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Vitamix
Vita-Mix Corporation, doing business as Vitamix, is an American company that manufactures and sells commercial and residential blenders. Vitamix was founded in 1921 by William Grover Barnard and is privately owned by the Barnard family. It has been based in Olmsted Township, Ohio, since 1948. It employs more than 700 people, most at its Northeast Ohio headquarters and manufacturing facilities. Vitamix products are sold in over 130 countries.
Vita-Mix Corporation was founded in 1921 by William Grover Barnard as the Barnard Sales Company. Barnard traveled the country selling can openers and other kitchen appliances. It was after helping a family member through an illness that Barnard became an advocate for whole food nutrition and refocused the company's emphasis on selling health foods and vitamins through the mail, which Barnard primarily promoted with live demonstrations. In 1937, Barnard saw a blender at a trade show and introduced his own model named the Vita-Mix to complement the health food products he sold. The name Vita-Mix comes from "vita," the Latin word for "life." That year, Barnard changed the name of the company to the Natural Food Institute and opened a storefront in Cleveland, Ohio. In 1948, the company moved to Olmsted Township.
In 1949, William Barnard's son, Bill, convinced his father to take his blender demonstrations to television, and Barnard purchased time on Cleveland's WEWS television station to demonstrate the Vita-Mix, making it the first company to broadcast an infomercial for a specific manufactured product. Barnard hired Cinécraft Productions, a Cleveland sponsored film studio, to produce the infomercial. It was a success and the company sold over 650 machines that night. The station repeated the infomercial weekly, and Barnard produced a series of demonstrations and broadcast them in other markets including New York City.
In 1955, Bill Barnard took over the company, which boosted sales with a cookbook written by his wife, Ruth. In 1962, Bill Barnard's son Grover joined the company and it discontinued selling health food products and shifted its focus to blenders. The company was renamed Vita-Mix Corporation in 1966. The company produced its last infomercials in the 1980s, which featured fitness personality Richard Simmons.
In February 2006, Blendtec sued Vita-Mix Corporation for infringing on its patents on its "Wild Side" jar design, which Vita-Mix had allegedly copied for its containers. The court concluded Vita-Mix had infringed Blendtec's patents, and awarded Blendtec total damages of approximately $24 million, the largest patent-related penalty in the history of Utah. In 2009, Jodi Berg, a great-granddaughter of founder William Grover Barnard, became the president of Vita-Mix, making her the fourth generation member of the Barnard family to hold the title. She became CEO in 2011. In 2010, the company introduced a new logo resembling a blender vortex and restyled its trade name as Vitamix. Under Berg, the company expanded its marking efforts and retail presence, selling 1.4 million blenders in 2013, a 52% year over year increase.
Vitamix primarily markets its blenders using live demonstrations, and as of 2013 employed over 500 representatives to show its products at culinary festivals, grocery stores, wholesales clubs and conventions. Vitamix's corporate clients include Starbucks, McDonald's, and Jamba Juice (Jamba Juice switched to competitor Blendtec in 2015). Vitamix donates blenders to the Culinary Institute of America to develop relationships with chefs. In 2013, the company opened a 175,000 sq. foot manufacturing facility outside of Cleveland.
In 2022, Steve Laserson became CEO, becoming the first non-family member to lead the company.
The company's first blender, the Vita-Mix, was introduced in 1937 and sold at an $11.95 base price. It used stainless steel containers. At the time of the company's first 1949 infomercial, the Vita-Mix sold for $34.95 and had an optional glass container. In 1950, the Vita-Mix Mark 20 blender was introduced, which featured variable speeds.
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Vitamix
Vita-Mix Corporation, doing business as Vitamix, is an American company that manufactures and sells commercial and residential blenders. Vitamix was founded in 1921 by William Grover Barnard and is privately owned by the Barnard family. It has been based in Olmsted Township, Ohio, since 1948. It employs more than 700 people, most at its Northeast Ohio headquarters and manufacturing facilities. Vitamix products are sold in over 130 countries.
Vita-Mix Corporation was founded in 1921 by William Grover Barnard as the Barnard Sales Company. Barnard traveled the country selling can openers and other kitchen appliances. It was after helping a family member through an illness that Barnard became an advocate for whole food nutrition and refocused the company's emphasis on selling health foods and vitamins through the mail, which Barnard primarily promoted with live demonstrations. In 1937, Barnard saw a blender at a trade show and introduced his own model named the Vita-Mix to complement the health food products he sold. The name Vita-Mix comes from "vita," the Latin word for "life." That year, Barnard changed the name of the company to the Natural Food Institute and opened a storefront in Cleveland, Ohio. In 1948, the company moved to Olmsted Township.
In 1949, William Barnard's son, Bill, convinced his father to take his blender demonstrations to television, and Barnard purchased time on Cleveland's WEWS television station to demonstrate the Vita-Mix, making it the first company to broadcast an infomercial for a specific manufactured product. Barnard hired Cinécraft Productions, a Cleveland sponsored film studio, to produce the infomercial. It was a success and the company sold over 650 machines that night. The station repeated the infomercial weekly, and Barnard produced a series of demonstrations and broadcast them in other markets including New York City.
In 1955, Bill Barnard took over the company, which boosted sales with a cookbook written by his wife, Ruth. In 1962, Bill Barnard's son Grover joined the company and it discontinued selling health food products and shifted its focus to blenders. The company was renamed Vita-Mix Corporation in 1966. The company produced its last infomercials in the 1980s, which featured fitness personality Richard Simmons.
In February 2006, Blendtec sued Vita-Mix Corporation for infringing on its patents on its "Wild Side" jar design, which Vita-Mix had allegedly copied for its containers. The court concluded Vita-Mix had infringed Blendtec's patents, and awarded Blendtec total damages of approximately $24 million, the largest patent-related penalty in the history of Utah. In 2009, Jodi Berg, a great-granddaughter of founder William Grover Barnard, became the president of Vita-Mix, making her the fourth generation member of the Barnard family to hold the title. She became CEO in 2011. In 2010, the company introduced a new logo resembling a blender vortex and restyled its trade name as Vitamix. Under Berg, the company expanded its marking efforts and retail presence, selling 1.4 million blenders in 2013, a 52% year over year increase.
Vitamix primarily markets its blenders using live demonstrations, and as of 2013 employed over 500 representatives to show its products at culinary festivals, grocery stores, wholesales clubs and conventions. Vitamix's corporate clients include Starbucks, McDonald's, and Jamba Juice (Jamba Juice switched to competitor Blendtec in 2015). Vitamix donates blenders to the Culinary Institute of America to develop relationships with chefs. In 2013, the company opened a 175,000 sq. foot manufacturing facility outside of Cleveland.
In 2022, Steve Laserson became CEO, becoming the first non-family member to lead the company.
The company's first blender, the Vita-Mix, was introduced in 1937 and sold at an $11.95 base price. It used stainless steel containers. At the time of the company's first 1949 infomercial, the Vita-Mix sold for $34.95 and had an optional glass container. In 1950, the Vita-Mix Mark 20 blender was introduced, which featured variable speeds.