MENU HISTORY & LEADERSHIP TEAM History. Our Story Our grandfather and namesake, Ed Heilman, was a man determined to meet any challenge. He was a salesman for Kansas City White Goods when the Great Depression hit. Struggling to make ends meet, he took up boxing—under the name “Ace”—at area clubs to earn some extra cash. When KC White Goods began laying off employees, Ed and his wife, Clara, decided to start a linen supply business on the side. In 1932, with $1,800 in savings, Clara bought bolts of fabric and began sewing towels. The “production floor” consisted of a small washing machine, sewing machine and hand iron in the couple’s basement. They named their new business Ace Linen Service. After a day’s work at KC White Goods, Ed would go door to door seeking customers for Ace. Their first customer was the neighborhood corner grocer. “Always do business on a first-name basis” Ed’s motto was “always do business on a first-name basis,” and his hands-on mentality helped grow the business, despite the economic plight. Eventually, Ace Linen expanded its services to include uniforms, mats and restroom supplies. During the Yellow Pages’ glory days, Ace Linen was renamed AAA Linen to optimize its placement in the directory. Our family would later buy Shepherd’s Linen and Uniform Supply in Texas, though we maintained the name Shepherd’s for years because, having been around since the 1800s, it was a well-established and trusted brand in the Texas market. In 2007, in honor of the 75th anniversary of the company, we decided to get back to our roots, uniting our Texas and Missouri uniform rental locations under the name Ace ImageWear. -Eddie Heilman, CEO Leadership Team Kansas City, Missouri Bill Heilman President Tom Heilman Vice President Cory Demaris Service Director Brian Jaimes Sales Manager Houston, Texas Ed Heilman CEO Grover Ferguson COO Rick Ferguson General Manager Chris Owens Sales Manager Cliff Havens Service Center Manager Keith Sanders Asst. General Manager LINKS Why Ace Local vs National Careers Uniform Rental Privacy Policy LOCATIONS Kansas City, Missouri 816-231-5737 1-800-366-0564 Houston, Texas 713-678-7910 1-800-877-3336 CUSTOMER LOGIN TX/LA Customer Login KS/MO Customer Login ©2021 Ace Imagewear