Power Equipment Direct (PED) is an online retail company based in

Bolingbrook, Illinois Bolingbrook is a village in Will County, Illinois, Will and DuPage County, Illinois, DuPage counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is a southwest suburb of Chicago on Interstate 55 in Illinois, I-55 and U.S. Route 66 in Illinois, Historic Rou ...

, USA. The company began in 2002our-story
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pressure washer Pressure washing or power washing is the use of high-pressure water spray to remove loose paint, mold, grime, dust, mud, and dirt from surfaces and objects such as buildings, vehicles and concrete surfaces. The volume of a mechanical pressure w ...

s, and now operates many niche websites selling different types of outdoor power equipment, including

air compressors An air compressor is a machine that takes ambient air from the surroundings and discharges it at a higher pressure. It is an application of a gas compressor and a pneumatic device that converts mechanical power (from an electric motor, diesel or ...

chainsaw A chainsaw (or chain saw) is a portable handheld power saw, power saw that cuts with a set of teeth attached to a rotating chain driven along a guide bar. Modern chainsaws are typically gasoline or electric and are used in activities such as t ...

electric generators In electricity generation, a generator, also called an ''electric generator'', ''electrical generator'', and ''electromagnetic generator'' is an electromechanical device that converts mechanical energy to electrical energy for use in an externa ...

log splitter A log splitter is a piece of machinery or equipment used for splitting firewood from softwood or hardwood logs that have been pre-cut into sections (rounds), usually by chainsaw or on a saw bench. Many log splitters consist of a hydraulic pump ...

lawn mower A lawn mower (also known as a grass cutter or simply mower, also often spelled lawnmower) is a device utilizing one or more revolving blades (or a reel) to cut a lawn, grass surface to an even height. The height of the cut grass may be fixed by ...

snow blower A snow blower or snowblower or snow thrower is a machine for removing snow from an area where it is problematic, such as a driveway, sidewalk, roadway, railroad track, ice rink, or runway. The commonly used term "snow blower" is a misnomer, a ...

sump pump A sump pump is a pump used to remove water that has accumulated in a water-collecting sump basin, commonly found in the basements of homes and other buildings, and in other locations where water must be removed, such as construction sites. Th ...

water pump A pump is a device that moves fluids (liquids or gases), or sometimes slurries, by mechanical action, typically converted from electrical energy into hydraulic or pneumatic energy. Mechanical pumps serve in a wide range of applications such ...

s and accessories.

History

2002 to 2003

Jon Hoch founded Power Equipment Direct in 2002 following a negative experience he had while shopping for a lawn mower. Hoch originally ran the business out of his basement.

2004 to 2007

In 2004, Power Equipment Direct launched its third Web store, AirCompressorsDirect.com In 2007, Power Equipment Direct was named on the ''Internet Retailer'' “Hot 100 List” and the ''Inc.'' 5000 list. Along with this, it also added SnowBlowersDirect.com to its repertoire of web stores.

2008 to 2010

In 2008, Power Equipment Direct added three more Web stores: MowersDirect.com, SumpPumpDirect.com and WaterPumpsDirect.com. PED was listed in ''Inc.'' 5000 for the second consecutive year and made the ''Internet Retailer'' “Top 500” list for the first time. 2009 saw the launch of two more Web stores: ChainSawsDirect.com and LogSplittersDirect.com. Power Equipment Direct was named to the ''Internet Retailer'' “Top 500” list for the second consecutive time and ''Inc.'' 5000 for the third consecutive year. To accommodate quick growth, Power Equipment Direct expanded into a new warehouse in 2010. The company again made the ''Internet Retailer'' “Top 500” and the ''Inc.'' 5000 list.

2011

Until 2011, Power Equipment Direct operated exclusively as a pure-play Internet retailer. That year PED opened a physical showroom, located in Bolingbrook, IL. The company was named to the ''Internet Retailer'' “Top 500” list and the ''Inc.'' 5000 list for the fourth and fifth consecutive years, respectively. Power Equipment Direct entered into a partnership with Operation Support Our Troops America in the Fall of 2011. The company donated $1 for every

Facebook Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...

“Like” it received in September. In October 2011, Power Equipment Direct consolidated all its Web stores on one site, replacing the corporate Web site at PowerEquipmentDirect.com.

2012 to present

On January 30, 2012, Power Equipment Direct launched its tenth niche web store, Tillers Direct, which exclusively sells garden tillers and

cultivator A cultivator (also known as a rotavator) is a piece of agricultural machinery, agricultural equipment used for secondary tillage. One sense of the name refers to frames with ''teeth'' (also called ''shanks'') that pierce the soil as they ar ...

s. On May 14, 2012, Power Equipment Direct launched its eleventh niche web store, Leaf Blowers Direct, which exclusively sells a variety of

leaf blower A leaf blower, commonly known as a blower, is a device that propels air out of a nozzle to move debris such as leaves and grass cuttings. Leaf blowers are powered by electric or gasoline motors. Gasoline models have traditionally been two-s ...

s. Also in 2012, Power Equipment Direct was named to the ''Internet Retailer'' Top 500 list for the fifth consecutive year. PED ranked as the 197th largest online retailer. In 2012, Power Equipment Direct was acquired by

Ferguson Enterprises Ferguson Enterprises Inc., headquartered in Newport News, Virginia and organized in Delaware, is the largest U.S. distributor of plumbing, heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), appliances, and lighting to pipes, valves and fittings ( ...

On February 1, 2013, Power Equipment Direct launched its twelfth niche web store, Chippers Direct. This site sells a variety of

woodchipper A tree chipper or woodchipper is a machine used for reducing wood (generally tree limbs or trunks) into smaller woodchips. They are often portable, being mounted on wheels on frames suitable for towing behind a truck or van. Power is general ...

s and accessories. On March 8, 2013, Power Equipment Direct launched its thirteenth niche web store, String Trimmers Direct. This site sells a variety of

string trimmers A string trimmer, also known by the portmanteau strimmer and the trademarks Weedwacker, Weed Eater and Whipper Snipper, is a garden power tool for cutting grass, small weeds, and groundcover. It uses a whirling monofilament line instead of a b ...

and accessories. In May 2015 Power Equipment Direct acquired eComfort.com, a direct to consumer online store in the heating and cooling (HVAC) industry.

References

External links

* {{official website, http://www.powerequipmentdirect.com/ Companies based in Will County, Illinois Online retailers of the United States