott Brothers Company was founded in 1881 by Amasa and Flint Kennicott, brothers of Robert Kennicott. The company was established as an outlet for the fresh flower production of "The Grove." Kennicott Brothers Company was the first wholesale florist company in the Midwest. H.B. "Hal" Kennicott, son of Flint, served as president of the company from 1915 to 1972. Harrison Kennicott, Jr., grandson of Amasa, joined the company in 1929 and was the guiding force in the company's growth, especially in the booming years following World War II. Harrison "Red" Kennicott III joined the company full time in 1959 and is the current CEO. Gary Doran has been President of Kennicott Brothers Company since December 1999. |
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From its beginning's in 1881, Kennicott Brothers Company rapidly grew to serve florists in the Chicago area and eventually large portions of the Midwest and South. During the early 1900s, the Chicago area became a major center of florist crop production and distribution, largely due to Chicago's prominence as a rail "hub." At one time there were more than thirty wholesalers in the Chicago market, and growers numbered in the hundreds. |
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Kennicott's original site and other early locations were near the old "Water Street Market" in what is now known as "The Loop." At one time, we were located on a small portion of the present site of Marshall Field's State Street Store. In 1927, we relocated to the "Wholesale Florists Building" on West Randolph Street. We were the building's last remaining original tenant when we left in 1983 to relocate our headquarters to 2660 North Clybourn. On September 21, 1998, Kennicott's opened at our present location at 452 N. Ashland in Chicago. All locations throughout our history in Chicago have been within the same five-mile radius. |
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In 1963, Kennicott Brothers Company opened a branch store in Waukegan, Illinois to better serve florists in that area after the North Shore Railroad went out of business. In succeeding years, locations were added in Aurora, Illinois; Hammond, Indiana: Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Elk Grove Village, Illinois. In 2009, Kennicott Brothers Company opened their newest location in Decatur, Illinois. In May 2000, Kennicott Brothers Company became an 100% employee owned company when the ESOP acquired ownership of all outstanding stock. |
| In 2001, Red Kennicott was presented the Leland T. Kintzele Award, an honor presented by the Wholesale Florist & Florist Supplier of America organization. It is given to individuals who have made a significant, long-term contribution to the floral industry. This same award was presented in 1982 to Harrison Kennicott, Jr. The only time both a father and son have received this award. Red Kennicott was also honored in July 2002 with the "2002 Award of Merit" from AIFD (American Institute of Floral Designers) for his meaningful assistance to the floral industry. At the 2004 SAF convention, Red was honored with the 2004 Paul Ecke Award |
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President
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