Premier Brands of America Celebrates 50th Anniversary

It is estimated that just 5% of companies reach a 50th anniversary milestone. Jumping this hurdle, Premier Brands of America, headquartered in White Plains, NY will celebrate its 50th anniversary on Aug. 6, 2022. The company manufactures Arm & Hammer Footcare, Cutter Poison Ivy and private label products.
 
“August marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of Premier Brands of America and the company has enjoyed significant growth and broad appeal since its launch decades ago,” said CEO Steve Corsun.  “Our anniversary comes at a time when our team seeks to make a significant push into new growth opportunities while preserving the unique customer experience for which the company is known for.  We have always been formidable for our size, and continue our tradition of being an agile, lean, consumer product organization.”

Personal Care Company Starts With Shoe Polish

The company has always had an entrepreneurial spirit which stems from its founder, Steve Corsun, who grew up in Queens, New York.  When Corsun was an MBA student at the Stern School of Business at NYU, he met the vice chairman of the board at Odell Inc., then a rapidly growing conglomerate, who ultimately offered him a job. 
 
After four years working in marketing on brands including Esquire shoe polish, and various shoe fitting products, Corsun decided to start his own manufacturing and marketing business in 1972 along with two partners – selling accessory products to shoe stores.  Out of a small facility with a handful of employees in Brooklyn, Corsun wore many hats and often split his day by doing sales and marketing in the morning and then producing and shipping product for the balance of the day.  The two partners were largely financial backers, and ultimately Corsun bought them out.
 
In the 1990’s Premier made the move beyond store distribution to other retail channels including drug stores, grocery, and mass marketers, expanding its shoe care offerings to the consumer market.  This bold move catapulted the company’s growth and resulted in a need to expand facilities and the move to a much larger manufacturing operation of 72,000 square feet in Mount Vernon, NY.  The business continued to grow dramatically with innovative products that satisfied the needs of consumers.   
 
In recent years Premier Brand’s growth has been boosted by expanding its store brand portfolio combined with a strategic push into branded consumer products, initially through a licensing agreement with Arm & Hammer into footcare products.  More recently, Premier launched a new line of poison ivy products under a licensing agreement with the Cutter brand.
 
Corsun commented, “Premier is so fortunate to have been supported by loyal team members that have shared the vision, the passion, and the unique entrepreneurial spirit, instilled 50 years ago.”
 

Next Generation of Premier Brands Leadership

Today, Premier Brands of America is still a family owned operation with current headquarters in White Plains, New York and state-of-the-art manufacturing and distribution facilities in Orangeburg, NY and Hudson, NY.   
 
Steve Corsun’s son, Alex, is now driving the company’s next generation of growth as President, offering over 125 health and beauty items in both store brand and branded products in multiple categories including footcare, first aid and beauty care.  Under Alex Corsun, R&D along with aggressive new product development are driving a continued push into consumer branded products — while building upon the company’s foundation of being an employee centric organization, said the company.