Ron and Melinda Swann, founders of the current Collins Manufacturing Company, were living in and raising their three sons in their hometown of Cookeville, TN. Ron was managing a local foundry and feared he would be required to transfer to a new location. About the same time, Melinda was desirous of re-entering the workforce after being at home with their small children the previous 8 years. Ron happened upon a classified ad in the Tennessean for a small upholstery business for sale in the Nashville area that predominantly served the beauty industry - re-upholstering and manufacturing dryer chairs for the local beauty distributors. They met with Mr. Collins and proceeded to purchase the small business to provide Melinda with work and give them a fail-safe if Ron's transfer fears came to fruition. As it turns out, Ron continued managing the local foundry for another 11 years (helping Melinda in the evenings and on the weekends) while she began building and developing Collins Manufacturing Company into a healthy, growing business adding complete salon seating needs to their product offering.

In 1994, Collins had grown to be a successful small business that needed more attention from Ron and Melinda than ever. Ron left the foundary and joined Melinda in day to day management of Collins. Even though the seating lines had become successful, they realized that in order to continue to grow - they would need to add salon cabinetry to their product offering. After just recently purchasing a 12,000 square foot manufacturing facility in 1987, they completed the first addition to the building in 1994 to accommodate the new production line. With the new product lines and with Ron focusing all of his efforts on the business, Collins began growing quickly. Over these years, they also added outside sales people in MN and PA - both of whom had served the beauty industry for many years prior. Then they added on to their facility once again in 1999, which they quickly grew out of; and they began leasing another manufacturing space about a mile down the road in 2001 for a total of 50,000 square feet of manufacturing and warehouse space.

Ron and Melinda's dedication to manufacturing quality products and providing premier customer service was continuing to payoff. The year of 2003 also proved to be big one in terms of Collins future. Two of their three sons, Ben and Robert, joined the family business after college to help Ron and Melinda as Collins continued growing at a rapid pace. Also in 2003, Ron and Melinda purchased the 107,000 square foot manufacturing facility that continues to be Collins' primary manufacturing facility to this day. With more family members, a new manufacturing facility, and ample space to grow, Collins was ready to transition from a small manufacturer to a formidable manufacturer in the salon, barber, and cosmetology equipment sector; but they were missing one thing. Automation. Long overdue, Collins purchased their first CNC router in 2006 providing for improved efficiency, quality, and repeatability in both their seating and cabinetry divisions. Now, Collins operates 4 CNC routers, 1 CNC beam saw, 3 edgebanding machines, and a complete laminating line.

In 2010, Collins began yet another growth spurt. Along with taking on supplier roles for several of the largest beauty chains in the country, Collins also completed the acquisition of Jeffco Inc, a friendly competitor out of North Carolina that had been in business since 1970. By 2011, Collins had moved Jeffco's complete operation to Tennessee allowing for easier management. In 2012 and 2013, Collins added two more seasoned outside salon equipment sales people to their team as well introducing Ron and Melinda's third and oldest son, Jeff, to the management team at Collins factory and headquarters in Tennessee. With a new brand added to their belt, additional salesmen in the field, large national customers, and the final family son in the business, Ron and Melinda's small business once again skyrocketed in growth. Family values continued to be at the root of Collins success - loyalty, integrity, passion, and collaboration. Each employee and each customer is vital in Collins growth and success - and we're proud to continue serving the beauty industry for decades to come.