Meet Ben Hirsch, Turtle Wax founder and inventor of the first liquid auto polish.

With a knowledge of chemistry and fascination of cars, Ben mixed-up his first batches of Plastone^TM in the family bathtub in the late 1930s. Ben’s wife, Marie, bottled the auto polish as Ben traveled by streetcar to gas stations in the Chicago area to market and demonstrate his product.

On a sales call in Wisconsin, Ben Hirsch passed by Turtle Creek. In a moment of inspiration, he realized the protective hard shell of a turtle was just like the finish produced by his auto polish, so he renamed his company Turtle Wax.

Ben Hirsch was a true entrepreneur. He promoted his product by commuting to crowded venues like Wrigley Field. Ben would shine one fender of cars in the parking lot and wait for the car owner to return with hopes of convincing them to buy his product… he would almost always close the sale.

 

More than seventy years later, Turtle Wax is still a family-owned company based in the Chicago area. Turtle Wax is the global leader and the most widely recognized name in total car care products, selling over 1,250 products in the retail and commercial markets in 90 countries worldwide.

At Turtle Wax, Ben’s spirit of invention, hard work, hustle and pride inspires all we do.