Beaird-Poulan, a tradition since 1946

In 1944, with World War II at its height, Mall, Disston and others. In 1946, Poulan a young Louisiana lumberman, Claude moved his business to Marshall, Texas. Poulan made a discovery which would After several months of operating in Mar- eventually lead to the founding of a major shall, Poulan took $4,000 and, using rent- American company, and the expansion ed equipment, moved to a tiny 20 by 20 Beaird-Poulan has established a and growth of a worldwide industry. As foot shed in Shreveport, Louisiana, where solid reputation by building the Poulan supervised German prisoners of he formally established the Poulan Chain highest quality products available. war cutting down pulpwood trees in the Saw Company. Using engines purchased Pictured at left is (a) Model 2400, lush forests of East Texas, he noted that an from Homelite, he began producing the Poulan’s first saw. It was Claude extra man was required to operate two- first Poulan Chain Saw, the Model 2400. Poulan’s invention, the bow guide, man chain saws,. The third man used a Although Homelite was not in the saw and required two men to operate it: pry pole to keep the chain from pinching business, they quickly became aware of (b) the Model A was Poulan’s first or binding as it cut through the trees. this new industry’s potential and entered one-man saw; (c) the B100 was Realizing the need for a device to elimi- the market Poulan, however, was able to Poulan’s first chain saw; (d) the nate the extra man, Poulan took an old negotiate for the tool rights and began F100 featured Reduction Drive; truck fender, hammered out a piece of it producing his own engine components for (e) the K100 was powerful enough into a curved attachment which he called a the Model 2400 two-man chain saw. for the professional but was the first bow guide. This simple innovation was James M. Conly, Jr. joined Poulan in practical saw for the casual user; the first step toward the founding of the 1948 as chief accountant and office man- (f) the Poulan Micro XXV chain saw company which still bears his name today: ager of the budding new company. sold for well under $100 and contin- Beaird-Poulan. Throughout the company’s history, Mr. ued revolutionizing the industry, and When the war ended, Poulan moved to Conly has played a key role in its devel- (g) the Model 3400, Poulan’s new the small town of Alto, Texas, where he opment. Also joining the Poulan firm in mid-priced chain saw has many fea- continued to produce bow attachments for 1948 was Ernest Garrett, whose tures of the professional saws. major chain saw manufacturers including

Claude Poulan and James Conly, Jr. were driving forces behind the development of Poulan chain saws.

ignition parts purchased from an outside supplier. knowledge of assembly procedures and Also in 1951, Poulan introduced its first chain saw design, helped set up Poulan’s chain saw manufactured completely with- first plant producing complete chain saws. in the company, the Model 5200. This Poulan then brought his two brothers, Har- clearly established the company as a ry and Fletcher into the company in key major force in the chain saw industry. positions. Harry took over sales and devel- oped the forerunner of the distributor-deal- er system still in use today. Fletcher became vice-president of production. Together, these men produced eight Poulan chain saw models, and gave the company a solid foundation on which to build the future. Today, that company has grown to be one of the largest manufacturers of chain saws in the world. In 1951, the company purchased a 12- acre site in Shreveport and constructed a new building which would eventually Claude and his brothers inspect one of grow o 55,000 square feet of manufactur- their early saws. Shown (left to right) are The first Poulan manufacturing ing space. At the same time, the firm intro- Harry Poulan, Chief Engineer Ernest plant, constructed in 1951, is still duced its second two-man saw which used Garrett, Claude and Fletcher Poulan. used today for warehousing and components built in the company’s equipment maintenance. foundry and plant, and carburetion and A time of development

Through the mid-1950’s Poulan contin- In addition to establishing Poulan’s ued to be an innovator in the chain saw reputation for quality, the B100 led to field. It was during this period that Poulan dramatic growth in the company's two-step recognized the evolution of “one-man” distributor/dealer sales system. operation and introduced the Model A Poulan again influenced the market with reduction drive saw. This model was the introduction of the F100 Reduction untested and troublesome and Conly Drive chain saw. It was a highly efficient remembers the valuable lesson learned and very popular unit with professional from it: “The salesmen would go out and loggers. put a modified part on the saw at the deal- Poulan moved quickly in the develop- er’s place of business. Two weeks later ment of a direct drive unit and in August another salesman might follow up and take 1957, the H100 was introduced. It was fol- off that modification and install a new one. lowed a year by the streamlined Model It was F200, a more powerful version of the a time of testing and learning for the F100. The F200 pushed Poulan sales in the company. professional market to record levels. Its While the Model A unit was setting new innovative design and dependability made sales records, an even more progressive it very popular with the professional, so model, the B100 Gear Drive unit was com- popular in fact, that demands for the unit The Model A (top) was Poulan’s ing on line. The B100 was faster and more continued for four years after the F200 was first one-man bow saw offering versatile than the Model A and put Poulan discontinued. Reduction Drive. The Model into the thick of the business. B100 (bottom) featured Gear Drive and let to dramatic growth of the company. A time of development

1958 was also a year in which Poulan recognized the need for lighter weight saws. Poulan met this challenge with its Model K100, which was powerful enough for professional use and was the first prac- tical chain saw for the casual user. In April, 1959, Poulan brought the KD100, a direct drive companion to the K100, onto the With the need for a lightweight chain market. saw becoming apparent, Poulan intro- Thus, through its first 12 years of exis- duced the Model K100 which was not tence, the Poulan company had grown and only powerful enough for the profes- prospered, and found itself capable of The F100 Reduction Drive sional but was the first practical saw meeting the challenges of the marketplace chain saw was a highly efficient for the farmer and causal user. and very popular unit with pro- and not only able to compete with other fessional loggers. manufacturers but to outdo them.

Charles Beaird The company gains a new leader

In 1959, Louisiana industrialist, Charles Both were extremely sophisticated for the T. Beaird, who had been an executive with time and well-received in the marketplace. a Shreveport steel fabricating company, Beard, in realizing the need for a more sought new investment opportunities in the versatile and complete line of chain saws, Red River city. He found the Poulan Saw expanded the Poulan line to six models, Company a solid investment, and pur- ranging in cost from $200 to $500. The chased the firm from the Poulan family. company instituted new sales promotion Beaird assumed presidency of the compa- techniques including advertising and ny and renamed it Beaird-Poulan Compa- descriptive literature which appealed to a ny. broader market. Beaird-Poulan’s customer He began an extensive program of was no longer just the rough woodcutter expansion, increasing the Shreveport plant of the United States forest lands, but the by 18,000 square feet and introducing sev- general public as well. eral new models. Also, Beaird branched To appeal to the new consumer market, out into the manufacturing of go-cart Beaird-Poulan also completely changed engines and other related products. the appearance of their saws with new Streamlining saw models, Beaird felt paint selections, making them more color- would move the Beaird-Poulan Company ful. even further into the rapidly growing chain Through superior design and aggressive In 1971, Charles Beaird (see inset) saw market. And he was right. They marketing, Beaird-Poulan set the pace for set Poulan on a new era of growth revised the basic product and streamlined the industry, and new models increased with the move to new manufacturing the old open carburetion and crude-look- penetration into the farm segment, casual facilities. The new plant had ing housings. this led to the introduction user segment and lightweight professional 117,000 square feet compared to the of the FD100 direct drive and its compan- segment. In 1965, Poulan passed another old plant’s 54,000 square feet. ion, the F3100 reduction drive in 1960. milestone with the construction of a series of lightweight magnesium chain saws. In 10 years, Charles Beaird had brought Models 360, 400 and 450 were introduced the company through 51 models of saw in the summer of 1965, and signaled a development and opened the market of turning point in Poulan’s history with a most of the world to the Louisiana built trend toward the manufacture of light- chain saw. The company still manufactur- weight but durable chain saws. ers its original saw attachment, the bow In 1966, Beaird-Poulan acquired the guide, but the sizes and weighs of the Wright Saw Division of Thomas Industries, saws had radically changed, as well as Inc. which expanded their market even fur- streamlined and lightened to fit virtually ther. A year later, the expansion of the any demand. Among the innovations Shreveport plant, which added another which Poulan introduced during this era 9,000 square feet of manufacturing space, were the “push-button” sharpening chain allowed the transfer of the Wright Saws saw, and the Super 68, designed to boost Beaird-Poulan has become a multi- production lines to the main plant. production for the professional pulpwood national company because of the Beaird-Poulan technological advance- and saw logger. Also new on the model quality of its products. Poulan uses ments continued to lead the industry. By list was the Poulan Super 33, which at only the finest materials and many 1968, Beaird-Poulan was represented by 57 $129.95, was billed as “the world’s great- of the parts are made or tooled at distributors in the United States and 94 dis- est chain saw bargain.” The Super 33 was Poulan facilities tributors in Europe, Africa, the Pacific, the perfect for farmers, sportsmen, homeown- Far East and Latin America. Poulan and ers or anyone who had limited use for Wright saws were available from more chain saws. than 4,000 dealers . In 1969, Thomas Lindley joined Beaird- Poulan as its first consumer marketing grew for Poulan. Poulan products found director. Lindley recognized the casual their way into hundreds of chain saw deal- chain saw user as a virtually untapped ers’ showcases, and were sold through market. His organizational skills and hardware stores, engine shops, lawn and knowledge of the consumer set Beaird- garden stores, farm equipment suppliers Poulan on a new era of growth. and rental outlets. The lightweight saw In 1971, Beaird-Poulan began this new combined excellent power to weight ratio, period of growth with the move from the good balance and an easy starting reed- manufacturing facilities at Greenwood valve engine design which made the road with 54,000 square feet, to a 117,000 Model XXV the most efficient as well as square foot building on Flournoy Lucas. the most economical chain saw on the This helped relieve the cramped condi- market tions of the old plant as well as increase After more than a decade, the Beaird- production. Poulan firm had introduced 59 different In 1971, the company’s 25th Anniver- models of saws, and acquired the reputa- sary was observed with the introduction of tion of being an innovative and aggressive the Model XXV, a lightweight saw manufacturer not willing to sacrifice the designed for the casual user. Because of quality of their products. the saw’s state-of-the-art design, and Poulan’s consumer marketing know-how, the Model XXV took the industry by storm. The people (top) at Beaird-Poulan The Model XXV, designed by Lloyd are also a big factor in the success Tuggle who had joined Beaird-Poulan in of the company. The Beaird-Poulan 1969 as chief design engineer, gained manufacturing facilities are the wide acceptance as the consumer market most modern in the world. Beaird-Poulan becomes a division of Emerson Electric

In February, 1973, James M. Conly, Jr., market with a tremendous appeal to the who had joined the Poulan brothers back casual user. “This little jewel is to our in 1948, became president of the company industry what the transistor was to the succeeding Charles T. Beaird. A month lat- electronics world,” commented Lindley, er; Beaird, who was now chairman of the now vice president of sales. firm, announced the acquisition of Beaird- The Model XX also surprised the indus- Poulan by Emerson Electric Co., St. Louis, try by breaking the $100 price barrier, and Missouri. Emerson, then a $764 million became the industry standard for light- The Poulan Super XXV Counter- manufacturing giant, traded stock for weight saws. But, Beaird-Poulan, innova- Vibe made the company an Beaird-Poulan, and the company entered a tive throughout its history, refused to stop innovator in the casual user new and exciting phase in its develop- here. market ment. The following year, Beaird-Poulan pro- “The new owner is one of the nation’s duced the Super XXV Counter-Vibe Auto- largest and most dynamic business organi- matic; a lightweight saw which reduced zations,” Beaird told the news media after vibration by 78 percent. Chief engineer the acquisition was announced. “As a divi- Tuggle explained the new XXV reduced sion of Emerson Electric, we will receive engine vibration through a counter-bal- financial backing necessary to insure our anced crankshaft and for vibration isola- plans for growth, yet retain our individual tors. The 12-pound saw was an instant hit identity, management and employee in the market, and could rip through an policies.” eight-inch log in four seconds. Ownership of the company had just That same year the Shreveport plant changed hands, when the Poulan Model expanded to 250,000 square feet, and the XX was introduced. The new saw, which number of employees rose to almost 600 astonished industry experts, came on the to meet the rising demand for Poulan’s new line of consumer saws. Poulan Micro XXV, an nine-pound chain While the XXV and XX models reached saw selling for only $79.95. the 10-inch the casual user market, Poulan had not for- saw was the result of three years of gotten the professionals. The Poulan Mod- research and millions of dollars in els 4200, 5200 and 6000, all with the farm advanced manufacturing procedures. Said and logging industry. Of particular impor- Tuggle, “Poulan is able to offer more qual- tance was the Model 5200, which was ity for less cost than any other chain saw designed for the professional logger who manufacturer in the world.” used the saw daily for long hours. A broad statement, but true nevertheless. In 1975, Poulan entered a new phase The Micro XXV had features which made when the company added a line of light- the saw easier to use. Among the innova- The Poulan Micro XXV (top) is the weight, self-priming centrifugal water tions was a larger handle spread for better standard of the casual user market pumps with the capacity to pump water in leverage and control, a guard link chain to today and is one of the main rea- 5,000, 8,000 and 10,000 gallons per hour sons for Poulan’s phenomenal minimize the effect of kickback and a kill growth in the 1970’s. Poulan is con- quantities. switch, located close to the trigger finger to tinuing its innovative tradition in In 1976, D. Seals moved from another make operation shutdown easier, even with the 1980’s with the introduction of Emerson Division to become President of two hands on the saw. the Model 3400 (bottom) which Beaird-Poulan. Conly became chairman of A sister model, the Deluxe Micro XXV, offers many of the features of a pro- the board and Beaird assumed an execu- offered the same features, with a 12-inch fessional saw at a greatly reduced tive consultant position. sprocket nose bar rather than the 10-inch cost. Over 96,000 man hours and 1977 brought further developments and bar. The other major development in 1977 millions were invested in the devel- changes for Beaird-Poulan. The first was the opening of Beaird-Poulan’s opment of this saw development was the introduction of the 100,000 square foot plant in Nashville, AR, where the new Micro XXV models are major market in the world. now made. The Plant was the company’s Because of Poulan’s innovative engi- first operation outside of Shreveport’s. It neering and aggressive marketing, it is one has now been expanded to over 200,000 of the largest chain saw manufacturers in square feet. the world and has experienced the greatest In 1978, Poulan introduced a new line growth of any chain saw manufacturer of grass and weed trimmers, further over the past 10 years. expanding its product line. The market for such gardening equipment had mush- The Future roomed in a very short time, and as with all of Poulan’s history, the company is Beaird-Poulan has enjoyed tremendous The Poulan Micro XXV (top) is the moving to a leadership position in the field success since its humble beginnings in standard of the casual user market as well. 1946. In a short period of time, Beaird- today and is one of the main rea- In 1978, the company opened its first Poulan has emerged as one of the most sons for Poulan’s phenomenal respected and trusted manufacturers of growth in the 1970’s. Poulan is con- plant in Canada. Located in Markham, tinuing its innovative tradition in Ontario, this plant made it possible for chain saws and other fine products. It is the the 1980’s with the introduction of Poulan to meet the growing demand in goal of the company to continue its pro- the Model 3400 (bottom) which Canada. Poulan’s expansion has extended gram of developing innovative and reliable offers many of the features of a pro- worldwide with the opening of Poulan’s products for the future while at th same fessional saw at a greatly reduced first European sales office and warehouse time maintain its historic trend of solid cost. Over 96,000 man hours and in Bussels, Belgium. Poulan chain saws growth. Beaird Poulan is definitely a com- millions were invested in the devel- and accessories are now sold in every pany of the future. opment of this saw

Beaird-Poulan Division Emerson Electric Company Shreveport, LA