Outboard Marine Corporation
Outboard Marine Corporation (OMC) was a maker of Evinrude, Johnson and Gale Outboard Motors, and many different brands of boats. It was a multibillion-dollar Fortune 500 corporation. Evinrude began in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1907. OMC was based in Waukegan, Illinois. They also owned several lines of boats such as Chris Craft, Lowe Boats, Princecraft, Four Winns, SeaSwirl, Stratos, and Javelin. OMC was also a parent company to Lawn-Boy and Ryan, which made lawn mowers.
| Industry | Marine Outboard Motors and Boats |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1907 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States |
| Defunct | December 22, 2000 |
| Fate | Defunct |
| Headquarters | , |
OMC sold 100,000 motors in 2000 and had one third of the outboard market. OMC filed for bankruptcy 22 December 2000 and laid off 7,000 employees.
The Johnson and Evinrude brands were won by bid in February 2001 by Bombardier Recreational Products and the boat division by Genmar Holdings of Minnesota. The former OMC plant #2 in Waukegan, Illinois is now a Superfund cleanup site.