Briggs & Stratton Corp., a manufacturer of air-cooled gasoline engines for the outdoor power equipment industry, announced a yearlong celebration honoring its first 100 years in business. The company plans to celebrate its rich legacy of innovation and continuing success by giving back to the community through numerous festivities in Milwaukee, home of its corporate headquarters, and at many of its locations worldwide.
“This milestone impels us to take pride in what we’ve accomplished so far as well as move forward with a renewed spirit of innovation and a stronger understanding of what Briggs & Stratton stands for,” says John Shiely, chairman, president and CEO, Briggs & Stratton. “For 100 years, our customers have come to us seeking the best product design and quality, and for 100 years we have consistently delivered. Building more than 100 models of engines, millions of people experience quality when they see the Briggs & Stratton name on their engines.”
Beginning in 1908, the founders of the company, Stephen F. Briggs and Harold M. Stratton, laid a foundation that took the company down a diverse path of producing engine-powered bicycles, electric refrigerators, an electric hybrid automobile prototype, coin-operated paper towel dispensing machines, fuses, auto igniters, locks, keys and more. This continued innovation has led to Briggs & Stratton being the world’s largest producer of gasoline engines for outdoor power equipment.
Today, Briggs & Stratton has grown to employ more than 8,000 people with 10 manufacturing facilities globally. The company has reinvented itself with its introduction into the end products business. Now, in addition to manufacturing air-cooled gasoline engines for the outdoor power equipment industry, Briggs & Stratton produces generators, pressure washers, pumps, walk-behind and riding lawn mowers, trimmers, hedgers and more. Globally, the company’s engines can be found on diverse applications such as milking machines in Mexico, sugar cane crushers in Puerto Rico and fishing boats in Vietnam, to name a few.
Its wholly-owned subsidiary, Briggs & Stratton Power Products Group, is North America’s number one manufacturer of portable generators and pressure washers, and is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of lawn and garden and turf care through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Simplicity Manufacturing, and its Simplicity, Snapper, Ferris and Murray brands. Briggs & Stratton products are designed, manufactured, marketed and serviced in more than 100 countries on all seven continents.
“For the past century, Briggs & Stratton has been known for providing incredibly innovative solutions for outdoor power equipment and has been illustrating our credo, The Power Within,” Shiely says. “In every corner of our company, in every department, in every location, you can see The Power Within us at work.”
The company will mark its milestone with numerous activities taking place across the world to mark this momentous occasion.