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Press Room: Corporate News
Hamilton Beach History
1904:
Chester Beach and Louis “L.H.” Hamilton meet as colleagues at the U.S. Standard Electrical Works in Racine, Wisconsin. Beach, who had grown up on a farm, has a knack for working with electrical and mechanical equipment. Hamilton is hired as the company’s advertising manager.
Beach works to perfect a lightweight, high-speed universal motor. He creates a fractional horsepower motor capable of 7,200 revolutions per minute. Since this powerful, safe motor can operate on both alternating and direct current, its applications are numerous. Various implementations of Beach’s motor make Racine, Wisconsin the “Small Electric Capital of the World.”
1910:
Frederick Osius, Hamilton and Beach leave the U.S. Standard Electrical Works to form The Hamilton Beach Manufacturing Company in Racine, Wisconsin. The new company uses the names “Hamilton” and “Beach” because Osius isn’t fond of his surname. In fact, he pays Hamilton and Beach $1,000 for the use of their names.
At the new company, Osius is financier and is in charge of sales, Hamilton works as the general business manager and advertising director and Beach is the factory superintendent.
1911:
The company files a U.S. patent for a drink mixer agitator implement.
1912:
Hamilton Beach introduces the Sew-E-Z home electric motor, which is used as an interchangeable driving mechanism for various attachments – sewing machines, fans, grinders, buffers and cake-batter mixers.
1921:
Hamilton Beach introduces a portable household vacuum weighing less than 10 pounds. A second product, a heavier commercial vacuum, is marketed toward women who want to work outside the home.
1925:
Model A food mixer and juice extractor are introduced. The motor shell plate features a choice of red or green.
1929:
Hamilton Beach’s product catalog expands to include food mixers, juice extractors, fans, floor polishers, meat grinders and jewelers’ motors.
1934:
The company receives a patent for a manual juice extractor, and it also introduces the third-generation stand mixer, model C.
1941:
Hamilton Beach contributes to the wartime effort and produces instrumentation motors for military equipment.
1965:
Hamilton Beach introduces the hole-in-the-handle electric knife, which allows cooks to easily grip a slim handle when carving a turkey or slicing a ham. Product features include a stainless steel blade and a blade-release button for extra safety.
This design went on to win a National Housewares Manufacturers Association Design in Housewares award in 1966.
1966:
Hamilton Beach contracts Rene Verdon, the Kennedy administration’s White House chef, to be the company’s primary culinary consultant.
1971:
Hamilton Beach introduces the Butter-Up® Popper, a popcorn popper that butters popcorn as it pops. The product’s see-thru lid doubles as a serving bowl.
1977:
A Hamilton Beach blender is featured in a Dan Aykroyd skit as the “Super Bass-O-Matic 76” on NBC’s Saturday Night Live.
1978:
Hamilton Beach introduces a blender with microprocessor controls.
1983:
Hamilton Beach launches a national advertising campaign featuring Mickey Rooney making milkshakes with the DrinkMaster® drink master.
1985:
Hamilton Beach launches its second TV advertising campaign featuring an all-star cast: hall of famer Joe Namath, Heisman Trophy winner Doug Flutie and Academy Award winner Mickey Rooney.
1990:
Hamilton Beach merges with Proctor-Silex forming Hamilton Beach/Proctor-Silex Inc., headquartered in Richmond, Virginia. After the merger, the company becomes the largest manufacturer of small appliances in the United States.
1992:
Americans are on a health-kick craze and look to add more fruits and vegetables to their diets. The Hamilton Beach Juice Extractor fits the bill, easily turning fresh fruits and vegetables into juice in just minutes.
1998:
Consumers continue to take notice of innovations from Hamilton Beach: a coffeemaker with a water reservoir that lifts out for easy filling; and a HealthSmart® Indoor Grill that allows consumers to clean the entire grill in the dishwasher.
2000:
Hamilton Beach’s TrueAir™ odor eliminators, air purifiers and humidifiers are launched, revitalizing the home-environment category at major retailers.
2003:
Hamilton Beach introduces the BrewStation™ coffeemaker, which allows consumers to grab their cup of joe with one-hand dispensing – no carafe, no pouring and no spills.
2004:
Hamilton Beach launches the Eclectrics™ collection, a complete line of small kitchen appliances available in numerous colors.
