Leaving his family in England, 19-year-old Alec Quinton arrived in Winnipeg in 1911 and started a company called Quinton Dye Works. The firm specialized in dying wool—which had previously existed only in white, beige or brown, into most any colour, thereby addressing the demands of the fashion industry for a wider range of colours for wool clothing. The firm began operations at the corner of Jessie Avenue and Daly Street in the Fort Rouge area, where they would remain for the next 57 years. Brother Sidney Quinton, who joined the company in 1918, assumed full ownership in 1922. Joined by his eldest son Paul S. Quinton, he oversaw Quintons Cleaners, a successful business which, at its peak in the 1950s and 1960s, was the largest dry-cleaning operation in Western Canada, with a fleet of 26 delivery vehicles making home pick-ups and deliveries twice daily. In the late 1960s, the company diversified into the industrial uniform rental business. A new name, Quintex Services Limited, was adopted in 1987 and, in 2002, the dry cleaning operations were sold. Today, Quintex employs over 130 Manitobans and serves the private, public, and governments sectors in a variety of areas, including industrial laundry, uniform rentals, mats and dust control products, linen rentals, mops and towels, hygiene products, and first aid supplies and training. Not only is the company still going strong after 100 years, it is still a family-run business, with the third generation of the Quintons in charge under President David Quinton.
An MHS Centennial Business Award was presented to David Quinton by Harry W. Duckworth on 4 June 2011.
See also:
Memorable Manitobans: Paul Snowden Quinton (1926-2013)
Page revised: 2 September 2013
