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Note 1 - Description of Business
 12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2017
Notes to Financial Statements  
Business Description and Basis of Presentation [Text Block]
1.
Description of Business
 
Founded in
1959,
Generac Holdings Inc. (the Company) is a leading global designer and manufacturer of a wide range of power generation equipment and other engine powered products serving the residential, light-commercial and industrial markets. Generac’s power products are available globally through a broad network of independent dealers, distributors, retailers, wholesalers and equipment rental companies, as well as sold direct to certain end user customers.
 
Over the years, t
he Company has executed a number of acquisitions that support its strategic plan (refer to Item
1
in this Annual Report on Form
10
-K for discussion of our Powering Ahead strategic plan). A summary of recent acquisitions include the following:
 
 
●
I
n
August 2013,
the Company acquired the equity of Tower Light SRL and its wholly-owned subsidiaries (Tower Light). Headquartered outside Milan, Italy, Tower Light is a leading developer and supplier of mobile light towers throughout the world.
 
●
I
n
November 2013,
the Company purchased the assets of Baldor Electric Company’s generator division (Baldor Generators). Baldor Generators offers a complete line of power generation equipment throughout North America with power output up to
2.5MW,
which expanded the Company’s commercial and industrial product lines.
 
●
In
September
2014,
the Company acquired the equity of Pramac America LLC (Powermate), resulting in the ownership of the Powermate trade name and the right to license the DeWalt brand name for certain residential engine powered tools. This acquisition expanded Generac’s residential product portfolio in the portable generator category.
 
●
I
n
October 2014,
the Company acquired MAC, Inc. (MAC). MAC is a leading manufacturer of premium-grade commercial and industrial mobile heaters for the United States and Canadian markets. The acquisition expanded the Company’s portfolio of mobile power products and provides increased access to the oil & gas market.
 
●
I
n
August 2015,
the Company acquired Country Home Products and its subsidiaries (CHP). CHP is a leading manufacturer of high-quality, innovative, professional-grade engine powered equipment used in a wide variety of property maintenance applications, which are primarily sold in North America under the DR® Power Equipment brand. The acquisition provided an expanded product lineup and additional scale to the Company’s residential engine powered products.
 
●
In
March 2016,
the
Company acquired a majority ownership interest in PR Industrial S.r.l and its subsidiaries (Pramac). Headquartered in Siena, Italy, Pramac is a leading global manufacturer of stationary, mobile and portable generators primarily sold under the Pramac® brand. Pramac products are sold in over
150
countries through a broad distribution network.
 
●
In
January 2017,
the Company acquired Motortech GmbH (Motortech), headquartered in Celle, Germany. Motortech is a leading manufacturer
of gaseous-engine control systems and accessories, which are sold primarily to European gas-engine manufacturers and to aftermarket customers. While the Motortech acquisition was completed in
January 2017,
it was funded in the
fourth
quarter of
2016.