Cotterman Company was established in 1925 as I.D. Cotterman Company, headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The core product was rolling wood track ladders. In the mid 1940’s, I.D. Cotterman introduced the rolling steel warehouse ladder, a form of rolling staircase designed to access nearly anything out of reach in industrial or commercial environments. Gradually rolling ladders became the core product line and Cotterman became the brand the industry associated with quality rolling ladders.