FOUND IN A LOO NEAR YOU BOBRICK MARKS CENTURY OF SUCCESS WASHROOM EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURER HELPS KEEP HANDS CLEAN AND DRY.

Byline: BRENT HOPKINS Staff Writer

NORTH HOLLYWOOD -- A chemist's quest for smoother soap built an empire that spanned a century and changed the world, in a very unusual way.

In 1906, G.A. Bobrick, an inventor interested in cleaning products, started a company in downtown Los Angeles and gave it his last name. He needed a convenient way to dispense his wares, so he devised a soap dispenser -- something that seems commonplace today but revolutionized the business in its time.

Those pedestrian yet innovative products kept thousands of people employed and made millions of dollars over the past century. On Monday, Bobrick Washroom Equipment Inc. took some time to celebrate that success.

``We were the first to have the no-touch dryer,'' said chairman William ``Sandy'' Louchheim Jr. ``We've got the first partition material where color goes all the way through. We've got a soap dispenser that serves multiple sinks... now, we're working on the second century.''

Bobrick makes products that most people in the country use every day, but never even consider. The paper towel dispenser, the soap squirter, the wall that separates one toilet from the next, the table where a mother changes a baby's diaper -- the company manufactures them all at its North Hollywood headquarters and at facilities throughout North America.

It takes an everyday product, such as a toilet partition, then tinkers with it. With various innovations, the company produces a wall that is said to be absolutely graffiti-proof. The color runs all the way to the core, so even words etched into the plastic produce little noticeable effect.

President Mark Louchheim, Sandy's son and the third generation of Louchheims to run the company, estimates that the company's products appear in 98 percent of nonresidential buildings in the country. It's the market leader in toilet partitions and accessories, selling products in 70 different countries.

And this makes it something of a rarity, as it still manufactures all of its goods on this continent, employing 250 workers at its headquarters and 200 more at its other facilities. By relying on a specialized computer system, it can create custom products in as little as five days, beating out its low-wage, foreign competitors.

``People never think of Los Angeles as a manufacturing city, but here it is, right here,'' said Councilman Tony Cardenas, who represents the area. ``It's tough, with China gobbling everything up, but this shows you how to stay competitive. The jobs they have here are good, very good.''

The Louchheims go back with the company for more than half of its existence, with patriarch William S. Louchheim purchasing Bobrick in 1946. Sandy started in college and came on in 1968 after 16 years as a ship driver in the Navy. He took the president's chair in 1985, then passed it on to Mark in 1993.

``The difference between a family business and a public company is that we're not just interested in this month's earnings, or this quarter, or this year,'' Mark Louchheim said. ``We've gotten to this point by focusing on the long term, looking at what the customer needs.''

These aren't flashy products, they're not household names, but they've made their way around the world. In coming years, the company plans to keep growing its international presence and increasing market share in the partition business. Products from overseas -- an air dryer from England, a soap dispenser from Australia -- have already gone on to become top sellers throughout its various markets.

``We've trained all the kids and grandkids to go out and look for our stuff,'' Sandy Louchheim said. ``You're somewhere in Beijing, or at the pyramids in Egypt, you go into a hotel and you see one of our dryers on the wall.''

brent.hopkins(at)dailynews.com

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3 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) William ``Sandy'' Louchheim Jr., left, and Mark Louchheim show some of the washroom equipment sold by Bobrick.

(2 -- 3 -- color) The Eclipse hand dryer, left, is one of the latest items sold by Bobrick. Above, a variety of soap dispensers.

Evan Yee/Staff Photographer