Oregon Tool, Portland, Oregon, celebrates its 75th anniversary by reflecting on its history and working to improve the Earth through green initiatives.
Oregon Tool, originally known as Oregon Saw Chain Corp., was started in 1947 by Joe Cox in the basement of his Portland home as a way to produce a saw chain he invented. The saw chain, named Cox Chipper Chain, was inspired by the C-shaped jaws of a timber beetle cutting through wood, and would continue to inspire Cox and the company for decades.
Today, it employees 3,000 team members and sells thousands of products in more than 110 countries. The company is a manufacturer of saw chain and guide bars for chainsaws, diamond saw chain for concrete, pipe and agricultural tractor attachments, and is an original equipment manufacturer supplier of first-fit and replacement parts.
“Joe Cox sought to improve cutting performance for those in his industry,” says Paul Tonnesen, CEO of Oregon Tool.
Across the decades, Oregon Tool has continued to embrace the innovation of its founder and has long been rooted by four core values of leading with humility, pioneering spirit, global stewardship and owning it.
As a nod to its heritage and core values, Oregon Tool launched the TREE Initiative, focusing on four key areas: training, recovery, environment and education. As part of TREE, Oregon Tool is continuing its partnership with Tree-Nation to further reforestation, with the goal of planting 75,000 trees in 2022 in celebration of its 75th anniversary. The company will be hosting its second annual Run, Walk, Bike event throughout the year, inviting team members around the world to get moving in support of the health of the planet.
