For 70 Years we have been making products used in the day-to-day tasks at work or at home, and in the office and classroom.
Who we are
Reliable products will always be the driving force behind Lee Products Company. And as we move forward, we’ll continue to exceed your expectations by developing quality products that make life and work easier.
01
Quality
Our mission is to assure our customers we care about them, so we care about quality.
02
Reliable
Our customers can count on getting the very best value, quality, and service
03
Solutions
We will develop products that offer a solution for your problem.
Where you can find our products
We sell & distribute our products through a variety of independent office supply retailers & B2B distributors. Find our products online at:
Here is a snapshot of our history and our new direction as appeared in Educational Magazine this July
For 73 years, Lee Products has aided those who work in classrooms and offices with a line of tried-and-true products. The family-owned and -operated company recently welcomed a third generation into its ranks.
Prior to founding Lee Products in 1973, Reynold A. Lee worked in banks along the East Coast, department stores in Minnesota and Hygenol where he worked with glycerin-based products. It was there that he realized that glycerin, when applied to his fingers, helped him sort through paper and money with ease.
Reynold developed Sortkwik, a glycerin ointment that acts as a fingertip grip enhancer, and sent samples to banks he had worked with. Word spread and demand grew for the non-greasy, non-toxic finger moistener. Lee Products launched with Sortkwik, followed by a handful of other office supplies.
Today, the business is still going strong. After the passing of Reynold, his wife Myrtle and son Reynold N. Lee took ownership. In recent months, his grandson Erik and Kathy Lee have come on board as Lee Products’ COO and sales manager, respectively. “Kathy and I have been at the business about a year now, so we had a lot to learn,” Erik said.
Stick to the good stuff.
Lee Products primarily serves office spaces, yet it is slowly expanding into the education market. Its catalog consists of about a dozen products, with Sortkwik continuing to be the bestseller. In addition to fingertip moistener, the company offers its Flexifile expandable organizer, Tippi gel grips, a label dispenser, fingerprint ink pads, and Clean-Ups premoistened wipes.
Lee Products primarily serves office spaces, yet it is slowly expanding into the education market. Its catalog consists of about a dozen products, with Sortkwik continuing to be the bestseller. In addition to fingertip moistener, the company offers its Flexifile expandable organizer, Tippi gel grips, a label dispenser, fingerprint ink pads, and Clean-Ups premoistened wipes.
“Sortkwik was able to open up doors for this company to get into other products,” Erik said. “There have been competitors, but a lot of those competitors are no longer in business anymore. And Sortkwik withstood it all. It was still the number one fingertip moistener out there because of its decent price and name recognition.”
There are a couple products specifically designed for school use. Lee Product’s highlighter tape – both in rolls and Hefty tabs – come in handy for studying textbooks. The inspiration came when Erik’s dad and his business partner noted how students often highlighted and made notes in their school books. To avoid defacing the books while supporting students, the Lee Products team developed removable highlighter tape. Users can write notes on the tape and tabs, it shows up when scanned on a copy machine and it can easily be removed.
“It’s been very popular with the education market,” Erik said.
“We’ve been getting a lot of inquiries, especially after our ad in Educational Dealer.”
Although Lee Products has kept its focus on its core products, Erik and his team are looking for opportunities to expand and market existing products in a new way. The company’s newest product is Sortkwik infused with aloe which was his sister Mare’n’s brainchild. Meanwhile, Kathy came up with a new tagline for Sortkwik. “We like to say that we’ve been replacing spit for 73 years,” Kathy said.
“Our kids have a couple different ideas that they think would be kind of neat,” Erik added. “It’s nice to hear from younger perspectives on what’s out there.”
Lee Products currently distributes mainly to wholesalers, but there is hope to reach out to independent retailers. As a former police officer and sales rep, Erik and Kathy value building trusting, lasting relationships with their customers.
“My dad tells me all the time about how they used to have personal relationships with end users and individual dealers,” Erik said. “You could have a conversation with people, actually talk to them, see what they like and what they don’t like, and hear their stories. That’s always a much better relationship than not knowing who you’re selling to. I’d like to get back to that. I’d like to build relationships.”
A dedicated team with a driving mission.
Lee Products is powered by a small, yet experienced team who know the trade. Of its 14 employees, nine have been with the company for at least 26 years and three have been there more than 30 years. “Consistency with our employees has really kept the quality great,” Erik stated.
When it comes to manufacturing, Erik makes a point to shop around for the best price on materials without compromising on quality. All of the raw materials are from the U.S., and most of the plastic components are made in-house at Lee Products. This approach has helped Lee Products to keep costs – as well as the end price – affordable.
Erik is proud to continue his grandfather’s legacy and work alongside his family. He especially enjoys seeing Lee Products’ creations in his travels.
“I want to maintain what we’ve had – good relationships with our customers and employees,” Erik observed.
Meet our Leadership Team
Our combined knowledge & years of experience have driven our success
Customer Service
At Lee Products Company we take pride in our unmatched quality, consistency and service, and back up our claims with actions. Orders always ship complete, on time and accurately. And we treat every customer with the respect and courtesy they deserve, handling all calls and inquiries with friendly, helpful customer service representatives.
Innovation will always be the driving force behind Lee Products Company. And as we move forward, we’ll continue to exceed your expectations by developing quality products that make life and work easier.
Eco-Friendly
At Lee Products Company we’re continually focused on the big picture. That includes considering the environment when it comes to the development of our products. That’s why we utilize energy-efficient equipment throughout our facility and all plastic used during our injection molding process is recycled plastic. Excess material as well as discarded paper is also recycled. As a committed, eco-friendly corporation, we continue to look for ways to maintain, improve and expand this long-term initiative.
Work Force Diversity & Commitment to Our Employees
Lee Products Company is committed to maintaining a diverse, equal opportunity workforce. We believe the most valuable asset we have is our people. And in order for us to carry out corporate initiatives, we must have happy, secure, engaged and committed workers. We’re proud to say that the positive morale and degree of fulfillment in our employees has led to an average tenure of over 16 years.
Community Involvement
Lee Products Company is a long-time supporter of the local community. Whether it’s through the local Rotary Club Membership, community donations or United Way contributions, we’re committed to supporting local businesses, neighborhoods and residents.
Meet our Leadership Team
Our combined knowledge & years of experience have driven our success
