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ABOUT US

Uncompromised Dedication to Integrity, Quality, and Service

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Warren Distribution is a family-owned business that was founded more than 95 years ago in 1922 by James Schlott, the grandfather of Robert “Bob” Schlott, the current Chairman and CEO.

Today, we are the largest private label lubricants manufacturer and automotive chemical distributor located in North America. Plus, we ship to 45+ countries. Our products include passenger car motor oil, heavy-duty engine oil, industrial oils, and greases. We distribute a wide variety of popular automotive chemicals.

Our customers include the following:

Largest mass merchandisers

Auto parts, farm & home and convenience store retail chains

Online retailers

Wholesale oil distributors

OEMs

Parts Programs Groups

International Retailers and Distributors

Our production capacity is now 140 million gallons per year from more than 2,000,000 square feet of manufacturing and distribution facilities in Iowa, West Virginia, Alabama and Texas. Our corporate office is in Omaha, Nebraska.

Uncompromised quality is at the center of the service and integrity we promise and work tirelessly to deliver to all our customers.

Private ownership allows a steadfast dedication to the following

Integrity and transparency

Unsurpassed quality

Responsive service

Flexibility

More Than 2,000,000 SF of Manufacturing and Distribution Facilities.

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Our Team

Our superior quality, efficiency, and service are delivered by more than 750 associates who are dedicated to transparency and responsiveness. Our team is led by a customer-facing team each with more than 25 years of relevant experience in lubricant manufacturing, marketing, and distribution solutions that together with other associates are focused on meeting and exceeding customer expectations.

Robert

Robert Schlott

Chief Executive Officer

Bob has led the vision and grown the Company for over 50 years. He has created an entrepreneurial culture and steadfast dedication to providing customers with unsurpassed service, quality, and transparency. He received his BS in Chemical Engineering from Iowa State University and his MBA from Harvard University. Born and raised and now living in Council Bluffs, Iowa, he has led a life of building businesses and communities and serving on the boards of nonprofit social service and arts and culture organizations. His family includes three grown children. Bob enjoys hiking, biking, mountaineering and horticulture with his wife Polina.
Chuck

Chuck Downey

President

Chuck has provided strategic leadership to the Company for over 25 years. He has also served as Chief Financial Officer. Previously, he was Professor and Chairman, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, the University of Nebraska at Omaha. He earned a PhD. in Mathematics from New Mexico State University. Chuck is married and has two adult children.
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Curt Knapp

Chief Operating Officer -
Sales and Service
Curt leads the strategy and growth development efforts for the Company, as well as overseeing all sales/marketing and supply functions. He has more than 35 years of experience in the lubricants business, including senior leadership roles with Castrol North America, Sunoco, and Safety-Kleen. He earned a BS in Chemical/Biochemical Engineering and an MBA in Finance, both from Rutgers University. Curt is married and has two adult children.
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Donna Weeda

Chief Operating Officer -
Operations
Donna and her team are responsible for Manufacturing and Distribution operations, Quality/ Lean, Engineering, Finance, and Information Technology. She has been with the Company for more than 35 years, holds a B.S. degree from Buena Vista College, Storm Lake, Iowa with an emphasis in Finance. She is married with three children.
Mike

Mike Juhlin

Chief Financial Officer

Mike has been with the Company since 1998. He became Chief Financial Officer in 2016 and is responsible for all aspects of Accounting, Finance and Information Technology. Previously, he held positions as Controller and other positions in the Accounting/Finance field. He earned a BS in Accounting from the University of Wyoming. He is married and has two adult children.
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Jim Douglas

Senior Vice President

Jim Douglas is responsible for International and a portion of the US domestic, Mass Retail Sales Divisions, in addition to overseeing all the “order to cash” operations, the Sales & Marketing administrative functions as well as the Product Management functions for the company. Jim has been with Warren for over 20 years, is married with two adult sons, and resides in Omaha, NE. He received his BSBA with an emphasis in Finance from the University of Nebraska at Omaha in 1987. In 1999, he earned his MBA, with a major in Management, from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN.
Rebecca

Rebecca Fox

Senior Vice President and General Counsel
Rebecca joined the Company in 2010 as General Counsel. Now, she and her team are responsible for the Legal, Human Resources, and Risk Management Departments. And she creates and drives the implementation of progressive policies, procedures, and practices that attract top talent and create a culture of employee engagement in compliance with the laws of the countries where we do business. She earned a J.D from Creighton University School of Law, Omaha, NE. Rebecca is married and has an adult daughter.
Abe

Abe Schlott

Senior Vice President - Sales

Abe oversees the Retail and OEM sales divisions. Abe has been with Warren for nearly 18 years and is married with two teenage sons.  He earned a BS degree in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in French from Iowa State University in 1996. In 2001, he earned an MBA with an emphasis in logistics from the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University.
Jim

Jim Smith

Senior Vice President

Jim Smith is responsible for all Procurement functions for all four Warren sites including components in support of all manufacturing processes as well as automotive products in support of that particular sales channel within Warren. Jim also oversees Product Development, Graphic Arts, Demand Management and Forecasting, as well as Mass Retail Business Analytics. Jim has been with Warren for 25 years, is married with four adult kids, and resides in Omaha, NE. He received BSBA degrees in both Management and Marketing from the University of Nebraska at Omaha in 1986.

Company History

Warren Distribution opened its doors in downtown Omaha, NE which is where the company headquarters still resides today.  Back in the 1930s, when the company began blending oil, it was unheard of the east of the Mississippi, but now the company manufactures and distributes oil across the globe.  This once small distributor is now one of the leading, privately-held lubricant manufacturers in the United States.

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Beginning

Warren Distribution, Inc. was founded in 1922 by James Schlott.  He ran his distribution business at 811 Howard Street in downtown Omaha, NE.

The Company Supplied Lubricating Oils And Related Products To Agricultural Businesses In Omaha And Surrounding Areas.

In 1930, James’ son Norman Schlott joined the business.  After joining, Norman developed an oil blending process which led Warren to become the first operation west of the Mississippi to do so.  During this time, the company developed its own private label brand of oil called Gold Bond Lubricants.  The product was so successful the formula was sold to an implement dealer in Eastern Iowa around 1935.

By the late 1940s, Warren had begun manufacturing antifreeze. The company even created its own line of automotive fluids within the Polar brand, which included windshield wash fluid and antifreeze among other products.  Polar is still owned by Warren Distribution today.

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Evolution

In 1963, the company lost its building at 811 Howard Street due to a fire. But this didn't slow down the Schlotts down as they quickly relocated to 727 South 13th Street. The new location would become the company’s home for the next 54 years.

In June of 1970, Bob Schlott, son of Norman and grandson of James Schlott, joined the family business. At about the same time, Bob purchased some property along River Road in Council Bluffs, Iowa to expand on the antifreeze business.

By The Time 1976 Rolled Around The Company Began Producing Their Own Plastic Bottles As Well As Packaging Their Goods In-House.

Expansion

In 1981, all manufacturing was moved to Council Bluffs, IA and the Omaha warehouse was converted into office space.  In 1985, a distribution center was built across the street from the manufacturing plant. The year 1987 marked the development of Warren’s private label brand of oil called MAG 1® which is still owned, manufactured and distributed by the company.

In 1999, The Company Became ISO 9001:2015 Certified And Implemented Lean Methodology To Improve Processes And Eliminate Waste.

This was also a pivotal time for the company as they shifted their focus to primarily manufacturing oil. With the production shift came increased business and company growth. Manufacturing and distribution facilities opened in Guntersville, AL. in 2002, Glendale, WV. in 2006 and Houston, TX. in 2018.

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