On Saturday, February the 4th, the much beloved Harold Carton peacefully passed away with his wife Debra and their dog Koda by his side.

Long known in the janitorial and paper industry for both his creative style of selling and dogmatic perseverance, Harold began his career back in the late 50's with Towelsaver, Inc., a major paper company at the time headquartered in Los Angeles, Calif. As a regional sales manager, living in the Philadelphia area, Harold traveled the eastern portion of the United States opening a proprietary distribution network for Towelsaver that helped pioneer the use of controlled rolled paper towel and tissue products in the paper industry. His work, along with many others, led to the eventual acceptance of this concept by all major paper manufacturers of industrial toweling today.

After 20 years in this position, opting for both a change in lifestyle and career, Harold moved to Atlanta, Georgia where he co-founded what was then one of the largest rep organizations in the Southeast-Rones, Carton and Associates. As President, he enjoyed 12 successful years representing many of the premier manufacturers in our industry while growing RCA to over 11 million dollars in sales.

Selling his share of the business to his partner in 1985, Harold then became VP of Marketing and Sales for The Wilen Company in Atlanta, Ga. Traveling the United States and Canada, his efforts were dedicated to building a solid manufacturer's rep network which was highly instrumental in making Wilen the largest mop manufacturer in our industry at the time. During that time Harold became known for his motivational peps talks delivered to both reps and distributor sales forces. In these training symposiums, not only did he educate others on the expertise of selling mops, but more importantly conveyed an attitude of commitment, goal setting, and cooperation to shape actions for an identifiable purpose.

After 10 years with Wilen Harold was asked to accept a position with Hospital Specialty Company out of Cleveland. As National Sales Manager Harold continued doing what he had become noted for: strengthening and facilitating relationships between manufacturer, manufacturer reps, distributors, distributor groups and national accounts.  

Having completely fulfilled the duties for which he was hired at Hospital Specialty Company Harold joined The O'Dell Corporation in January of 2003. His familiarity with the product category and industry segment allowed Harold to improve O'Dell's position just as he had done with every company before them. Through his vast industry experience and networking abilities Harold identified opportunities and solidified relationships for O'Dell with premier buying groups, rep organizations, and distributors. Harold was also instrumental in identifying the steps that O'Dell began taking in 2006 regarding a new strategic direction.  The steps taken have placed O'Dell in a commanding leadership position in their product category and Harold had his hand in each of them. Harold prided himself in having never missed an ISSA show and he was in attendance this past October just like every year before. Harold served O'Dell and his industry faithfully to his final day.

We all have an inner self and Harold's shown through so brightly when it came to animals. He had a soft spot for them and over his lifetime provided a home for many that would have otherwise met a much different fate. Many people knew this about Harold but those who knew him best could correlate this loving, compassionate nature to his many relationships with the people he befriended over the years. Harold had an outwardly commanding presence that was undeniably evident in his words and actions. He was a man of strong convictions and within moments of meeting him one would know exactly where he stood and where they stood with him.  When Harold stood by someone he did so steadfastly. Having a friend in Harold was having a friend of the truest kind. One could only hope to find even a single friendship of this sort during a lifetime. Harold was a man of relationships and the many people he leaves behind with whom he had meaningful relationships are his legacy. If you are one of these people you know it and you will honor Harold's memory through your own words, actions, and convictions. With Harold's passing comes an abundance of sorrow but his is a life with much cause for celebration. It has been said that the dash which separates our birth date and our date of death represents the sum of our life. Harold's dash encompasses more than most men and that of those who shared life with him will encompass immeasurably more than it otherwise would for having known him. We will miss you Harold, GOD speed.