Amazon Hose’s century-long legacy of people, partnerships, and expertise drives its next chapter of growth
More than a century ago, the story of Amazon Hose & Rubber (Amazon Hose) began with a single remarkable natural resource: pure gum rubber tapped from towering trees in the Amazon River Basin. That connection to the source inspired founder Harry E. Jacoby to give the company its name, establishing a legacy of exceptional quality that prevails today.
Amazon Hose’s journey is one of innovation and perseverance. From its original Chicago location, the company grew through decades of industrial change, expanding its repair services and product distribution into Miami and Tampa in the 1940s and early 1950s. After navigating the demands of World War II, the business then entered a new era with an expanded range of hoses and tubing made from innovative synthetic materials. Today, Amazon Hose maintains comprehensive inventories of industrial and hydraulic hoses, tubing, fittings, and couplings across its five Florida locations, with service built around the needs of customers.
by convenient overnight ground and air shipping, Amazon Hose supports customers from coast to coast and beyond, and, since joining forces with SunSource in October 2021, the company has expanded its reach even further across North America. Manufacturing Today sits down with Jim Donlin, President of Amazon Hose, to discuss the key factors powering the organization’s continued success.
“There are three core principles behind our longevity. Number one is that we take care of our employees. We have several employees who have stayed with us for 25, 30, and even 40 years,” James begins. “The longevity of our people is one of our major advantages because have the technical capabilities that many of the big box stores lack. We have a counter business at each of our locations where you can walk up and have a hose made instantly. Our vast inventory and knowledge of our people is our key differentiator.
“Secondly, we take care of our customers,” he says. “We’re nothing without our customers, so we always work to give them a ‘yes’ when they need something. The third thing is that we have a long history with our suppliers. We’ve treated them right and supported them through tough situations and, in return, they’ve helped us.”
Amazon Hose serves a diverse range of industries with an extensive selection of hose, fluid-handling, and MRO solutions. The company works with leading manufacturers including Continental, Dixon, Kuriyama and Dallai offering products such as belts, clamps, seals, hydraulic hose ends and adapters, industrial hose ends, tubing, sheet rubber, and valves. The business’ customer base spans agriculture, automotive, food and beverage, chemical processing, construction, data centers, military and government, municipalities, heavy equipment, hospitality, marine, petroleum, pharmaceutical, transportation, and utility applications. Beyond standard products, Amazon Hose provides custom fabrication and in-house testing to help customers meet specialized applications and performance requirements.
This broad range of products, industries, and custom capabilities is especially valuable in markets where reliable fluid handling is critical. In Florida, that has made construction a key area of focus for Amazon Hose, particularly as population growth and continued development have increased demand for moving water and other fluids efficiently and safely.
“As we’re in Florida, construction has been a key market for us for the last ten years with the number of people moving to the region,” Jim elaborates. “Moving water is one of the biggest issues with land and site development, which is where we come in. Whether we’re working with a theme park, OEM, or one of our over-the-counter customers, we take measures to ensure that our hoses are correctly calibrated before they’re made. We make sure that the hoses run at the right pressure, that the ends are properly fitted for the application, and we also have a test bench at all our locations so we can check that our hoses meet customer specifications.”
Maintaining that level of quality and attention to customer specifications, though, depends on having knowledgeable, well-trained employees – something that Amazon Hose views as its strongest asset. The company’s partnership with SunSource is a clear indication of its continued investment in its staff to ensure the best possible experience for teams, customers, and vendors alike.
“SunSource offers several programs to help support our employees’ growth in the business,” Jim shares. “Not only do they provide initial training sessions for salespeople on how to use the products, but they also offer training for managers on employee education and retention. Our new employees go through a two-year retention program to make sure that they’re getting everything they need. We invest heavily in our employees.”
After 100+ years of business, Amazon Hose’s success continues to come down to the fundamentals: investing in its people, standing by its customers, and building lasting supplier relationships. As the company looks to expand its Florida footprint and embrace new market opportunities, that commitment remains unchanged. With experienced employees, deep technical expertise, and a clear focus on doing things the right way, Amazon Hose is well-positioned to build on its legacy and carry thrive far into the future.
Determined to remain relevant and ensure it is addressing customer needs, Amazon Hose is positioning itself to take advantage of future prospects, whether that is in materials, products, or technology. “As the market evolves and different factors come into play, it’s essential that we align ourselves with the right vendors to take advantage of new opportunities as they come to us,” Jim agrees, noting the company’s future priorities.
“Success comes with longevity; you can’t be around for 107 years without being successful. In five years’, we’d like to have expanded our footprint across Florida, with more staff in place to help us grow,” he adds, concluding our conversation. “We’re a good company with great employees that always aims to do things the right way. If we continue to take care of our customers, I know we’ll continue to see success.”
