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HORIZON HISTORY |
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Horizon Hobby History
Horizon Hobby began in 1985 to fill a significant need in the North American radio control (R/C) marketplace.
Hobby retailers needed an alternate distributor that could offer high-quality, personal, customer service along with the best products possible for them to sell. That alternative became Horizon Hobby.
Rick Stephens, Vice President and then President of Great Planes Model Distributors between 1980 and 1985, teamed up with Eric Meyers, Janet Ottmers and Debra Love to form Horizon near Champaign, Illinois. Their combined thirty years of experience in the hobby industry provided all the contacts necessary to begin a new distribution company.
Hobby retailers and R/C suppliers alike welcomed Horizon, due to the good reputation of the people involved and the need for a quality distributor to compete with Hobbico. From its very first day of operation, Horizon experienced tremendous support from the industry resulting in very fast growth.
In 1986-just one year after the company was formed-Horizon opened a West Coast facility to better serve its customers in the western United States.
In the early 1990s, Horizon Hobby began to develop its own stable of exclusive products. This was enhanced in 1992 when Horizon acquired Hobby Dynamics Distributors, and, with it, the exclusive rights to several leading R/C product lines, including their anchor brand, JR radios. Since that time, Horizon has added or developed other exclusive brands, including Saito engines, Hangar 9 airplanes and accessories, Team Losi cars and trucks, Dynamite car accessories, Expert electronic products, JR helicopters, Revolution heli accessories, MDS engines, ABC Boats, ProBoat boats, Ultracote, Zenoah engines, HobbyZone beginner R/C products, and others. Together they form the Horizon Hobby family of products that the company markets and services in North America.
During the '90s, Horizon also broadened its distribution base by adding static model kits, general hobby items and Model Railroad products. These are important categories for retailers to stock, allowing them to now get more of what they need from one source; Horizon Hobby.
The advent of the World Wide Web created a new need for Horizon: to develop an effective avenue for direct contact with hobby consumers. In 1998, Horizon acquired a mail-order company, Indy RC, and converted it into the Horizon Hobby Catalog Division-the premier information and problem-solving resource for hobby consumers. Information and services circulated through the Catalog Division and its Web site will continue to drive demand for Horizon Hobby products, primarily through retail shops due to it's pricing and marketing policies.
Horizon has become known for its high-quality attention to customer needs, product expertise and integrity in the way that it does business. Its philosophy and concern for people is the primary reason for its growth and success.
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