Dear Friends of Blount,
Over the past year, our company has been aggressively planning for growth. Thinking about where we’re going has caused us to reflect on where we’ve been.
The result has been an overwhelming sense of gratitude for our company’s heritage of hard work and innovation – not to mention the generations of people who’ve made our success possible. This includes our team members, but also countless customers, vendors and suppliers like you who have partnered with us since the founding of our company in 1947.
Blount has seen numerous milestones, mergers and acquisitions over the years, and many of them were a big deal in their time. But where we are now is a big deal, too – and that’s because it marks the beginning of a new chapter in our company’s story:
Today, we’re pleased to announce that Blount will become Oregon Tool, effective June 2.
We chose the name Oregon Tool for a number of reasons, including:
- The name Oregon Tool allows us to honor and harness the power of our origin story, rooted in the pioneering spirit of our founder, Joe Cox. Cox was inspired by nature – the timber beetle larva, to be exact – to design the modern-day saw chain in the basement of his Portland, Oregon, home. His design revolutionized our industry and continues to drive it today.
- Oregon is the undisputed leader in the global bar and saw chain market. We are confident the momentum inherent in the name Oregon Tool will help our organization and portfolio of brands achieve our growth goals in the years ahead.
- Because Oregon Tool leverages Oregon’s strength in the marketplace, it also lends well to expanding our customer base beyond the professional end user to include DIY consumers and to launch into adjacent product categories in the future.
Not only will this evolution be positive for our company, but also our customers, vendors and suppliers around the world – ultimately enhancing the opportunities we have to achieve growth and success together.
We thank you for your support, and we look forward to serving you as Oregon Tool for years to come.
Let’s go!
Paul Tonnesen
CEO of Oregon Tool