After his graduation in 1899, he started his career at the Plimpton Press company in Norwood, Massachusetts, a company owned by his uncle Herbert Mosley Plimpton (1859–1948). He worked his way up from a minor position to general manager and treasurer in 1910. In this period he had grown an interest in the
scientific management techniques of
Frederick Winslow Taylor, which he had applied in the Plimpton Press plant. Kendall believed that industrial plants could become efficient when viewed as systems composed of interacting parts but become more efficient in the long-run if the scientific-management philosophy was fully accepted by all parties. This became one of the earliest successful applications of the Taylor system. Kendall acquired and founded many
textile factories and other companies through his company, the Kendall Company, which emphasized product research and scientific processes. His company produced products such as Curity Diapers and Curad finger bandages (those brands are now owned by
Covidien and
Medline Industries, respectively). He first turned around the Lewis Manufacturing Company in Walpole and then purchased the manufacturing village of
Slatersville, Rhode Island. His management was noted for social responsibility and was known for his view that business leadership and industrial management must not only excel in technical management but also ensure industrial communities had healthy social conditions. Kendall Company produced textiles for the government and Red Cross during World War I and expanded throughout the twentieth century acquiring manufacturing facilities in the United States and Mexico. Kendall eventually acquired and founded many
textile factories and other companies through his company, the Kendall Company, which emphasized product research and scientific processes. In 1972 the Kendall Company became a wholly owned subsidiary of
Colgate-Palmolive. ==Personal life==