What Leatherman Makes: Nearly everyone knows what Leatherman makes. But for those who don’t, the company makes a wide range of pocket multitools, knives, and accessories. Leatherman’s iconic multitools come in a variety of colors, are custom engravable and are applicable to many different types of recreation, such as camping and cycling.
Company History: Founder Tim Leatherman saw the need for to add pliers to pocket knives while he and his wife were traveling through Europe in an unreliable Fiat in 1975. After returning to the U.S., he spent three years making a prototype and another three and a half years trying to sell his idea to various companies. Eventually, he partnered with college friend Steve Berliner and sold the first order of 500 tools to Cabela’s in 1983. The company has since diversified its product line and grown substantially since.
Location and Employment: Family owned Leatherman has 587 full-time employees at its facility in northeast Portland.
Learn More: Learn more about Leatherman on its website here. And go here to listen to an interview with Tim Leatherman for NPR’s How I Built This podcast.
Leatherman’s iconic multitools come in a variety of colors, are custom engravable and are applicable to many different types of recreation, such as camping and cycling.