Harken, Inc. is an international manufacturer specializing in performance sailing hardware, headquartered in
Pewaukee, Wisconsin, United States. The company was founded in a 60-foot trailer in 1967 by brothers Peter Harken and Olaf Harken. Originally, the brothers manufactured
sailboats under the name
Vanguard and kept the hardware business separate so they could sell to competing boatbuilders.
Gary Comer
Gary Campbell Comer (December 10, 1927 – October 4, 2006) was the founder of mail order clothing retailer Lands' End.Dennis Hevesi"Gary C. Comer, 78, Founder of Lands’ End, Dies,"''New York Times'', October 6, 2006.
Early life
Born on the Sout ...
, founder of
Lands' End clothing company, advised and helped them distribute their first
blocks by placing them in the Lands' End catalogue.
In 1986, Vanguard Sailboats was spun off to Stephen Clark in
Rhode Island so that the brothers could focus on hardware. Harken hardware has been a dominant force in the racing segment for many years, making its
Olympic
Olympic or Olympics may refer to
Sports
Competitions
* Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896
** Summer Olympic Games
** Winter Olympic Games
* Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...
and
America's Cup
The America's Cup, informally known as the Auld Mug, is a trophy awarded in the sport of sailing. It is the oldest international competition still operating in any sport. America's Cup match races are held between two sailing yachts: one f ...
debuts in 1976 and 1977, respectively.
Harken's primary manufacturing plants are the Pewaukee headquarters and the Italian office in
Limido Comasco
Limido Comasco (locally or ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Como in the Italian region Lombardy, located about northwest of Milan and about southwest of Como. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 2,579 and an are ...
,
Como. Harken has sales and service offices in USA (
Rhode Island,
California,
Florida), France, Japan,
Poland,
Slovenia, Sweden, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.
Harken equipment may be found on racing boats as small as the 7-foot
Optimist (dinghy) to
mega yachts and ocean racers.
References
{{reflist
"Harken Named Company of the Decade."boats.com; December 10, 2000.
* Decker, Eric. "Harken's Innovation Created International Market for Sailing Gear." Small Business Times; June 23, 2006.
* Sailing World Hall of Fame, Sailing World Magazine. April 24, 2002
Sailing World Magazine
"Ernst & Young 2008 Entrepreneurs of the Year."Twin Cities Business; August 2008.
The Milwaukee Journal; August 12, 2007.
* Rovito, Rich
The Business Journal of Milwaukee; June 30, 2006.
* "Honor roll of U.S. exporters." Business America; March 12, 1990.
"Honor roll of U.S. exporters – President's "E" Award."Business America; April 5, 1993.
"Saving Sailing."Sailing Anarchy; September 16, 2009.
* Bednarek, David
"Sailing Around the World: Harken wins National Award for its Success with Exports."The Milwaukee Journal; August 16, 1993.
* Maloney, Lawrence. "Sailing into the Future." Design News; June 17, 1991.
* Cole, Tim
"No Sitting Duck."Popular Mechanics; August 1990.
"Concept Yacht."Popular Mechanics; August 1986.
* Quandt, Matt
Local Library Gets an Observatory.Astronomy.com Blog; May 22, 2009.
Sailing equipment manufacturers
American boat builders
Companies based in Wisconsin
Waukesha County, Wisconsin