Echo Outdoor Power Equipment

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ECHO Outdoor Power Equipment
Type	Private Corporation
Founded	1978
Headquarters	Illinois, USA
Industry	Forestry equipment, Landscape maintenance
Products	Industrial Chainsaws, String trimmers, and Leaf blowers

ECHO Outdoor Power Equipment was founded in Northbrook, Illinois, in 1972 as Kioritz Corporation of America, and was officially established under its present name in 1978. Echo was originally an importer of high-performance 2-cycle engines and 2-stroke, engine-powered hand-held products for Kioritz Corporation of Japan, but its foray into the engineering and manufacturing of products would be an important first step for the company. In 1979, Echo began initial production and assembly operations in a Wheeling, Illinois facility, and produced its first lawn care product in the USA, the GT-200 Grass Trimmer. Soon after, Echo broadened its product offerings to include chain saws, straight shaft trimmers and brushcutters, backpack and hand-held blowers, grass trimmers and hedge clippers. In 1984, Echo Power Equipment Canada was created as a branch of Echo, Inc., and in 1985, Echo established its present-day U.S. corporate headquarters in Lake Zurich, Illinois. In addition to its headquarters, Echo's Lake Zurich location also houses a manufacturing facility, which was expanded by 60,000 square feet (5,600 m²) in 1988 to meet increasing consumer demand.

In 1994, Echo began its relationship with Home Depot as a provider of professional-quality hand-held outdoor power equipment for the residential homeowner market. Although it had sold premium equipment to the consumer market for years through its extensive dealer network, this value-added partnership helped to broaden Echo's market presence. Echo's second production expansion was completed in 1995, when the corporation purchased ten more acres adjacent to its existing facilities and created a 90,000-square-foot (8,400 m²) addition. Not only did this expansion increase production capabilities, but it enabled Echo to build a state-of-the-art emissions facility in which to conduct critical emissions testing. In 1997, Echo saw even more growth as it acquired Technic Tool Corporation and transferred production of the TT Power Pruner product line to Illinois. In 2000, Echo's third and most recent expansion was completed, establishing Echo's 155,000-square-foot (14,400 m²) Distribution Center. Echo, Inc. is a subsidiary of Kioritz Corporation of Japan, and has thirteen distributors serving the U.S. and Canada, as well as eight additional distributors worldwide.