PORTLAND, Ore. –
Blount, Inc. unveiled a new corporate name – Oregon Tool. The global manufacturer of professional
grade cutting tools and equipment selected Oregon Tool as its new name to
harness the power of its pioneering origin story.
The company was founded by
Joe Cox in 1947 in the basement of his Portland home. Inspired by nature, Cox
studied a timber beetle larva to understand how to cut wood more efficiently.
With his learnings, he designed a new saw chain that was modeled after the
larva’s alternating C-shape jaws. He called it the “Cox Chipper Chain” and
started the Oregon Saw Chain Corp. to produce it.
Over the years, the
company has grown into a multinational organization with numerous acquisitions
and mergers. Today, the newly named Oregon Tool has over 3,000 team members and
sells thousands of products in more than 110 countries across multiple consumer
brands, among them Oregon, Woods and ICS Diamond Tools.
“We are certainly proud of
where we’ve been and where we are, but we’re even more excited about where
we’re going as Oregon Tool,” said Oregon Tool CEO Paul Tonnesen. “Because
Oregon is the undisputed leader in the global bar and saw chain market, we are
confident the inspiration and momentum inherent in the name Oregon Tool will
help our organization achieve our goals in the years ahead, including
aggressive growth across brands and launching into adjacent categories. We will
also go beyond serving the professional end user and expand how we’re serving
the do-it-yourself consumer.”
The shift from Blount,
Inc. to Oregon Tool will be effective June 2. To learn more, visit www.oregontool.com.
