Instrument Systems Corporation
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Griffon Corporation is a multinational conglomerate headquartered in
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
. It operates as a diversified management and holding company. The company has five subsidiaries:
Ames True Temper Ames True Temper, Inc. is a multinational corporation headquartered in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, U.S. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Griffon Corporation. Ames True Temper specializes in the manufacture of non-powered lawn and garden prod ...
, ClosetMaid, Clopay Building Products, and CornellCookson. Griffon has been publicly traded since 1961 and is listed on the
New York Stock Exchange The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE, nicknamed "The Big Board") is an American stock exchange in the Financial District, Manhattan, Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It is the List of stock exchanges, largest stock excha ...
as a component stock of the S&P SmallCap 600, S&P Composite 1500, and
Russell 2000 The Russell 2000 Index is a small-cap U.S. stock market index that makes up the smallest 2,000 stocks in the Russell Index. It was started by the Frank Russell Company in 1984. The index is maintained by FTSE Russell, a subsidiary of the L ...
indices.


History


Founding and early years (1959–1964)

In 1959,
Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...
businessman Helmuth W. Waldorf – a tool and die maker's apprentice who had immigrated to the United States from
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
to study at
Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...
– founded a small defense electronics company in
College Point, Queens College Point is a working-middle-class neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. It is bounded to the south by Whitestone Expressway and Flushing; to the east by 138th Street and Malba/ Whitestone; to the north by the East River; ...
named Waldorf Controls Corporation. The company changed its name later that year to Instrument Systems Corporation (ISC). In 1961, ISC issued shares to the public and bolstered its
avionics Avionics (a portmanteau of ''aviation'' and ''electronics'') are the Electronics, electronic systems used on aircraft. Avionic systems include communications, Air navigation, navigation, the display and management of multiple systems, and the ...
business by acquiring Telephonics Corporation. Established in December 1933, Telephonics was among a handful of aviation electronics pioneers that formed the nucleus of the aviation and defense industry on
Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...
during the mid-20th century. ISC struggled financially in its early years. To reposition the company for future growth, ISC's major stakeholders, including Waldorf and director Lester Avnet, the president of Avnet Electronics Corporation and son of its founder
Charles Avnet Charles Avnet (1888–1979) was an American businessman who founded electronics parts distributor Avnet. Biography Avnet was born to a Jewish family in 1888 in Russia.Loral Corporation Loral Corporation was a defense contractor founded in 1948 in New York by William Lorenz and Leon Alpert as Loral Electronics Corporation. The company's name was taken from the first syllables of each founder's surname. History Loral Corporation ...
, Edward Garrett.


Edward J. Garrett era (1964–1982)

Edward Garrett was named chairman and president of ISC in 1964. Following a strategy that had proved successful at Loral, Garrett transformed ISC by closing deficit-ridden plants, seeking civilian markets as well as government research-and-development contracts, and acquiring defense, commercial electronics and manufacturing companies. In 1966, Garrett brought in his son-in-law, Harvey Blau, a former
Assistant U.S. Attorney An assistant United States attorney (AUSA) is an official career civil service position in the U.S. Department of Justice composed of lawyers working under the U.S. attorney of each U.S. federal judicial district. They represent the federal gov ...
for the
Southern District of New York The Southern District of New York is a federal judicial district that encompasses the counties of New York (Manhattan), Bronx, Westchester, Rockland, Putnam, Orange, Dutchess, and Sullivan. Federal offices or agencies operating in the distri ...
, as
General Counsel A general counsel, also known as chief counsel or chief legal officer (CLO), is the chief in-house lawyer for a company or a governmental department. In a company, the person holding the position typically reports directly to the CEO, and their ...
to handle legal matters and transactions. ISC purchased 20 companies in 1968 alone, ranking second in acquisitions nationwide that year, as investor appetite for corporate conglomerates reached its peak. That year, ISC listed its stock on the
American Stock Exchange NYSE American, formerly known as the American Stock Exchange (AMEX), and more recently as NYSE MKT, is an American stock exchange situated in New York City. AMEX was previously a mutual organization, owned by its members. Until 1953, it was known ...
. ISC's subsidiaries operated plants throughout the United States and Canada producing electronic devices, special purpose trucks, hardware tools, furniture, packaging and building materials. After successfully producing communications systems for the
U.S. military The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. U.S. federal law names six armed forces: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and the Coast Guard. Since 1949, all of the armed forces, except th ...
, Telephonics won multi-year contracts to produce
multiplex Multiplex may refer to: Science and technology * Multiplex communication, combining many signals into one transmission circuit or channel ** Multiplex (television), a group of digital television or radio channels that are combined for broadcast * ...
passenger entertainment systems for the new
Boeing 747 The Boeing 747 is a long-range wide-body aircraft, wide-body airliner designed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes in the United States between 1968 and 2023. After the introduction of the Boeing 707, 707 in October 1958, Pan Am ...
and
Lockheed L-1011 The Lockheed L-1011 TriStar (pronounced "El-ten-eleven") is an American medium-to-long-range, wide-body trijet airliner built by the Lockheed Corporation. It was the third wide-body airliner to enter commercial operations, after the Boeing 74 ...
wide-body airplanes. Net sales increased from $5.7 million in 1964 to $165.2 million in 1970 and total assets from $4.1 million to $120.4 million in the same period. In 1970, ISC was listed for the first time on the
Fortune 500 The ''Fortune'' 500 is an annual list compiled and published by ''Fortune (magazine), Fortune'' magazine that ranks 500 of the largest United States Joint-stock company#Closely held corporations and publicly traded corporations, corporations by ...
list of America's largest companies. As the 1970s progressed, the company was negatively impacted by decreased defense spending as the Vietnam War ended, and by general economic uncertainty. The
first First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...
and
second The second (symbol: s) is a unit of time derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes, and finally to 60 seconds each (24 × 60 × 60 = 86400). The current and formal definition in the International System of U ...
oil crises as well as the recessions of 1973–1975 and the early 1980s further diminished ISC's prospects. As a result of these macroeconomic developments and the divestiture of underperforming divisions, ISC's revenues fell from $233.25 million in 1974 to $104.3 million in 1982 – the year Garrett died at age 64.


Harvey R. Blau era (1982–2008)

Following Edward Garrett's death in 1982, Blau was named chairman of the board and CEO. Blau accelerated Garrett's divestiture and cost-cutting plan and sold the company's window, lighting and metal casting operations. The company also raised capital via a rights offering to existing shareholders, boosting shareholder equity from $4.6 million to $33.7 million and reducing long-term debt. ISC's subsidiaries also successfully secured new business. Telephonics received orders to develop components for the central integrated test system of Rockwell International's B-1B bomber, communications and radio control systems for Lockheed S-3A aircraft and
Sikorsky SH-60 Seahawk The Sikorsky SH-60/MH-60 Seahawk (or Sea Hawk) is a twin turboshaft engine, multi-mission United States Navy helicopter based on the United States Army UH-60 Black Hawk and a member of the Sikorsky S-70 family. The most significant modificati ...
LAMPS MK III helicopters, and a new advanced audio communications system for NASA's
Space Shuttle orbiter The Space Shuttle orbiter is the spaceplane component of the Space Shuttle, a partially reusable launch system, reusable orbital spaceflight, orbital spacecraft system that was part of the discontinued Space Shuttle program. Operated from 1981 ...
spaceplane. In addition to strengthening ISC's existing lines of business, Blau diversified revenues by acquiring companies in unrelated industries. In 1984, ISC acquired troubled clothing manufacturer Oneita Knitting Mills, Inc., for $14 million. Blau and his team renamed the company Oneita Industries, restructured its finances, and grew it to the country's third-largest maker of specialty T-shirts, tripling sales to $300 million within a few years. ISC took Oneita public in 1988, selling 34% of shares for about $9 million, and had divested the remainder of the company by 1993. The purchase of Clopay Corporation in 1986 for $37 million represented ISC's most successful diversification effort under Blau. Founded as a paper wholesaler in 1859, this Cincinnati-based company started to produce window coverings during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
and subsequently changed its name to Clopay, a portmanteau of "cloth and paper." Clopay entered the
plastic film Plastic film is a thin continuous polymeric material. Thicker plastic material is often called a "sheet". These thin plastic membranes are used to separate areas or volumes, to hold items, to act as barriers, or as printable surfaces. Plast ...
and
garage door A garage door is a large door to allow access to a garage that opens either manually or by an electric motor (a garage door opener). Garage doors are frequently large enough to accommodate automobiles and other vehicles. The operating mechanis ...
business in 1952 and 1966, respectively. It grew in the 1990s and 2000s, becoming a leading manufacturer of residential garage doors in the United States and one of the suppliers of plastic films for diapers, surgical gowns, and drapes. In 1991, Clopay accounted for 70% of ISC's $50 million operating income. In 1994, Blau moved the company's stock from the
American Stock Exchange NYSE American, formerly known as the American Stock Exchange (AMEX), and more recently as NYSE MKT, is an American stock exchange situated in New York City. AMEX was previously a mutual organization, owned by its members. Until 1953, it was known ...
to the more prestigious
New York Stock Exchange The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE, nicknamed "The Big Board") is an American stock exchange in the Financial District, Manhattan, Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It is the List of stock exchanges, largest stock excha ...
, and changed its name to Griffon Corporation after the mythical half-lion, half-eagle. Griffon continued to grow from the mid-1990s through the mid-2000s. Sales surpassed the $1 billion mark in 1999 and $1.5 billion mark in 2006. Clopay Plastics formed a joint venture named Finotech with German-based Corovin GmbH to manufacture specialty plastic films and laminates in Europe in 1996, taking a 60% stake in the new company. Finotech provided Clopay Plastics with a platform for further international expansion. Clopay purchased Bohme Verpackungsfolien GmbH & Co., a German manufacturer of plastic packaging and specialty films in 1998 and a 60% stake in Isofilme Ltda, a Brazilian manufacturer of plastic hygienic and specialty films, in 2002. Three years later, Clopay acquired full ownership in Finotech and Isofilme. Telephonics won its first contract for more than $100 million in 1997. It received $114 million from the
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...
to supply communications equipment to upgrade
Nimrod Nimrod is a Hebrew Bible, biblical figure mentioned in the Book of Genesis and Books of Chronicles, the Books of Chronicles. The son of Cush (Bible), Cush and therefore the great-grandson of Noah, Nimrod was described as a king in the land of Sh ...
anti-submarine airplanes. However, Telephonics reduced its overall dependence on military contracts and expanded its commercial and nondefense government business. It won a $26 million contract to supply wireless communications equipment for 1,080
New York City Subway The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system in New York City serving the New York City boroughs, boroughs of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx. It is owned by the government of New York City and leased to the New York City Tr ...
cars in 1997. Griffon's garage door subsidiary expanded in step with the residential housing boom in the United States. It added a home installation service for residential building products such as garage doors, manufactured fireplaces, floor coverings, and cabinetry. In 1997, Griffon purchased Holmes-Hally Industries for about $35 million. Holmes-Hally was a West Coast manufacturer and installer of residential garage doors and related hardware with $80 million in annual sales. By 2006, the installation services subsidiary served 17% of all new residential housing in the United States. The
2000s United States housing market correction United States housing prices experienced a major market correction after the 2000s United States housing bubble, housing bubble that Timeline of the 2000s United States housing bubble, peaked in early 2006. Prices of real estate then adjusted down ...
and subsequent
Subprime mortgage crisis The American subprime mortgage crisis was a multinational financial crisis that occurred between 2007 and 2010, contributing to the 2008 financial crisis. It led to a severe economic recession, with millions becoming unemployed and many busines ...
and the
2008 financial crisis The 2008 financial crisis, also known as the global financial crisis (GFC), was a major worldwide financial crisis centered in the United States. The causes of the 2008 crisis included excessive speculation on housing values by both homeowners ...
caused net sales of the garage doors subsidiary to decline by 13% in 2007 and 10.5% in 2008, with operating profits decreasing from $41 million in 2006 to $7 million in 2007 to -$17 million in 2008. Net sales of the installation services subsidiary shrunk from $309 million in 2006 to $251 million in 2007 to $109 million in 2008, forcing Griffon to discontinue the installation services business in 2008. Griffon's overall net income shrunk from $52 million to $22 million to -$41 million in the same time period. Griffon also came under pressure from shareholders during this crisis. In 2007, the
hedge fund A hedge fund is a Pooling (resource management), pooled investment fund that holds Market liquidity, liquid assets and that makes use of complex trader (finance), trading and risk management techniques to aim to improve investment performance and ...
Clinton Group, which was Griffon's second-largest shareholder at 8.5%, urged the company to boost its share price by purchasing 50% of the
shares outstanding Shares outstanding are all the shares of a corporation that have been authorized, issued and purchased by investors and are held by them. They are distinguished from treasury shares, which are shares held by the corporation itself, thus representi ...
and also demanded the right to appoint the majority of Griffon directors.


Ronald J. Kramer era (2008–present)

Blau resigned from his role as CEO in 2008, and was succeeded by his son-in-law
Ron Kramer Ronald John Kramer (June 24, 1935 – September 11, 2010) was an American professional football player who was an end in the National Football League (NFL), primarily for the Green Bay Packers. A member of two NFL champion teams with the Pack ...
on April 1, 2008. Blau continued as non-executive chairman of the board. An investment banker who had married Blau's daughter Stephanie in 1992, Kramer had served on the company's board of directors since 1993 and was elected vice chairman in 2003. To improve Griffon's balance sheet, Kramer secured a new $100 million revolving line of credit from
JPMorgan Chase JPMorgan Chase & Co. (stylized as JPMorganChase) is an American multinational financial services, finance corporation headquartered in New York City and incorporated in Delaware. It is List of largest banks in the United States, the largest ba ...
, exited the residential installation services business, which had experienced a 65% decline in net sales over 3 years (see above), refinanced Griffon's
senior debt In finance, senior debt is debt that takes priority over other unsecured or otherwise more "junior" debt owed by an issuer. Senior debt is frequently issued in the form of senior notes or referred to as senior loans. Senior debt has greater senior ...
, and raised about $250 million from a stock offering and investments by
Goldman Sachs The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational investment bank and financial services company. Founded in 1869, Goldman Sachs is headquartered in Lower Manhattan in New York City, with regional headquarters in many internationa ...
, Kramer, and existing Griffon shareholders. In 2009, Griffon hired Brian Harris from
Dover Corporation Dover Corporation is an American conglomerate manufacturer of industrial products. The Downers Grove, Illinois-based company was founded in 1955. As of 2021, Dover's business was divided into five segments: Engineered Products, Clean Energy a ...
as chief accounting officer, promoting him to vice president and controller in 2012 and senior vice president and chief financial officer in 2015. In 2012, the company named Robert Mehmel President and chief operating officer. Mehmel joined Griffon from
DRS Technologies Leonardo DRS, formerly DRS Technologies, Inc., is a US-based defense contractor. Previously traded on the NYSE, the company was purchased by the Italian firm Finmeccanica (now Leonardo) in October 2008. History Diagnostic/Retrieval Systems, Inc ...
, a manufacturer of defense electronic products, systems, and military support services, which grew from $400 million to over $4 billion in sales during his tenure. In 2008, DRS was acquired by Italian conglomerate Finmeccanica for $5.2 billion which, at that time, was the largest single acquisition of a U.S. defense company by a foreign firm. Griffon reduced Telephonics' staff from 1,400 in 2010 to 1,100 in 2012 as U.S. defense spending with the wars in
Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...
and
Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...
decreased. The restructured its facilities and organizational structure, and expanded its presence in
homeland security Homeland security is an American national security term for "the national effort to ensure a homeland that is safe, secure, and resilient against terrorism and other hazards where American interests, aspirations, and ways of life can thrive" to ...
,
air traffic management file:ATMANS.png, 334x334px, Air traffic management (ATM) aims at ensuring the safe and efficient flow of air traffic. It encompasses three types of services: * air traffic services (ATS) including air traffic control (ATC), air traffic advisory s ...
, and
unmanned aerial vehicles An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or unmanned aircraft system (UAS), commonly known as a drone, is an aircraft with no human pilot, crew, or passengers onboard, but rather is controlled remotely or is autonomous.De Gruyter Handbook of Dron ...
. In 2012, Telephonics formed a
joint venture A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four reasons: to acce ...
with
Mahindra & Mahindra Mahindra & Mahindra is an Indian automobile manufacturing company headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra. It was established in 1945 as Mahindra & Mohammed and later renamed Mahindra & Mahindra. Part of the Mahindra Group, M&M is one of the lar ...
to produce radar and surveillance systems for the Indian Ministry of Defense and the civilian sector near
Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...
,
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
. This joint venture together with civilian contracts, such as a $23 million award from the
Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is a Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government agency within the United States Department of Transportation, U.S. Department of Transportation that regulates civil aviation in t ...
in 2014 to upgrade airport surveillance radar. To diversify revenue stream in the home and building products division, Griffon purchased
Ames True Temper Ames True Temper, Inc. is a multinational corporation headquartered in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, U.S. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Griffon Corporation. Ames True Temper specializes in the manufacture of non-powered lawn and garden prod ...
for $542 million in 2010. Founded in 1774, Ames was a manufacturer of non-powered
landscaping Landscaping refers to any activity that modifies the visible features of an area of land, including the following: # Living elements, such as flora or fauna; or what is commonly called gardening, the art and craft of growing plants with a goal ...
tools. Kramer strengthened the new subsidiary through further acquisitions, which were integrated into
Ames True Temper Ames True Temper, Inc. is a multinational corporation headquartered in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, U.S. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Griffon Corporation. Ames True Temper specializes in the manufacture of non-powered lawn and garden prod ...
. In 2011, Griffon acquired the Southern Patio pots and planters business from Southern Sales & Marketing Group for $23 million. To complement the Southern Patio brand, Griffon purchased Northcote Pottery, an Australian maker of garden decor products founded in 1897, for $22 million in late 2013. A few months later, Griffon acquired Cyclone, the Australian garden and tools division of
Illinois Tool Works Illinois Tool Works Inc. (ITW) is an American ''Fortune'' 500 company that produces engineered fasteners and components, equipment and consumable systems, and specialty products. It was founded in 1912 by Byron L. Smith and has built its growth ...
, for $40 million. Between August 2011 and March 2018, Griffon repurchased 21.9 million shares of
common stock Common stock is a form of corporate equity ownership, a type of security. The terms voting share and ordinary share are also used frequently outside of the United States. They are known as equity shares or ordinary shares in the UK and other C ...
for a total of $290 million. Kramer was appointed chairman of the board in 2018, succeeding Harvey Blau after his death in January 2018.


Portfolio reorganization

Starting in 2017, Griffon executed a series of transactions to increase shareholder value, and to reshape the company's portfolio with the objectives of better focusing and strengthening its core businesses. In 2017, Griffon acquired the ClosetMaid home storage business from Emerson for an effective purchase price of $165 million. Griffon announced the combination of ClosetMaid with Ames True Tempur in March 2018. In November 2017, Griffon announced the sale of its Clopay Plastics business to Berry Global for $475 million. This transaction, which closed in February 2018, marked Griffon's exit from the specialty plastics industry that the company entered when it acquired Clopay in 1986. Griffon bolstered its Clopay Building Products subsidiary with the acquisition of CornellCookson, a provider of rolling steel service doors, fire doors, and grilles, for an effective purchase price of $170 million. This transaction provided Clopay Building Products with a line of commercial rolling steel products. In the United Kingdom, Griffon acquired La Hacienda, an outdoor living brand, in 2017, and decorative outdoor landscaping company KelKay in 2018. In Australia, Griffon started 2017 announcing it had acquired Hills Home Living, a brand of clotheslines and home products, from Hills Limited. Later, in September 2017, Griffon acquired gardening supply company Tuscan Path. In the United States, Griffon acquired cleaning products manufacturer Harper Brush Works from Horizon Global in October 2017 to expand the Ames line of long-handle tools.


Operating segments and subsidiaries

Griffon today conducts its operations through five wholly owned subsidiaries in two reportable segments.


Home and Building Products Segment

Griffon's Home and Building Products segment includes Ames True Tempur, ClosetMaid, Clopay Building Products, and CornellCookson.


Clopay Building Products

Clopay Building Products (CBP) is the largest manufacturer and marketer of residential garage doors in North America and one of the largest manufacturers of industrial and commercial doors. CBP operates through a national network of over 50 distribution centers across North America, and sells to approximately 2,000 independent professional installing dealers as well as to major home center retail chains. CBP's self-installment customers are
Home Depot The Home Depot, Inc., often referred to as Home Depot, is an American multinational corporation, multinational home improvement retail corporation that sells tools, construction products, appliances, and services, including fuel and transportat ...
and
Menards Menard, Inc., doing business as Menards, ( ) is an American big-box home improvement retail chain headquartered in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. It is the third-largest home improvement retailer in the United States (behind Lowe's and Home Depot), wit ...
. CBP's family of brands includes Clopay, America's Favorite Garage Doors, Holmes Garage Door Company, and IDEAL Door. CBP traces its operations to the purchase of garage door maker Baker-Aldor-Jones by Clopay Corporation in 1964, and the acquisition of Holmes-Hally Industries in 1997. Today, Clopay continues to manufacture its products in the United States, with headquarters and principal manufacturing sites in Ohio.


CornellCookson

CornellCookson is a North American manufacturer of rolling steel doors, shutters, and security grilles.


Ames True Temper

Acquired by Griffon for $542 million in 2010, Ames True Temper are a provider of non-powered lawn and garden tools and accessories, including include long handle tools, wheelbarrows, planters, snow tools, striking tools, pruning tools, garden hoses, and clotheslines. AMES is one of the oldest companies in the United States in continuous operation, founded when Captain John Ames started his blacksmith shop making America's finest metal shovels in 1774. Ames continues to be a manufacturer of hand and long-handle tools to this day. Many of the other Ames businesses and brands, including True Temper, Garant, and Union Tool, can trace their histories back directly or through predecessor companies to the 1800s. The largest customers of Ames are Home Depot,
Lowe's Lowe's Companies, Inc. ( ) is an American retail company specializing in home improvement. Headquartered in Mooresville, North Carolina, the company operates a chain of retail stores in the United States. As of October 28, 2022, Lowe's and i ...
,
Walmart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores in the United States and 23 other ...
,
Costco Costco Wholesale Corporation is an American multinational corporation which operates a chain of membership-only big-box warehouse club retail stores. As of 2021, Costco is the third-largest retailer in the world, and as of August 2024, Cos ...
and
Bunnings Bunnings Group Limited, trading as Bunnings Warehouse or Bunnings, is an Australian hardware and garden centre chain. The chain has been owned by Wesfarmers since 1994, and has stores in Australia and New Zealand. Bunnings was founded in Per ...
. Ames tool brands include Ames, True Temper, Union Tools, Garant, Cyclone, Kelso, Razor-Back, Jackson, Trojan, Trojan Cyclone, Supercraft, and Westmix. Garden hose, storage products and apparel care products are sold primarily under the Ames, NeverLeak, Nylex, Jackson, and Hills brands. Planters, landscaping and lawn accessories brands include Southern Patio,
Northcote Pottery Northcote may refer to: People with the surname * Geoffry Northcote (1881–1948), British colonial administrator * Hannah Northcote (c.1761–1831), English silversmith * Henry Northcote (disambiguation) * James Northcote (1746–1831), English p ...
, Kelkay and Dynamic Design. Ames maintains manufacturing operations in the United States and in Canada, and also has principal operations in Australia and the United Kingdom. Ames is headquartered in
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
. President
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
visited the Ames wheelbarrow and manufacturing plant in
Harrisburg Harrisburg ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat, seat of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, Dauphin County. With a population of 50, ...
, Pennsylvania on May 7, 2017, to commemorate his 100th day in office while highlighting his emphasis on buying products that are made in America. The Ames plant in Harrisburg was the largest wheelbarrow factory in the world before it was closed in 2023.


Telephonics Corporation

Griffon owned Telephonics between 1961 and 2022. Telephonics manufactures intelligence, surveillance, and communications technology. The company was originally founded in 1933. In June 2022, Griffon sold Telephonics to
TTM Technologies TTM Technologies, Inc. is an American printed circuit board (PCB) manufacturer headquartered in Santa Ana, California. Founded in 1998, the company is one of the top five PCB manufacturers in the world and the largest in North America, and the la ...
, a manufacturer of printed circuit boards, backplane assemblies and RF modules and assemblies, for $330 million in cash.


References


External links


Griffon Corporation homepage
{{Authority control Aerospace companies of the United States Avionics companies Conglomerate companies of the United States Defense companies of the United States Garden tool manufacturers Plastics companies of the United States Multinational companies headquartered in the United States Holding companies based in New York City Manufacturing companies based in New York City American companies established in 1995 Conglomerate companies established in 1995 Holding companies established in 1995 Manufacturing companies established in 1995 Technology companies established in 1995 1995 establishments in New York City Publicly traded companies based in New York City Companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange Tool manufacturing companies of the United States