Snapper Inc.

Snapper, Inc. is a United States company, formerly based in McDonough, Georgia, that manufactures residential and professional lawn-care and snow-removal equipment. Snapper is known for its high-quality red "rear-engine" riding lawnmowers that are capable of standing on-end for storage or repairs, and for its claim to have invented the first self-propelled rotary lawn mower.

History

The company began in 1894 as Southern Saw Works. Later, in the 1940s, as the McDonough Power Company, it was acquired by William Raymond Smith, who changed the company's direction when the lumber industry declined. Smith recognized a need for lawn mowers and patented a mowing blade.^[1] With this, he created the "Snappin' Turtle," named so for the way it snapped the grass and for its turtle figurine on the top front of the first model.

Producing an assortment of lawn-care tools, Snapper, Inc. had facilities in two States. In 2002, Snapper was acquired by Simplicity Manufacturing,^[2] which was subsequently acquired by Briggs & Stratton in 2004.

No, then, Yes to Walmart

In 2006, Snapper's CEO was featured in an inspiring story about maintaining quality rather than selling out to Walmart's death spiral of cost-cutting via overseas outsourcing and shoddy materials and workmanship.^[3]

In 2013, the fairytale ended, with the Snapper brand once again appearing in Walmart stores.^[4] These are not the higher-quality, higher-priced Snapper mowers featured at independent dealers, but, instead, cheaper, lower-quality Murray mowers rebranded for the Walmart masses.^[5]

In 2014, Snapper's historic Georgia plant was abandoned. The entire staff of 475 is to be replaced in 2015 by just 370 employees (220 FTEs and 150 temps) in Wisconsin. ^[6]

References

External links

• Snapper, Inc. web site
• Snapper NXT mowers web site
• Fast Company: The Man Who Said No to Wal-Mart