Conney Safety Products was founded in 1946, in Ripon, Wisconsin as an extension of a family retail clothing store. Nat Conney, the founder of Conney Safety Products, saw an unfulfilled need for specialty clothing and safety products after receiving several requests from the food processing firms in the area. As a result, he turned his retail clothing business in a new direction - safety products. The product line in the early years included aprons, gloves, rubber footwear, and rainwear that were sold to area canneries, meat and poultry processors and dairies.