Recognizing that the U.S. was one of the largest markets in the world, in the 1970’s the Stihl family decided to open a manufacturing facility in Virginia Beach, Va. The location’s proximity to one of the country’s largest deep-water ports and its ready-to-work labour force made Virginia Beach the ideal location. In 1974, in a rented 20,000-square-foot facility, STIHL Inc. (then STIHL American) opened its doors with 50 employees assembling one model of chain saw. Today, 2,100 employees, working in over one-million-square-feet of operating space, manufacture millions of powerheads a year on the sprawling 150-acre STIHL Inc. campus.

In our state-of-the-art manufacturing facility, skilled employees with the assistance of highly automated technology, work together to produce more than 80 models of STIHL equipment through vertically integrated processes and extensive quality assurance checks. These products are then distributed throughout the country through our 11 regional branches and distributors, sold through a network of more than 10,000 authorized local STIHL dealers and exported to more than 80 countries around the world.