The History of Power Equipment Company

The story of Power Equipment Company is typical of many thousands of small businesses that help make our country great. It started in 1948 when two young men, Don Soderburg and Jerry Langford, secured the distribution rights for McCulloch chain saws for several states in the Midwest including Illinois and Indiana.

Both men had worked for Mall Tool Co., a Chicago based manufacturer of power tools including an early chain saw. The partners recognized the superior technology of the new McCulloch chain saws just being introduced and the huge potential market for a reliable, light-weight (50 lbs!) unit. Thus Power Equipment Company was born, operating out of Don Soderburg’s basement on the south side of Chicago.

In 1948, the fledgling company hired its first employee, Dave Olson, also from Mall Tool… the same Dave Olson who eventually bought the company and whose family still owns it to this day!

McCulloch was still going strong in 1978 when we began our relationship with American Honda as one of their first small engine distributors. At the time, the new line was somewhat of an “orphan”. It took us a while to figure out what we had, how to sell it and who to sell it to. Eventually all the “pioneering” and hard work began to pay off.

After 5 years, annual sales had gone from a few hundred engines to a few thousand. Fortunately for Power Equipment Company, Honda was taking off as McCulloch was declining. The sale of Honda engines and parts to dealers and OEM’s became our primary focus. We said farewell to McCulloch in 1998 after a 50 year run.

Power Equipment Company has experienced many changes since those basement days on the south side in 1948. We’re grateful for our innovative products, modern facilities and technological advances – giving us capabilities undreamed of just a few years ago. Some things however, remain unchanged.

Power Equipment Company is still family owned, still driven by the entrepreneurial spirit, and still dedicated to providing our customers with quality products at competitive prices, backed by fast, reliable service.