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 (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 and 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, the 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 the 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 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)
- Construction finalized on new 80,000-square-foot administration building (2019)
2020–Present
- STIHL connected launches (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 mower 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 2007–2024 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 2009–2024 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 2023–2024 surveys conducted by Irwin Broh Research of the U.S. professional landscaper and tree care markets.
