The ATCO family of real estate companies was born of a real life rags to riches story. In the late 1800’s, Henry Hemmerdinger left Germany and arrived in New York City with his father, eager to live the American dream. Like so many immigrants, they tried to find a niche in the thriving metropolis by starting a small business. Henry, not yet twelve years old, pushed a large cart through the teeming streets of Brooklyn, buying scraps of cloth that his father boiled and processed. They would load the processed material back onto the cart and Henry would sell his product door-to-door as wiping cloths and furniture stuffing. Through hard work, the rag business grew into the very successful Atlas Waste Company.
