Printed from www.iconfitness.com
About ICON
After graduating from Utah State University in 1977, Scott Watterson, left, and Gary Stevenson, founded Weslo, Inc, which later became ICON Health & Fitness.
ICON HISTORY
In 1977, Scott Watterson and Gary Stevenson, both business majors at Utah State University, founded Weslo, Inc. to finance their college education. The two started the company importing kitchenware, tableware, and marble products from the Far East. In 1979, Weslo, Inc. responded to the nation's energy conservation movement and acquired the rights to a freestanding wood-burning stove. The company began marketing the stoves under the trade name of Fire King, Inc.
The company's entry into the health and fitness industry began with the manufacturing of trampolines. As they studied the exercise and fitness market, they were able to take advantage of the tremendous growth that occurred in the 1980s. Their entry into the fitness market proved to be timely as the product line expanded to include treadmills, exercise bikes, rowing machines, and home gyms under the name ProForm Fitness Products, Inc. As the company's exercise equipment business grew, the partners decided to spin off their wood burning stove business to focus on the fitness equipment industry.
In 1988, Weider Health & Fitness acquired ProForm and Weslo. The 50-year-old company was, at the time, a large manufacturer of sport nutrition products, and the nation's largest publisher of health, fitness, and lifestyle magazines.
In July of 1990, ProForm and Weslo moved into a new 300,000 square foot international headquarters. The facility houses state-of-the-art manufacturing and includes nearly all aspects of the company's operations - from research & development, assembly, customer service, and marketing.
In November of 1994, Weider Health & Fitness sold the assets of ProForm Fitness Products, Inc. and Weslo, Inc. and Weider Care to a group led by Bain Capital, Inc. of Boston. The new name became ICON Health & Fitness, Inc.
HealthRider, a leading marketer of riders was purchased in August of 1996. This acquisition provided another strong name to the ICON family, and allowed the company to expand its sales through its own chain of retail stores located across the country.
In 1999, ICON acquired the NordicTrack brand and developed it into the premium line of home fitness equipment. ICON has expanded into the commercial fitness market with the acquisition of FreeMotion Fitness, Inc. The new division was launched in March 2001 and is based in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
ICON NOW
With nearly 4,000 employees and 11 locations around the globe, ICON Health & Fitness, Inc. is one of the largest manufacturers and marketers of fitness equipment in the world. As one of the first U.S. fitness companies to venture into the international arena, ICON has facilities located in China, Europe, Canada, and the United States.
ICON has consistently pioneered the fitness industry and demonstrated its power as an industry leader by delivering state-of-the-art equipment for nearly 30 years. No other company provides a more complete line of fitness solutions. In 2005, ICON produced nearly 4 million units of quality fitness equipment, including treadmills, incline trainers, elliptical machines, stationary bikes, home gyms, weight benches, yoga and Pilates equipment and other fitness accessories. ICON is ISO 9001 certified, meeting the international standard of quality for manufacturers. In addition to manufacturing, ICON performs all marketing, research & development and industrial design for its products.
Pushing the envelope has contributed significantly to ICON's impressive growth during its 28 years. The key to ICON's success lies within its extensive research & development processes. The company holds nearly 200 patents for its innovations and technologies.
ICON owns some of the best-known brands in the fitness industry including NordicTrack, FreeMotion, ProForm, EPIC, HealthRider, Weider, Image, and Weslo and licenses Reebok and Gold's Gym brands. These brand names are immediately recognizable to consumers and have a strong reputation for high performance around the globe.