HISTORY OF KELSAN

Headquartered in Knoxville, Kelsan provides our customers with the region’s largest selection of sanitary maintenance- related products and consistently ranks as the southeast’s leading “Jan-San” distributor.

In 1950, Till Keller founded Kelsan in Knoxville, Tennessee as one of East Tennessee’s first true janitorial and sanitary supply distributors. In 1999, Kelsan expanded its product line, adding packaging supplies when it acquired Industrial Paper and Packaging Corp.

Kelsan’s product line includes floor maintenance equipment, paper supplies, can liners, floor cleaners and waxes, disinfectants, degreasers, matting, carpet cleaners and protectors, wall cleaners, brooms, wax applicators, brushes, deodorants, foodservice disposables, and trash receptacles.

Packaging supplies include shrink-wrap, tapes, foam and bubble, strapping, paper, and other specialized products. Kelsan operates a paper and foam/bubble converting plant for quick turnaround when creating customer-specific custom packaging products.

Kelsan has more than 50 sales representatives serving the southeastern U.S. Supporting this distribution network are regional offices in Nashville, TN; Chattanooga, TN; and Charlotte, NC. Kelsan services national accounts through its ownership in Network Services — a national buying and marketing group comprised of the country’s leading sanitary supply and paper distributors.

Kelsan sells to hospitals, public and private schools,  supermarkets, churches, industrial plants, office buildings, building service contractors, hotels and motels, restaurants, retail stores, convenience stores, service stations and others.

Kelsan’s strengths – in addition to its distribution network and product line – include its award-winning floor equipment service department offering both in-shop and on-the-road equipment preventive maintenance and repair. Kelsan is an authorized Tennant distributor (Tennant is the world’s leading manufacturer of industrial grade ride-on floor maintenance equipment).

Kelsan’s broad range of chemical supply and packaging products enables us to meet the requirements of industrial customers.  We also excel in serving the healthcare industry. Our healthcare product selections include the latest disinfectants and incontinence products and over 170 types of can liners.

Building on our more than 60-year history, Kelsan wants to be the janitorial and sanitation supplies company with which you love to do business.

EMPLOYER & COMPANY AWARDS AND RECOGNITION