Orbital ATK Inc.: A Global Aerospace and Defense Company

Orbital ATK Inc. is one of the leading names in the arena of aerospace and defense technologies. The company is a global venture and is headquartered in Dulles, Virginia. The business was formerly known as Alliant Techsystems, Inc. and was incorporated in May 1990.

The company is engaged in the designing and manufacturing of space, defense and aviation-related systems. It operates as a prime contractor and as a merchant supplier to customers around the globe. Additionally, they also engage in the manufacturing of ammunition, which it supplies to the military. The operations of the company are divided into three segments, namely Flight Systems Group, Defense Systems Group and Space Systems Group.

The offerings of Orbital ATK, Inc. compete against the products and services of Lockheed Martin Corporation, The Boeing Company, Thales Alenia Space, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Sierra Nevada Corporation, Space Exploration Technologies Corporation and Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, among others. The company remains publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange (OA).

Northwest Bancshares: A Savings and Loan Bank Holding Company

Northwest Bancshares is one of the holding companies in the United States that operates a subsidiary that has been around for more than a century. The company, which was incorporated in September 2009 is the parent company of a savings and loan bank, the Northwest Savings Bank. Its corporate office is located in Warren, Pennsylvania.

The operations of the business are divided into two reporting segments, namely Consumer Finance and Community Banking. The Consumer Finance unit is represented by Northwest Consumer Discount Company, which is a subsidiary of Northwest Bank. This affiliate continues to offer a wide range of personal installment loans that are tailored for a range of consumer and real estate products. This subsidiary is based in Pennsylvania and currently has more than 50 offices in operation. The Community Banking segment of the company is represented by the bank, which has more than 180 branch locations across 4 states.

The bank offers a wide range of products and services, which include checking, online banking, online bill payment, ATMs, wealth management, loans, cash management services and several others. The bank is more than 119 years old now and operates as a trusted partner in building dreams, reaching financial independence and in preparing for the future. Northwest Savings Bank has made it their commitment to deliver their services with the customer as their focal point. For years, it has become a part of the success of Americans and in building the American dream.

As of December 2014, the bank has reported their deposits to be more than $5 million. To supplement its pooled deposits, the company has access to the Federal Home Loan Banks for quick borrowings for their lending activities. Northwest Bancshares operates as a publicly traded company on the NASDAQ, using the symbol NWBI.

Children's Hunger Fund: Helping Local Churches Meet the Needs of Their Impoverished Communities

Children's Hunger Fund (CHF), a non-profit Christian organization provides a wide range of effective, efficient and responsive resources including training to local churches in helping them meet the urgent needs of their impoverished communities. The organization extends its valuable assistance to local churches in the United States and in many developing countries abroad. As of 2013, it has given over $1 billion in assistance to children and families in need.

CHF has humble beginnings. Dave Phillips, its founder, worked with just one employee with a small garage as their office from 1992 to 1994. The two-man organization worked with eight local churches, which covered 200 to 300 families.

When the Los Angeles riots happened in 1992, the organization expanded its coverage to include South Central Los Angeles. During the 1994 Northridge earthquake, FEMA requested CHF to participate in the widespread relief efforts and the organization has continued to expand since then. Today, it conducts operations in more than 72 countries including the United States.

CitiHope International: Working Toward Putting a Healthy Life Within Reach

Founded as the CitiHope Radio Ministry in 1985, CitiHope International works toward putting a healthy and happy life within reach of everyone. The non-profit organization achieves its mission through programs and projects designed to promote good health, prevent diseases, and provide treatments to several underserved populations worldwide. Its strategies involve focusing its wide range of resources on a few selected areas across the world with the aim of making a world of difference for good.

CitiHope International is known for its commitment to upholding the values of integrity, stewardship, and compassion in all of its dealings from soliciting donations to distributing assistance. Its dedicated men and women exemplify these values through their concrete actions.

As the CitiHope Radio Ministry, the non-profit Christian organization aired its ministry on a daily basis in New York City, a vital connection between the urban ministries in the city and their donors. Even then, it was an active presence in the fight against homelessness, hunger, and neglect through several programs and projects including Boxes of Love for families, Easter Bags for children, and Homeless Comfort Kits for the homeless.

Today, CitiHope International continues its urban ministries albeit on a worldwide scale. It is one of most trusted charitable organizations in the United States, thanks partly to its effective, efficient and responsive programs and projects, many of which have been models for other similar organizations.

CitiHope has several advantages, which pushes its agenda, over other similar organizations including:

• Advances needs assessment wherein regional team members including medical staff make personal visits to each prospective health institution, such as hospitals, targeted for partnership in medical relief.
• In-country infrastructure wherein the organization either maintains regional offices or established partnerships with reputable local non-government organizations in countries where it works.
• Approval from the ministry of health and its instrumentalities including state pharmaceutical committees.

CitiHope is also known for its protocol education, hands-on approach, and post-delivery feedback, among other mechanisms.

Horace Mann Educators Corp: Helping Educators Protect and Prepare for Their Future

Two Springfield, Illinois teachers created Horace Mann Educators Corporation in 1945. From the small venture they created, grew a company that offers affordable auto insurance for teachers. The business has long diversified its offerings to become an insurance holding company.

The company offers affordable insurance policies that help educators protect what they consider as important. They also help these professionals prepare for their future and be successful tomorrow. The company has a partnership with DonorsChoose.org to help provide teachers gain access to classroom funding. Additionally, they also provide financial literacy for educators across the country through their free workshops. They now serve more than 4,100 school districts across the United States.

Horace Mann Educators is now a publicly traded company with more than $10 billion in assets. It continues to market its common shares on the New York Stock Exchange and uses the ticker symbol HMN. The business is listed as a component of the Russell 3000 Index.

Hallmark Financial Services, Inc.: Offering Property and Casualty Insurance Products

Hallmark Financial Services, Inc. is an insurance holding company that is currently headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. The business was incorporated in 1990 and continues to focus in offering property and casualty insurance products. The offerings of the business are marketed to both businesses and individuals across the United States.

Through the company’s approach in strategic acquisition, it expands its operations and at the same time diversifies its offerings. The company started out as a mono-line company and began offering other coverages in 2003. It is involved in marketing, underwriting, distributing and servicing its property and casualty insurance products. There are five business units that operate within the venture, namely Standard Commercial P&C, Workers Compensation, E&S Commercial, Hallmark Select and Personal Lines.

The Standard Commercial P&C unit markets commercial insurance and occupational accident insurance. The Workers Compensation segment focuses on workers compensation for small and medium-sized markets. E&S Commercial services the excess and surplus markets and offers commercial insurance products. The offerings of Hallmark Select include insurance focused on aviation, medical professional liability, satellite launch, and low and middle market commercial umbrella and excess liability. Automobile insurance and complementary personal insurance products are the offerings of the their Personal Line business division. The formation of these divisions is the result of the company’s acquisition of companies like Non-standard Auto Insurer, Specialty E&S MGA & General Aviation MGA, Texas County Mutual Insurance Company and Excess & Umbrella MGU. The largest chunk of the premiums generated by the company is coming from their Hallmark Specialty Underwriters, which comprise 48% of their annual premiums.

Hallmark Financial Services, Inc. is listed as a component of the Russell 3000 Index. The company remains publicly traded on the NASDAQ Global Market and continues to trade its common shares using the ticker symbol HALL.

Entellus Medical, Inc.: A Medical Technology Company

Registered as a medical technology company, Entellus Medical, Inc. engages in the development and commercialization of various products that are intended for treatment of patients with chronic sinusitis.

Headquartered in Plymouth, Minnesota, Entellus Medical, Inc. creates products that minimally invasive. Their flagship product is the XprESS family of products, these medical products are used by physicians to open narrowed or obstructed sinus drainage pathways. Partnered with balloon sinus dilation, these medical advancements are used to treat patients with symptomatic inflammation of the nasal sinuses. ENT (ear, nose and throat) physicians across the country and in some select international  markets continue to make use of these products. The biggest markets of the business are in the United States and in Canada.

Incorporated in August 2006, Entellus Medical, Inc. continues to publicly trade on the NASDAQ Global Market. Common shares of the business are marketed using the ticker symbol ENTL.

Essendant: North America’s Largest Wholesale Distributor of Business Products

When it comes to business products, Essendant is considered as one of the largest companies in North America. The company was created in 1922 and was introduced as the United Stationers. It is registered as a wholesale distributor of various products that are intended to help their clients move their business and achieve greater heights.

Headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois, Essendant generates more than $5.08 billion in annual revenue. The business is listed as a component of the Russell 3000 Index and one of the Fortune 500 companies. There are several divisions that operate within the business. These segments continue to support a wide range of industries and offers office supplies, business products, industrial offerings, electronics, furniture and janitorial products and services.

The segments include Automotive Essentials, CPO, Business & Facility Essentials and Industrial Essentials. The Automotive Essentials division is represented by 5 businesses, including MEDCO, G2S, Ace Tool Company, ETW, Tool Specialists, AIM Supply, and ALCO Tool Supply. These companies continue to supply the automotive market with various professional tools and equipment. Some of these businesses are considered as the largest in North America. CPO continues to operate more than 45 online tool specialty stores. These e-commerce sites market products that are used by millions of DIY (Do-It-Yourself) customers. The Business & Facility Essentials division is further segmented into three units, namely Business Essentials (United Stationers), Facility Essentials (Lagasse) and Printing and Imaging Essentials (Azerty). The division supplies a wide range of furniture, janitorial & sanitation products, technology items and other related merchandise for the office. The Industrial Essentials unit is represented by Ors Nasco, which continues to market various industrial products used in the oilfield, construction, safety, welding and industrial markets.

Essendant partners with a wide range of industries and remains to be a trusted partner when it comes to on-time delivery. The company goes beyond just the products they offer, they market solutions that work and brand names that have been trusted for years. 

City National Corp: A Bank Holding Company

Operating as a bank and financial holding company, City National Corporation carries out its transactions through its wholly owned subsidiary, the City National Bank. The business holds its corporate office in Beverly Hills, California.

As a financial services company, City National Bank offers a wide range of banking, trust and investment services. The operations of the company cover the areas of Southern California, New York City, Nashville, Nevada, San Francisco Bay area and Atlanta. Their offerings are marketed to individuals, families, businesses and select institutions. They have 75 banking branches, which include 16 full service regional centers. There are three segments within their operations, Commercial and Private Banking, Wealth Management and Others.

Recognized as one of the top wealth managers, City National Corporation remains publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange. Common shares of the business are marketed using the ticker symbol CYN. The company is listed as one of the components of the Russell 3000 Index.

Children’s Place: The Global Brand Name for Children’s Apparel

Generating more than $1.8 billion in annual revenue, Children’s Place operates as a specialty retailer of children’s apparel and accessories. The business is one of the American apparel companies that are publicly traded on the NASDAQ. Common shares of the business are marketed using the ticker symbol PLCE.

The business is headquartered in Secaucus, New Jersey. Its initial public offering happened in 1997. As a pure-play children’s specialty retailer, the company is recognized as the largest in North America. It engages in the designing, manufacturing, licensing and marketing of fashionable, high quality products that are sold at reasonable prices. The products of the company are also sold by third parties which rebrand their products. While this operation generates a substantial portion of their revenue, the company’s retail stores continue to produce the largest chunk of their earnings.

As of October 2015, the company’s store operations include more than 1,080 branches across the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada. Other than these store locations, they also maintain an online site that allows consumers to ship their products around the world. Additionally, they also have 90 other international stores that are franchised in 12 countries. The stores of Children’s Place are divided into four departments, namely Big Girls, Baby Girls, Big Boy and Baby Boys. These departments are intended to cater to the needs of various child sizes.

Created in 1989 the business has made it their commitment to continue on creating fashionable items that are manufactured with the highest quality. They continue to workon their mission of becoming the preferred brand name for kids’ apparel. Through a combination of organic growth and strategic acquisition, the company expands its operations on a global scale. There are more than 4,500 associates who work for the business.

U.S. Venture Partners: Helping Entrepreneurs Build Competitive Companies

Since its inception in 1981 by Bill Bowes, Robert Sackman, and Stuart Moldaw, U.S. Venture Partners (USVP) has been committed to its mission of helping entrepreneurs build competitive world-class companies. As a venture capital investment firm, it has made over $2.7 billion in investments in more than 450 companies across diverse industries including IT security, enterprise software, consumer internet, healthcare, e-commerce, and IT-enabled healthcare services. Many – 84 as of 2015 – of the companies where it invested in have successfully completed their initial public offering.

USVP is currently on its tenth institutional fund known as USVP X. Its investment team presently includes Dafina Toncheva, Casey Tansey, Jacques Benkoski, Jonathan Root, Steve Krausz, John Hadl, Rick Lewis, and Alfonso Castillo.

Among its select portfolio of companies are 4INFO, Castlight Health, GoPro, Act-On, Box, Intersect ENT, Heartflow, InsideSales.com, Omada Health, Quixey, HotelTonight, PlaceIQ, Zefr, OncoMed, Smartling, and Zerto. The firm has also made several notable historical investments in Sun Microsystems, PetSmart, SanDisk, Callaway Golf, Checkpoint, Yammer, St. Francis Medical, Ross Stores, Nanostim, Ask Jeeves, Proleolix, Adify, Guidewire Software, Mellanox, Dotomi, Imperva, Trusteer, Vontu, and Trunk Club.

USAA: Serving the Needs of the Men and Women of the US Military

The United Services Automobile Association (USAA) was originally known as the United States Army Automobile Association upon its inception in 1922 by US Army officers who established it as a mutual insurance company. Its current name was adopted in 1924 when the commissioned officers of the other branches of the US military became eligible for membership.

From its 286-acre headquarters in San Antonio, Texas, the USAA has become a group of companies engaged in diversified financial services offering a wide range of banking, insurance, and investments to individuals and their immediate families who are in active service or who have served in the United States military. By the end of 2014, the Fortune 500 company had 10.7 million members and counting.

The USAA is also considered an innovator in the industry. For example, it is a pioneer in the direct marketing model wherein most of its transactions are conducted by employees, not agents, using telephone and Internet technology. It first conducted the bulk of its business via mail in the 1960s, which transitioned into phone-based services in the late 1960s, followed by a toll-free number in 1978, and finally the Internet-based sales and services via its website in 1999.

The organization has several lines of business including:

• Casualty, life, and property insurance including homeowner, renters, and automobile insurance as well as personal property and umbrella insurance, among others. Emphasis must be made that while its life insurance policies are mostly standard in the business, these are different than most because these exclude the war exclusion clause.

• Banking services are provided by financial centers as well as the USAA Federal Savings Bank, which was established in December 1983 and which held more than $43.8 billion in deposits from over 6.3 million accounts (as of June 2011). The USAA Federal Savings Bank is the only facility offering full-service banking services while the financial centers provide related services, such as assistance and advice in obtaining USAA’s services including online opening of accounts.

Other services are investments and financial planning, mail-order catalog service, and real estate services.

Valve Corporation Engages Consumers With Its Videogames

Gabe Newell and Mike Harrington, former Microsoft employees, founded Valve LLC in August 1996. In April 2003, the company changed its name from Valve LLC to Valve Corporation as well as moved its headquarters from Kirkland, Washington to Bellevue, Washington where Sierra On-Line, Inc., its original publisher, was also based.

Valve Corporation is among the most well-known videogame developers as well as digital distribution companies in the United States. The company has developed several successful videogames including Counter-Strike, Half-Life, Day of Defeat, Portal, Left 4 Dead, Team Fortress, and Dota 2, among others; all of these videogames have been both critically acclaimed and commercially successful.

The videogame developer also develops and maintains Source, which supports most of its games, and Steam, a software distribution platform. Steam, in turn, has resulted in the development of Steam Machine, a line of pre-built gaming personal computers with SteamOS at their core.

Valve Corporation also has an office in Luxembourg for its European offices.

VantagePoint Capital Partners Makes Worthwhile Investments

In 1996, Alan E. Salzman and Jim Marver founded VantagePoint Venture Partners and had led its success since then. The co-founders established the venture capital firm with a mission of identifying, inventing in, and mentoring entrepreneurs and start-ups that want to revolutionize sectors and change the world. The venture capital firm has maintained its focus on investments in the healthcare, clean technology, and information technology industries for this reason.

After making several successful investments in information technology and Internet, VantagePoint Venture Partners realized that its investment focus should also include clean energy technology. Said realization came after observations that the world’s energy practices should be modernized considering its over-reliance on fossil fuels, crumbling infrastructures, and growing inefficiency worsened by a growing world population. The firm decided that these energy issues can be addressed by the careful applications of advanced technology in several areas including solid-state lighting, bio-chemicals, solar power generation, electrification of transportation, resource efficiency, and grid modernization.

While still making investments in information technology, healthcare, digital media, and financial technology, the venture firm shifted its focus on start-ups and companies making notable innovations in energy-related fields. Among its early investments are Tesla, an electric vehicle manufacturer; BrightSource Energy, a utility scale solar power provider; Bridgelux, an LED lighting pioneer; and Genomatica, an advanced biochemical innovator, among others.

In 2010, the firm changed its name from VantagePoint Venture Partners to VantagePoint Capital Partners. The change was brought about by the firm’s desire to better reflect its change of focus from venture funding to growth equity funding, a move that goes beyond the limits of venture funding. The company also wanted to reflect the increased complexity of its funding structure in terms of its support for the scale-up and build-out of the highly innovative companies it invests in.

Today, the company has $4 billion in managed assets. Vantage Point Capital Partners has also established several strategic partnerships with global corporations including best Buy, Air Products, IBM, Proctor & Gamble, and DuPont, among others.

Venus Swimwear Brings Out The Best in Bodies

In 1984, Daryle Scott formed his company, Venus Body Wear, as a clothing and swimsuit retailer with a wide range of exercise apparel and ladies’ leotards. In 1984, he expanded his product lines to include women’s swimwear, which he called Venus Swimwear.

From its humble beginnings, the Venus brand continued to grow through acquisitions. In 1999, the company purchased WinterSilks, a well-known importer of silk-based ready-to-wear products. In accordance with its expanded product lines, the company changed its name to Venus.

By 2006, Golden Gate Capital acquired 80 percent of Venus, Venus Manufacturing, and WinterSilks; the former used its Catalog Holdings Group for the purchase. The three acquired companies were united under a single company, Venus Holdings LLC.

In 2009, Bon Prix, an Otto subsidiary and a German catalog company, acquired Venus Holdings.

The Venus brand was the official swimsuit sponsor for the Miss America pageant in 2007. It was also the official presenting sponsor for the cheerleaders at the The Jacksonville ROAR 2014/2015.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals: The Science of Possibility

Founded by Joshua Boger and Kevin Kinsella in 1989, Vertex was established on the firm conviction that no challenge should be too great especially where improving the quality of life for people with serious diseases is concerned. The biotechnology firm is also among the first in the industry to use rational drug design as a strategy instead of combinatorial chemistry.

Vertex is proud to be a pioneer in the industry with several firsts including:

• 1996 – The company was the first to publish the hepatitis C virus in cell’s protease crystal structure.

• 1999 – Together with GlaxoSmithKline, the company co-discovered and commercialized an HIV protease inhibitor, which was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration during this year.

• 2005 – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration grants its approval for a second HIV protease inhibitor, which was also created in collaboration with GlaxoSmithKline.

• 2007 – The company conducted its clinical research and development on multiple oral drugs for targeting the underlying causes of cystic fibrosis, not just the symptoms.

• 2010 – The company completes its first-ever New Drug Application, which was followed the following year with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s approval for its first drug, telaprevir (Incivek). The drug, a protease inhibitor, is an oral treatment for hepatitis C that was developed, commercialized and distributed by Vertex with Johnson & Johnson.

• 2012 – The company receives approval for its first-ever cystic fibrosis medicine in the United States, Canada and Europe. The drug, ivacaftor marketed under the Kalydeco trade name, treats the underlying cause of cystic fibrosis for a specific cohort (i.e., patients 6 years or older who have been identified with the G551D gene mutation.

• 2015 – The company receives the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s approval for its second cystic fibrosis drug.

In fact, Vertex is the first and only biotech company to have developed multiple medicines that target cystic fibrosis’ underlying cause, an achievement for which it was awarded the first Forbes Breakthrough Drug Award.

Visteon Corporation: Establishing Relationships With Major Players

In 2000, Visteon Corporation became an independent company from Ford Motor Company during its spin-off. Since its independence, the American international supplier of automotive electronics products has become a Fortune 500 company with multiple businesses engaged in the design, engineering, and manufacture of systems and solutions for various clients. Among its equally world-renowned clients are Daimler, BMW, Ford, General Motors, Chrysler, Nissan, and Hyundai, among other major North American, European and Asian automobile manufacturers.

Visteon is listed on the New York Stock Exchange. In 2013, it reported a $7.439 billion sales; $6 billion in total assets; and 24,000 employees in its offices worldwide. By setting a corporate goal of expansion of business with notable companies, Visteon currently enjoys profitable relationships with the abovementioned major companies.

The company maintains three corporate offices, namely, the North American Corporate and Innovation Center in Van Buren Township, Michigan; the Asia Pacific Corporate Office and Innovation Center in Shanghai, China; and the European Corporate Office in Chelmsford, United Kingdom.

VIZ Media: World’s Leader in Manga and Anime Works

VIZ Media, LLC is among the world’s leaders in the creation of manga, anime and entertainment works, an industry status it has started building since its founding in 1986 as VIZ LLC. The present-day VIZ Media LLC was formed with the merger of VIZ LLC and ShoPro Entertainment, a joint ownership of Shueisha, Shogakukan, and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions. The Japanese-American company has its headquarters in San Francisco, California.

In accordance with its manga and anime focus, VIZ Media releases its manga ratings for their own content. The ratings include A (All Ages) suitable for all readers; T (Teen) for 13 years and above containing violence, strong language, and crude humor; T+ (Older Teen) for 15 years and above containing intense violence, nudity, and sexual content as well as substance abuse; and M (Mature Readers) for 17 years and above due to extreme violence, graphic depictions, and mature themes. Audiences are advised to follow the manga ratings, which are also used on the licensed anime titles, for full enjoyment of the content.

VIZ Media uses the right-to-left format in many of its publications in accordance with the prevalent Japanese format; these publications include Dragon Ball, as requested by Akira Toriyama, its author; and Vagabond in order to preserve its historical accuracy. Other publications are printed in the Western left-to-right reading format. The company also uses self-censorship practices on some of its titles while also publishing both censored and uncensored formats, such as in the case of Dragon Ball.

For its world-class production quality, VIZ Media has been recognized for its work several times. Its awards include the Diamond Comic Distributors’ 2007 Manga Publisher of the Year Gem Award and the Manga Trade Paperback of the Year for the 14th volume in the Naruto series.

VIZ Media has several ultra-popular series that it has kept on publishing, such as One Piece, Detective Conan, InuYasha, Bleach, and Naruto.

Wakefern Food Corporation: Cooperative Model Taken to the Next Level

Founded in 1946 with its headquarters in Keasbey, New Jersey, the Wakefern Corporation is considered as a pioneer in taking the cooperative business model to the next level. The corporation, after all, is the biggest retailers’ cooperative group of hypermarkets and supermarkets in the United States as well as the State of New Jersey’s largest employer with over 36,000 workers.

Wakefern’s business model is one of the most successful as evidenced by its success, such as owning one of the largest trucking fleets and being the fourth-largest cooperative in the United States; it has over 3000 stores. In 2015, its overall revenue was $15.7 billion, an impressive feat considering the decreasing revenues of many of its competitors.

Wakefern has also been the recipient of many awards for its business model. These include the Retailer Excellence Award by Supermarket News in 2011; the Retailer of the Year by The Griffin Report and Progressive Grocer in 2011; and one of the Best Places to Work in New Jersey by NJBIZ Magazine in 2012.

Wahl Clipper: Grooming Is Its Game

The Wahl Clipper Corporation has been at the forefront of personal and professional grooming products for both people and animals since 1919 when the first practical hair clipper was invented. The company currently has more than 3,300 employees worldwide spread across its Sterling, Illinois headquarters, six manufacturing facilities worldwide and eleven sales officers. With a comprehensive range of world-class grooming products characterized by their efficiency, value and integrity, it’s no wonder that Wahl Clipper’s products are distributed and sold in over 160 countries – and counting.

The seeds for the Wahl Clipper Corporation were planted in 1911 when Leo J. Wahl, then a high school junior, conducted experiments on a vibrating electromagnetic motor and then with a vibrating medical massager while an engineering student. He took over his uncle’s business, Wahl Manufacturing Company, and began manufacturing his electromagnetic hair clipper in 1919.

By 1921, Leo purchased his uncle’s business and incorporated it to become the Wahl Clipper Corporation and, thus, started the years of innovation that continue to drive the corporation forward. Leo himself applied for more than 100 patents for his various inventions, a tradition that the current management continues to this day.

Among its innovations are the professional shear sharpeners, hair dryers, and curling brushes as well as attachments for hair clippers in the 1940s; the flexible-blade electric razor, the Vac Clipper (i.e., a clipper with a built-in vacuum hair pick-up), and the permanent magnet type rotary motor clipper incorporated into a new animal clipper in the 1960s; and the first cordless/rechargeable battery-operated hair clipper/trimmer in 1967.

Other innovations include foot and back massagers with features for controlling heat and vibration (1975); battery-operated brow and nose trimmer (1977); Groomsman, a battery-operated facial hair trimmer (1984); and ZeeCurl and FrenZee, a flat-barrel curling iron (1987).

Today, the corporation is among the international industry leaders in the manufacture of professional and personal beauty and barber salon products as well as animal grooming products.