SportsTurf

September 2014

SportsTurf provides current, practical and technical content on issues relevant to sports turf managers, including facilities managers. Most readers are athletic field managers from the professional level through parks and recreation, universities.

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40 SportsTurf | September 2014 www.sportsturfonline.com I n 2014, STIHL Inc. is celebrating 40 years of manufacturing in the United States. Founded in 1974 by Andreas Stihl AG & Co. KG, Waiblingen, Germany, STIHL Inc. began with less than 50 people assembling one model of chain saw. It has grown to 1,900 employees in Virginia Beach (with 200 more employees in branch locations) building more than 70 different models and more than 275 model variations in the U.S. STIHL Inc. manufactures chain saws, grass and weed trim- mers, leaf blowers, hedge trimmers, edgers, extended-length hedge trimmers, pole pruners, brushcutters, earth augers, wood-boring drills, monofilament trimmer line, and chain saw guide bars. Located in Virginia Beach, Va., STIHL Inc., the head- quarters for U.S. operations for the worldwide STIHL Group, exports to more than 90 countries around the world; and the majority of STIHL powerheads sold in America are also built in America.* The company, which originally operated out of only 20,000 square feet of rented space, now boasts more than 2.4-million square feet (under roof) of building space nationwide (2 million of which is located in Virginia Beach). The company has 150 total acres of property in Virginia Beach (180 nationwide). Distribution is exclusive to six independent U.S. distributors and six STIHL-owned marketing and distribution centers that sell STIHL products to a nationwide network of 8,500 servic- ing retail dealers. STIHL is the only gasoline-powered chain saw manufac- turer in the world that designs and manufactures its own saw chain (in Switzerland) and guide bars, with the newest guide bar manufacturing facility in Virginia Beach. STIHL products are protected by more than 1,000 patents. STIHL "firsts" include: • Automatic chain oiling • Centrifugal clutch • Chain braking system • Electronic ignition system • Single-lever Master Control Lever • Anti-vibration system • Quick Chain Adjuster (QCA) system • Side-access chain adjustment • ElastoStart system • Ematic System • World's quietest, gasoline-powered chain saw (at the time, 1996) • Auger brake • STIHL Easy2Start dual-spring starting mechanism • Dual chain braking system • Intelligent Engine Management (IEM) • STIHL M-Tronic • World's first electronically controlled fuel-injection sys- tem on handheld outdoor power equipment *A majority of STIHL powerheads are built in the United States from domestic and foreign parts and components. Information provided by STIHL Inc. STIHL Inc. Celebrates 40 Years of Manufacturing in the United States A n n i v e r s a r y S e r i e s S p e c i a l All photos provided by STIHL Inc.

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