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| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| Industry | Recreational Marine |
| Founded | Cincinnati, Ohio September 15, 1845; 180 years ago (1845-09-15) |
| Founder | J. M. Brunswick |
| Headquarters | Mettawa, Illinois, U.S.[1] |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | David Foulkes (CEO) |
| Revenue |  US$5.24 billion (2024) |
| US$312 million (2024) | |
| US$130 million (2024) | |
| Total assets | US$5.68 billion (2024) |
| Total equity | US$1.89 billion (2024) |
Number of employees | 15,000 (2024) |
| Website | brunswick |
| Footnotes / references [2] | |
Brunswick Corporation, formerly known as theBrunswick-Balke-Collender Company, is an American corporation that has been developing, manufacturing and marketing a wide variety of products since 1845. Brunswick has more than 13,000 employees in 24 countries. Brunswick owns a number of brands, includingMercury Marine. In 2024, Brunswick reported sales ofUS$5.2 billion. Brunswick's global headquarters is in the northern Chicago suburb ofMettawa, Illinois.
Brunswick was founded byJ. M. Brunswick who came to the United States fromSwitzerland at the age of 15. TheJ. M. Brunswick Manufacturing Company opened for business on September 15, 1845, inCincinnati, Ohio. Originally J. M. Brunswick intended his company to be mainly in the business of makingcarriages, but soon after opening his machine shop, he became fascinated withbilliards and decided that making billiard tables would be more lucrative, as the better tables then in use in the United States were imported fromEngland. Brunswick billiard tables were a commercial success, and the business expanded and opened the first of what would become many branch offices inChicago in 1848. It was later renamedJ. M. Brunswick & Brother by 1860, after a family member came on board, and the company's slogan at this time was: "The oldest and most extensive billiard table manufacturers in the United States".[3]
In 1874, the Brunswick company merged with competitorGreat Western Billiard Manufactory owned by Julius Balke to become theJ. M. Brunswick & Balke Company. It was incorporated in 1879 with a capital stock of $275,000, the same year it merged with another competitor,H. W. Collender Company ofNew York City (founded by Hugh W. Collender), to acquire Collender's patented billiard cushions. In 1884, the partners formed theBrunswick-Balke-Collender Company (orB.B.C. Company for short[4]) with capital of $1.5 million.[clarification needed]
The company expanded into making a number of other products. Large ornateneo-classical style bars forsaloons were a popular product.Bowling balls, pins, and equipment led a growing line ofsporting equipment. It popularizedbowling balls of manufactured materials, vulcanizedrubber at first; earlier bowling balls had been solidwood.
In the early 20th century, Brunswick expanded the product line to include such diverse products astoilet seats,automobiletires, andphonographs.[5] In the late 1910s, they introduced a quickly popular line ofdisc phonograph records, under the nameBrunswick Records. In 1930, Brunswick sold the control of the record company toWarner Brothers and came out with a line ofrefrigerators.
DuringWorld War II, Brunswick-Balke-Collender made small target-droneaircraft for theU.S. military.After the war, Brunswick introduced a line ofschoolfurniture. In 1949, the Brunswick "Model A" MechanicalPinsetter fully automated unit premiered, for the purpose of handling bowling pins forten-pin bowling, in competition withAmerican Machine and Foundry (AMF). Previously, Brunswick had made two models of semi-automated, manually operated "spotting tables" for the tenpin sport, that the "Model A" unit replaced.
A historical marker at 623 S. Wabash Ave. in Chicago was dedicated by theIllinois State Historical Society in 1995 at the site of Brunswick's headquarters from 1913 to 1964.[6] The building today is used byColumbia College Chicago.
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The 1950s also saw the introduction of a line ofgolfing equipment to compete with AMF in the leisure-products and sporting-goods markets.
The Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company officially changed its name to the Brunswick Corporation on April 10, 1960. The following year the company reported sales of $422 million. Brunswick acquired Mercury Marine in 1961. In the 1970s, Brunswick introduced theautomatic scorer, which electronically tallied the score instead of the bowler doing it by hand.
With the company experiencing substantial revenue growth in the 1950s, it began considering relocating its corporate headquarters.[7] In the 1960s, it moved its corporate headquarters from the South Wabash Avenue location that it had occupied for six decades to a newmodernist-styleskyscraper engineered byFazlur Khan ofSkidmore, Owings & Merrill and developed byArthur Rubloff's firm. Thenew Brunswick Building was built in theChicago Loop, next to the newChicago Civic Center (today known as Richard J. Daley Center).[7][8] The 1960s-built Brunswick Building was later bought by thegovernment of Cook County, Illinois in 1996,[9] and is today known as the "George W. Dunne Cook County Administration Building".[8]
The Brunswick Corporation patented a machine gun using a delayed blowback operation via a fluted chamber as part of the weapon's operation.[10] Another platform was theRifleman's Assault Weapon, an unusual grenade launcher that used a spherical rocket propelled grenade.[11][12][13][14]
In the 1980s, Brunswick became a major maker ofyachts and pleasureboats, under brands includingBayliner,Boston Whaler,Maxum,Sea Ray, and Trophy.[15]
During theGulf War, Brunswick supplied the military withcamouflage nets. They also maderadomes for thePatriot missile.
In 1997, Brunswick purchased theRoadmaster bicycle division, one of the last U.S. manufacturers of low-cost, mass-market bicycles. However, it became apparent that continued U.S. manufacture of such products was not viable in the presence of surging low-priced imports from overseas producers, primarilyChina. In 1999, Brunswick sold its Roadmaster bicycle division and brand toPacific Cycle.
As of the early 21st century, the Brunswick Corporation still manufactured sporting and fitness equipment (Life Fitness, Hammer Strength, Parabody) in addition to boats (Sea Ray,Bayliner,Maxum, etc.) and marineengines under theMercury Marinebrand name.
In 2001, Brunswick acquired Hatteras Yachts from Genmar Industries for approximately $80 million in cash.[16] Brunswick sold its Hatteras/Cabo brand in 2013 to Versa Capital Management.[17]
In 2004, Brunswick acquiredLowe Boats. The same year, the company also purchased Northstar Technologies, a leading marine electronics provider based in Acton, Massachusetts, from Canadian Marconi Corporation (nowCMC Electronics, a wholly owned subsidiary ofEsterline Technologies Corporation). Brunswick then merged Navman, based in Auckland, New Zealand, with Northstar to make Northstar/Navman a supplier to the Brunswick Boat Groups. Brunswick also acquired Mx-Marine. When George Buckley, CEO at the time, left to join3M in 2006, new leadership decided to sell Northstar, Navman and Mx-Marine toNavico. Brunswick has established regional headquarters inVerviers, Belgium;Monterrey, Mexico;Dandenong, Australia; andDubai, UAE, to better serve its customers by designing, engineering, manufacturing and distributing products based on local needs, using local talent.[18]
On July 17, 2014, Brunswick announced plans to leave the bowling business by the end of 2014. The company disclosed that it had agreed to sell itsbowling center business, which brought in $187 million in revenue in the prior year, to competitor Bowlmor AMF (now known asBowlero Corporation) for $270 million. It also disclosed that it had retainedLazard to find a buyer for its bowling equipment and products business. The company said it was making these changes to focus on its “core” Marine and Fitness businesses, which provided 92% of company net revenues in 2013. It would retain its heritage billiards business and report billiards financial results as part of the Fitness segment.[19] The sale of the bowling center business to Bowlmor AMF (Bowlero) was completed in September 2014.[20]
Brunswick completed its exit from the bowling business in May 2015 with the sale of itsbowling equipment and products division to BlueArc Capital Management, a private investment firm. BlueArc completed the acquisition with investments from Gladstone Investment Corporation, and Capitala Finance Corp. BlueArc continues to produce bowling balls under the Brunswick and DV8 brand names,[21] and on November 15, 2019, it acquiredEbonite International and all of its bowling product brands.[22]
In August 2018, Brunswick Corporation acquired Power Products – Global Marine & Mobile business, which includes the global marine, specialty vehicle, mobile, industrial power, and transportation aftermarket products businesses of Power Products, for $910 million in cash from San Francisco-based private equity firm Genstar Capital.
Also in 2018, the company announced it would be separating the fitness business as Life Fitness Holdings in 2019.[23] In May 2019, Brunswick announced the sale ofBrunswick Billiards,Life Fitness,Cybex, Hammer Strength, Indoor Cycling Group, and SCIFIT for $490 million toKPS Capital Partners.[24] The sale was completed in June 2019.
In May 2019, Brunswick announced it would be purchasing the largest marine franchisor in the United States,Freedom Boat Club.[25]
Also in 2019, Brunswick announced a new business structure, Advanced Systems Group (ASG) and named Brett Dibkey as President.[26] ASG is composed of 11 Power Products brands combined with the Attwood Group of businesses including Attwood, Garelick, MotorGuide, and Whale – as well as NAUTIC-ON.
On October 4, 2021, Brunswick Corporation announced that it has completed its acquisition of Navico, a manufacturer of marine electronics and sensors for $1.05 billion, adding back to Brunswick the industry sector it hadearlier divested.
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