Weed Eater
Encyclopedia
Weed Eater was a string trimmer
company founded in 1971 in Houston, Texas
by George C. Ballas, Sr.
, the inventor of the device.
The idea for the Weed Eater trimmer came to him from the spinning nylon bristles of an automatic car wash. He thought that he could come up with a similar technique to protect the bark on trees that he was trimming around.
His company was eventually bought by Emerson Electric
and merged with Poulan
. Poulan/Weed Eater was later purchased by Electrolux
, which spun off the outdoors division as Husqvarna AB
in 2006.
Inventor Ballas was the father of champion ballroom dancer Corky Ballas
and the grandfather of Dancing with the Stars
dancer Mark Ballas
.
George Ballas died in June 2011.
String trimmer
A string trimmer, also known as a strimmer, line trimmer, weed whacker, weed whip, weed eater, weedy, or whipper snipper, is a powered handheld device that uses a flexible monofilament line instead of a blade for cutting grass and other plants near objects...
company founded in 1971 in Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
by George C. Ballas, Sr.
George Ballas
George Charles Ballas was an American entrepreneur. He invented the first string trimmer, known as the Weed Eater in 1971...
, the inventor of the device.
The idea for the Weed Eater trimmer came to him from the spinning nylon bristles of an automatic car wash. He thought that he could come up with a similar technique to protect the bark on trees that he was trimming around.
His company was eventually bought by Emerson Electric
Emerson Electric Company
Emerson Electric Company is a major multinational corporation headquartered in Ferguson, Missouri, United States. This Fortune 500 company manufactures products and provides engineering services for a wide range of industrial, commercial, and consumer markets.Emerson is one of the largest...
and merged with Poulan
Poulan
Poulan is a brand name of the Swedish manufacturer Husqvarna AB, once a component of the Swedish conglomerate Electrolux. In 2006 Electrolux spun off Husqvarna AB into its own company, with Poulan nested beneath.-History:...
. Poulan/Weed Eater was later purchased by Electrolux
Electrolux
The Electrolux Group is a Swedish appliance maker.As of 2010 the 2nd largest home appliance manufacturer in the world after Whirlpool, its products sell under a variety of brand names including its own and are primarily major appliances and vacuum cleaners...
, which spun off the outdoors division as Husqvarna AB
Husqvarna AB
The Husqvarna Group is the world's largest producer of outdoor power products including chainsaws, trimmers, lawn mowers and garden tractors. The Group is also the European leader in consumer watering products and one of the world leaders in cutting equipment and diamond tools for the construction...
in 2006.
Inventor Ballas was the father of champion ballroom dancer Corky Ballas
Corky Ballas
Mark Alexander "Corky" Ballas, Sr. is a retired competitive ballroom dancer who holds several Latin dance championship titles.He has one son, Mark Ballas, with former wife and partner Shirley Ballas...
and the grandfather of Dancing with the Stars
Dancing with the Stars
Dancing with the Stars is the name of several international television series based on the format of the British TV series Strictly Come Dancing, which is distributed by BBC Worldwide – the commercial arm of the BBC. Currently the format has been licensed to over 35 countries...
dancer Mark Ballas
Mark Ballas
Mark Alexander Ballas Jr. is an American dancer.Ballas is a professional ballroom dancer on the ABC program Dancing with the Stars. He began competing on the show in the fall of 2007. He was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Choreography in 2011...
.
George Ballas died in June 2011.