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Leatherman company history timeline

1983

They incorporated as the Leatherman Tool Group and set up production in Simplicity's plant, shipping their first tools right before Christmas 1983.

1991

1991: Leatherman wins the first of many trademark infringement cases.

1993

Still, Leatherman continued to face issues of product backlog; as late as 1993, the year Berliner left the company to join Simplicity Tool, the company had been unable to reduce its five-month backlog.

By 1993, Leatherman Tool Group dominated one of the hottest and newest niches in the cutlery business--that of the multi-purpose folding pocket tool--selling more than one million of its Pocket Survival Tools and generating upwards of $30 million in revenue.

By 1993, the company had successfully sued 13 companies for trademark infringement--among them Sears, Roebuck & Co. and JC Penney.

1994

By 1994, sales had increased 45 percent since the debut of the Pocket Survival Tool.

Then Keanu Reeves used a Leatherman to pry open elevator doors in the 1994 film Speed.

1998

In 1998, the company introduced another new addition, the Wave, a tool designed with more features than any other Leatherman.

2001

By the end of 2001, the company had sold more than 20 million tools.

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Founded
1983
Company founded
Headquarters
Portland, OR
Company headquarter
Founders
Timothy Leatherman,Steve Berliner
Company founders
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Leatherman competitors

Company nameFounded dateRevenueEmployee sizeJob openings
Apex Tool Group2010$1.6B8,000-
Acme United1867$194.5M552-
The Coleman Company1900$900.0M3,5002
Crane Co.1855$1.5B11,000244
Olin1892$6.5B6,400100
Wolverine World Wide1883$1.8B3,700106
PACCAR1905$31.6B27,000144
Hoover1907$750.0M144
Johnson Outdoors1970$592.8M1,40047
Buck Knives1902$80.0M3207

Leatherman history FAQs

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Leatherman may also be known as or be related to Leatherman, Leatherman Tool, Leatherman Tool Group, Leatherman Tool Group Inc and Leatherman Tool Group, Inc.