In 1953, Jess Wall, fresh out of the service and looking to make his mark in the business world, bought a six-month old, struggling linen supply business in San Antonio. Twelve years later, the Linen Supply News (renamed Textile Rental in 1979) reported in its August 1965 issue that Main Linen Service was thriving under Wall’s watchful eye.
 
Wall, who designed his office with a large window overlooking the plant floor so he could observe day-to-day operations, studied the industry and modeled his facility after some of the top linen suppliers of the day. He sought and ...