History of STIHL Inc.
Learn about the more than 50-year history of STIHL Inc. as a top producer of legendary outdoor power equipment in America.
1970 - 1974
- STIHL Incorporated opens for business in leased facility (1974)
1975 - 1979
First U.S. sales office opens (1975)
STIHL Inc. Manufacturing Plant I and Administrative Offices (121,000 square feet) open (1976)
1980 - 1984
- Addition to Manufacturing Plant 1—including Tool and Die Shop, Crankshaft Heat-Treating, and Plastics Department—complete (1980)
- Plant II (173,000 square foot) opens (1983)
- Establishment of STIHL Inc. apprenticeship program (1984)
1985 - 1989
- STIHL Inc. launches the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® series on ESPN (1985)
- Production of the one millionth chainsaw in Virginia Beach (1986)
- Introduction of STIHL Inc. line of protective apparel and accessories (1986)
1990 - 1994
- Fred Whyte named President of STIHL Inc (1992)
1995 - 1999
- 100th birthday of Andreas STIHL (1996)
- Introduction of STIHL 029 Super FARM BOSS® chainsaw (1998)
- Introduction of FS 120 / FS 200 trimmers (1998)
2000 - 2004
- Introduction of STIHL HomeScaper Series™ (2000)
- New Employee Services building opens (2000)
- Addition to Raw Materials Warehouse/Manufacturing (72,000 square feet) complete (2001)
- Introduction of revolutionary STIHL 4-MIX® technology and Precision Series™ hand tool line (2001)
- Introduction and application of the STIHL Easy2Start™ recoil starting system (2003)
- Introduction of the STIHL MM 55 YARD BOSS®, an innovative, multi-task yard care system (2003)
- Third phase of manufacturing expansion (175,000 square feet) complete (2004)
2005 - 2009
- Launch of the STIHL Marketing Advantage Program, allowing independent STIHL servicing dealers to compete with big box retailers (2005)
- New guide bar production plant (60,000 square feet) opens (2007)
- STIHL Inc. becomes the number one selling brand of gas-powered handheld outdoor power equipment among U.S. landscape professionals¹ (2007)
- STIHL Inc. recognizes 1,000th certified Gold Level service technician (2008)
- STIHL Inc. becomes the number one selling brand of gas-powered handheld outdoor power equipment in America² (2009)
2010 - 2014
- Production of 50 millionth unit in the U.S. and Built in America campaign debuts (2012)
- Introduction of the world's first battery-powered cut-off machine—TSA 230 STIHL Cutquik® (2014)
- STIHL Inc. celebrates 40th Anniversary in U.S. (2014)
2015 - 2019
- Independent retail network grows to 9,000 servicing dealers nationwide (2015)
- STIHL Inc. apprenticeship program first in Virginia to receive German American Chamber of Commerce IHK certification (2015)
- STIHL Inc. welcomes new President Bjoern Fischer (2016)
- Introduction of STIHL Battery System, a complete line of consumer and professional battery products (2017)
- First STIHL Inc. battery product, BGA 56, produced in the U.S. (2017)
- Introduction of STIHL Inc. pressure washer line (2017)
- STIHL Inc. rolls out largest product launch in company history (2017)
- Construction begins on new $25 million, 80,000 square foot administration building (2018)
- STIHL Inc. produces 75 millionth unit (2019)
- STIHL Contra—the legendary chainsaw—turns 60 (2019)
- STIHL Inc. announces collaboration with Sara Bendrick, licensed landscape contractor (2019) (2019)
- Construction finalized on new $25 million, 80,000 square foot administration building (2019)
2020 – Present
- STIHL connected launch (2020)
- STIHL Inc. announces GTA 26 battery-powered garden pruner, first of its kind in the U.S. market (2021)
- STIHL Inc. launches new battery-powered professional KombiMotor (2021)
- Hearts of STIHL program launches to support America’s State Parks (2021)
- STIHL Inc. announces the launch of the 135 Platform (2021)
- MS 500i launched as first chainsaw on the worldwide market with fuel injection technology (2021)
- STIHL Inc. announces “Made in America” marketing campaign (2022)
- STIHL Inc. welcomes four new members to Executive Council: President and CEO Terry Horan, Vice President Finance Uwe Hirsch, Vice President Sales and Marketing Chris Keffer, and Vice President Human Resources Melody Doleman (2022)
- STIHL Inc. launches gas-powered zero-turn line (2022)
- Battery pack assembly begins in Virginia Beach manufacturing plant (2022)
- Guide bar facility expansion announced—adding 26,000 square feet, totaling 86,000 square feet (2022)
- STIHL Inc. manufacturing has a record-breaking production year (2022)
- STIHL Inc. announces the dedication of Fred J. Whyte auditorium in admin building (2023)
- STIHL Inc. named #30 (out of 500) on Forbes Best Midsize Employers list (2023)
- Guide bar facility expansion completed (2023)
- Chris Keffer named President of STIHL Inc. (2023)
- STIHL becomes the number one selling brand of battery-powered handheld outdoor power equipment among landscape and tree care professionals in America³ (2023)
¹“Number one selling brand” is based on 2007-2023 syndicated and commissioned surveys conducted by Irwin Broh Research of the U.S. professional landscaper market.²“Number one selling brand” is based on syndicated and commissioned surveys conducted by Irwin Broh Research among U.S. professional landscapers, as well as independent consumer research of 2009-2023 U.S. sales and market share data for the gas-powered handheld outdoor power equipment category combined sales to consumers and commercial landscapers.³“Number one selling brand” is based on 2023 surveys conducted by Irwin Broh Research of the U.S. professional landscaper and tree care markets.