FORT WAYNE, IN–(Marketwired – Apr 27, 2016) – 2016 marks the 75th Anniversary for Little Giant®, a leading worldwide brand of plumbing, HVAC, dewatering, utility and a variety of other pumps. Little Giant, a Franklin Electric (NASDAQ: FELE) company, originated in 1941 when a plumber named R.M. “Doc” Wolfe found a solution to the quality challenges he faced with evaporative cooling pumps. The Little Giant Vaporizer was born and was considered the first electric motor-driven submersible pump of its kind on the market. Shortly thereafter, the Little Giant Vaporizer Company was created in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, where 15 employees manufactured submersible vaporizers for evaporative coolers.
“Little Giant products and people have been an important addition to the Franklin family,” said DeLancey Davis, Franklin Electric Vice President and President of North America Water Systems. “Little Giant has provided a terrific base business in the wastewater, HVAC and outdoor living channels, and holds strong brand recognition with key areas of distribution in each of these markets. Much of this can be attributed to consistent product introductions, innovations, and a loyal customer base that has continued to make Little Giant their brand of choice for 75 years. The Little Giant brand was built on dedication to quality and availability and is a testament to our loyal employees who put their craftsmanship into every Little Giant product to support our customers’ craft. We are truly grateful to our ideal collection of employees, customers, and business partners who have teamed together for 75 years to make Little Giant the leader it is today.”
After World War II, Little Giant purchased an aluminum die-casting machine and started taking on die-casting contractor work in the 1940s to further increase sales and personnel expertise. By 1950, this expertise had grown so much that the company was able to develop and manufacture an upgraded Little Giant Vaporizer Pump that could be used anywhere water recirculation was a problem. This basic, self-contained electric motor-driven submersible pump was a small low-pressure, high-volume pump that was used specifically for the recirculation of water for evaporative coolers, minnow tanks, home garden pools and fountains, light coolant oils for machine tools, laboratory uses and many other water transfer applications.
In 1954, the development of the Little Giant C2 and C3 pumps signaled the company’s true entrance into the condensate pump business. In 1960, the company reorganized and changed its name to Little Giant Corporation, expanding its focus to battery chargers and steam cleaning machines that were later sold so the company could focus completely on water pumping. Over the next 20 years, the company continued to build its name around innovation with: condensate removal pumps (1958), sump pumps (1963), magnetic drive pumps (1968), sump/sewage/effluent pumps (1980), Eliminator Series 8E, 9S, 10S pumps (1985), aquarium pumps (1990), WRS-5 and WRS-6 sewage basins (1990), pool cover pumps (1996), decorative outdoor living products for the landscape industry (1997), the VCMA condensate pump (1999), grinder pumps (2000), Pit+Plus® sewage basins (2003), and outdoor living LED lights (2004).
Little Giant was purchased by Franklin Electric, a leading global manufacturer of pumps, motors, drives and controls for residential, commercial, agricultural, industrial and municipal applications, in 2006. With the combined Franklin engineering and manufacturing teams, the Little Giant brand has continued its focus on providing innovative products that solve contractor challenges in the pumping industry. Little Giant’s wastewater product expertise includes sump, sewage, effluent, dewatering, condensate, magnetic drive, and utility pumps, as well as low pressure sewer systems. The Little Giant Outdoor Living product line includes a variety of pumps and accessories for decorative water, hydroponics, aquarium, pool, and marine applications.
For more information on Little Giant wastewater products, visit www.littlegiant.com. For more information on Little Giant Outdoor Living products, visit www.lg-outdoor.com.
Franklin Electric is a global leader in the production and marketing of systems and components for the movement of water and fuel. Recognized as a technical leader in its products and services, Franklin Electric serves customers around the world in residential, commercial, agricultural, industrial, municipal, and fueling applications.
“Safe Harbor” Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any forward-looking statements contained herein, including those relating to market conditions or the Company’s financial results, costs, expenses or expense reductions, profit margins, inventory levels, foreign currency translation rates, liquidity expectations, business goals and sales growth, involve risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to, risks and uncertainties with respect to general economic and currency conditions, various conditions specific to the Company’s business and industry, weather conditions, new housing starts, market demand, competitive factors, changes in distribution channels, supply constraints, effect of price increases, raw material costs, technology factors, integration of acquisitions, litigation, government and regulatory actions, the Company’s accounting policies, future trends, and other risks which are detailed in the Company’s Securities and Exchange Commission filings, included in Item 1A of Part I of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K/A for the fiscal year ending December 28, 2013, Exhibit 99.1 attached thereto and in Item 1A of Part II of the Company’s Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. These risks and uncertainties may cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by the forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements made herein are based on information currently available, and the Company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements.
