Kaz, Inc. is a Marlborough, Massachusetts-based manufacturer and distributor of health care products.
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| Industry | Healthcare and Home Environment Products |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1926 |
| Founder | Max Katzman |
| Headquarters | Marlborough, Massachusetts, U.S. |
Area served | 65 countries |
Key people | Jon Kosheff, President of Helen of Troy Health & Home (Kaz USA, Inc.) Julien Mininberg, CEO of Helen of Troy |
| Products | Air Purifiers Blood Pressure Monitors Dehumidifiers and Humidifiers Fans Heat/Cold Therapy Heaters Insect Control Thermometers Water Filtration |
| Brands | Braun, licensed Chillout Duracraft Enviracaire Febreze, licensed Honeywell Kaz NOsquito Protec PUR SmartTemp SoftHeat Stinger Vicks (Vick, Wick),licensed |
| Parent | Helen of Troy |
| Website | www.kaz.com |
History
editMax Katzman[1] invented the first electric vaporizer (original U.S. patent no. 1,628,784, issued May 17, 1927) and, in 1926, he founded Kaz, Incorporated to manufacture and market it.[2][3]
The expansion of the company – from a family business to a company designing, developing and marketing hundreds of healthcare and home environment products worldwide – came through research and development, acquisitions and licensing agreements.[4]
For more than 80 years, members of the Katzman family owned and managed Kaz. In 1956, founder Lawrence (Larry) Katzman succeeded his father, founder Max Katzman.[5] In addition to serving as Kaz’ second CEO, Larry was also a Palma d’Oro winning cartoonist best known for drawing Nellie Nifty, RN for a series of books and greeting cards.[6][7] Richard Katzman succeeded his father, Larry, as CEO in 1997.[5][8]
In 2006, Julien Mininberg became Kaz, Inc.’s first President outside the Katzman family. He became CEO in 2010.[5][8] Helen of Troy acquired Kaz, Inc. in 2010, and it continues to operate as a subsidiary.[4] Julien Mininberg remained the company's CEO until 2014, when he was appointed CEO of Helen of Troy.[9]
References
edit- ^ "About Helen of Troy - Helen of Troy". Helen of Troy. Retrieved 2017-04-10.
- ^ "New York Times obituary of Max Katzman". New York Times. August 9, 1974. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
- ^ "Patent Images". pdfpiw.uspto.gov. Retrieved 2017-04-10.
- ^ a b Kingsbury, Kevin; Stynes, Tess (2010-12-09). "Helen of Troy to Buy Health-Care Products Maker Kaz". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2017-04-10.
- ^ a b c "Company Information - Kaz". www.kaz.com. Retrieved 2017-04-10.
- ^ "Sunday Herald - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com. Retrieved 2017-04-10.
- ^ "Longtime NCS stalwart Larry Katzman: 1922-2016". Retrieved 2017-04-10.
- ^ a b "LinkedIn Profile of Richard Katzman". LinkedIn. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
- ^ "LinkedIn Profile of Julien Mininberg". LinkedIn. Retrieved April 10, 2017.