Viking history

1984: The company is incorporated.

1987: First Viking Range is sold.

He then rented a small abandoned factory in the area, hired a manufacturing chief and 30 workers, and in late 1989 the first Viking Range was assembled in Greenwood in a 35,000-square-foot facility.

In 1992 some of Carl's investors grew impatient and threatened to take over the business, but Viking was able to obtain backing from Stephens Inc., the Little Rock, Arkansas, investment bank that took Wal-Mart public.

These investments would pay off in 1994, but the company almost became a victim of its own success.

Because Viking was so behind on orders there was no need to spend money on advertising, but as production got up to speed the company again began to advertise its products in 1996.

Viking was founded in 1997 with the vision that travel could be more destination focused and culturally immersive.

In 1999 Carl came up with an idea to drum up more business and grow the Viking brand.

Also in 2000 Viking introduced its Designer Series Line, which gave customers a look different from the commercial-style products, offering simple shapes, clean lines, and refined details that subtly accented a kitchen rather than making a statement.

Viking also ventured further afield, becoming involved in the hotel business in 2001 by acquiring Greenwood's historic Hotel Irving and adjoining downtown property, which was located within walking distance of Viking's corporate headquarters.

Viking restructured its distribution network in 2002, creating three new distributorships in the eastern United States and another in western Canada.

Viking moved into the small appliance area with the introduction of a blender and stand mixer, and in 2004 opened a research and development center in Starkville, Mississippi, for advanced product development.

Viking Plastics joined Viking Group Inc. in early 2007 to provide an integrated package of products and services for independent fire sprinkler contractors worldwide and create a seamless and comprehensive single-source solution for residential fire protection.

A 2009 merger with Minimax formed one of the largest fire protection companies in the world, giving Minimax Viking unparalleled global capabilities in a wide variety of fire detection, control, and suppression technologies.

Originally from the UK, David now lives in Trondheim and was the original founder of Life in Norway back in 2011.

Philip Parker is author of The Northmen’s Fury: A History of the Viking World (Vintage, 2015). For more information, visit www.philipparker.net

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