safety supply distributor, purchased in 1999 from the Merkl family In 1998, Chairman Bill Crotty established the L. William Crotty Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership at The University of Dayton School of Business Administration. Ranked as one of the top programs in the country for students who want to learn how to start their own business, this Center continues to operate and help prepare young entrepreneurs today. By 2000, the third generation of Crotty’s had grown Van Dyne Crotty to some 20 locations. Under the leadership of Dan, Kevin and Bob, Van Dyne Crotty became known as a leader in innovation and technology in the apparel rental industry. Their 12 processing locations (many of which were built from the ground up) served as examples of quality, lasting engineering. The company eventually grew to around 1,300 employees and was organized into three key product families: Apparel Solutions, Facility Solutions and First Aid & Safety Services. Under the leadership of the third generation Crotty’s, the company grew from $30 million in annual sales to $130 million. During the 2000s, a new generation of the Crotty family was being raised in the family business, as Colin Crotty (son of Kevin) joined as a General Manager. Van Dyne Crotty was sold on February 10, 2006 to publicly traded Cintas Corporation (). The sale included 20 uniform rental operations and 5 Select First Aid operations. The Ritz Safety division was retained by Daniel and Robert Crotty, and has continued to expand through organic growth, geographic expansion and strategic acquisitions. References Crotty Companies based in Ohio Clothing companies established in 1935 Business services companies established in 1935 Retail companies established in 1935 Service companies disestablished in 2006 Business services companies of the United States 1935 establishments in Ohio 2006 disestablishments in Ohio