Penn is a staple in the fishing tackle industry. They were founded in 1932 by Otto Henze in Philadelphia, where he made the first two reel designs (F and K) while working for a bigger fishing reel manufacturer at the time. 1936 was really when the company started to take off though – the year they introduced the iconic Senator reel, which is responsible for many historic records in landing challenging big game fish. They’ve …
Keen is a relatively new shoe company on the market. They were founded in 2005 by Martin Keen in Rhode Island, but quickly moved their headquarters to Portland, Oregon in 2006. Since then, they have captured the attention of workers and hikers across the world for their boots, sandals, and other footwear primarily built for outdoor activities. They’ve also expanded their product line outside of just footwear, now making bags, socks, and other clothing items. …
Husky is a household name in the American workforce. They’ve been around since 1924, founded by Sigmund Mandl in Milwaukee, Wisconsin under the name Husky Wrench. They have been acquired and sold several times over their lifetime by big tool manufacturers like Stanley, National Hand Tool, and plenty of others. Today, they are best known for being ever present on the shelves of Home Depot, who now owns the brand. Husky makes a variety of …
Headquartered in Wilton, Connecticut, Blue Buffalo was founded in 2003 by Bill Bishop, who had one simple mission – to make natural and healthy food for dogs and cats. They make pet food of pretty much any style (wet, dry, treats) and for every life stage of dogs and cats, and have grown tremendously since starting. In 2017, they did well over $1 billion in sales. That caught the attention of the giant General Mills, who …
Williamson-Dickie Manufacturing companu, more commonly known as Dickies, was founded in 1918 in Bryan, Texas by C.N. Williamson and E.E. “Colonel” Dickie. They grew steady for their first 15 years, but really started to explode when they began to supply millions of uniforms for our American armed forces in World War II. From then on, they expanded into several apparel product lines. Today they are headquartered in Forth Worth, TX and are America’s largest manufacturer of …
Leatherman is a household name when it comes to multitools. They were founded in 1983 by Tim Leatherman and Steve Berliner, who saw a hole in the market for an easily portable and durable multitool. That same year, the duo launched their first product – the Pocket Survival Tool (PST) and the rest is history. They are headquartered in Portland, Oregon, the same city that Gerber Gear and a bunch of other outdoor brands call …
Gerber is a legendary knife maker that got started in 1939 in Tigard, Oregon (near Portland), where the company is still headquartered today. Pete Gerber started the business back then making kitchen knives, but quickly pivoted to more tactical knives as the business took off. Today, they are the 2nd leading manufacturer of multi-tools (behind Leatherman) and employ over 300 Americans. In 1987 however, Gerber was bought by a Finnish company called Fiskars Brands, who still …
Founded in 1937 by B.F. Goodrich, PF Flyers is one of the original American sneaker brands. They have been incredibly popular among kids for decades, often known for their enticing slogan of “Run Faster, Jump Higher.” For the younger generation, these shoes were made famous by the movie The Sandlot and the character Benny “The Jet” Rodriguez. Today, they are owned and manufactured by New Balance, who purchased them in 2001. We already investigated New …
