General Info

William W. Grainger founded a wholesale electric motor sales and distribution business in Chicago in 1927. He established the company to provide an efficient solution for customers to access a consistent supply of electric motors. The business was incorporated as W. W. Grainger in 1928. Sales in the early days were generated primarily through mail order via post cards and a catalog. The MotorBook, as the catalog was originally called, was the basis for today s Grainger catalog. The Grainger branch network has grown steadily over the years, and today there are more than 400 branches in the United States and 570 in North America. The 3700-page Grainger catalog is published annually and is available on CD-ROM and online at Grainger.com.