Garmin Ltd.
Company History
Garmin History: Founding, Growth & Key Milestones
Founded 1989 in United States
When was Garmin founded?
Garmin was founded in 1989 in United States by Min H. Kao and Gary Burrell, making it 37 years old.
- Founded
- 1989
- Founding place
- United States
- Founders
- Min H. Kao and Gary Burrell
- Headquarters today
- Schaffhausen, Switzerland (registered); Olathe, Kansas, USA (main operations)
- Milestones documented
- 12 (1989–2026)
- Current CEO
- Clifton A. (Cliff) Pemble
- Acquisitions
- 5
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1989 | Company founded |
| 1990 | GPS 100 introduced |
| 2000 | Nasdaq IPO |
| 2003 | Forerunner launched |
| 2007 | Bid for Tele Atlas |
| 2013 | Cliff Pemble becomes CEO |
| 2017 | Acquired Navionics |
| 2019 | Acquired Tacx |
| 2020 | Ransomware Attack |
| 2021 | Listing moves to NYSE |
| 2025 | Record $7.25 billion revenue |
| 2026 | TrainingPeaks and TrainHeroic acquired |
- Where was Garmin founded?
- Garmin was founded in United States in 1989. wikidata.org
- Who founded Garmin?
- Garmin was founded by Min H. Kao and Gary Burrell.
- Where is Garmin headquartered?
- Garmin is headquartered in Schaffhausen, Switzerland (registered); Olathe, Kansas, USA (main operations).
- When did Garmin start?
- Garmin was founded in 1989.
- How old is Garmin?
- Garmin is 37 years old as of 2026.
Founding Story
Gary Burrell and Min Kao met at King Radio, a Kansas avionics maker, and in 1989 started the company in Lenexa, Kansas, under the name ProNav. It was soon renamed Garmin, a blend of their first names. Its first product, the GPS 100, was a marine GPS receiver introduced in 1990. Civilian and military demand for GPS units during the 1991 Gulf War helped establish the brand, and the company expanded into aviation, consumer handhelds, automotive navigation and later wearables.
Founders
Min H. Kao
Min H. Kao co-founded Garmin in 1989 with Gary Burrell, and the company name combines their first names. Born in Taiwan, he studied at National Taiwan University and the University of Tennessee and worked on GPS and navigation systems before starting Garmin. He helped set up the company's manufacturing in Taiwan, which is still central to its vertically integrated model. He led Garmin as CEO through the 2000s, then handed the role to Cliff Pemble in 2013 and stayed on as executive chairman. He is also known for major gifts to the University of Tennessee, whose electrical engineering and computer science department bears his name. Min H. Kao was born in 1949.
Gary Burrell
Gary Burrell co-founded Garmin in 1989 and led it as chief executive alongside Min Kao in its early years. He brought avionics industry experience and a conservative approach to money, which shaped Garmin's early focus on marine and aviation GPS and its debt-free balance sheet. He later stepped back from day-to-day management, became chairman emeritus, and died in 2019. Gary Burrell was born in 1937 in Stilwell. Education: Wichita State University; Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Key Milestones
Company founded
Gary Burrell and Min Kao founded the company in Lenexa, Kansas, as ProNav. It was soon renamed Garmin.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgGPS 100 introduced
Garmin introduced its first product, the GPS 100 marine receiver.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgNasdaq IPO
Garmin went public on Nasdaq under the ticker GRMN in December 2000.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgForerunner launched
The Forerunner 101 wrist-worn GPS trainer launched Garmin's fitness wearables line.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgBid for Tele Atlas
Garmin bid for the digital-map company Tele Atlas in October 2007 and withdrew in November after TomTom raised its offer.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgCliff Pemble becomes CEO
Cliff Pemble, an early Garmin engineer, succeeded Min Kao as CEO in January 2013.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgAcquired Navionics
Garmin acquired Navionics. Garmin acquired Navionics, a premier global provider of detailed electronic navigational charts and mobile applications for the marine industry, in order to rapidly expand its digital mapping capabilities and strengthen its position in the high-margin marine electronics market.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgRansomware Attack
A ransomware attack in July 2020 took Garmin Connect and other services offline for several days.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgListing moves to NYSE
Garmin moved its share listing from Nasdaq to the New York Stock Exchange.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgRecord $7.25 billion revenue
Revenue rose 15% to $7.25 billion, every segment set a record, and Garmin shipped more than 20 million units.
Source: garmin.comTrainingPeaks and TrainHeroic acquired
Garmin completed the acquisition of the TrainingPeaks and TrainHeroic coaching platforms and reported a record Q2 2026 operating income of $616 million.
Source: garmin.comMajor Acquisitions
Navionics
2017Garmin acquired Navionics, a premier global provider of detailed electronic navigational charts and mobile applications for the marine industry, in order to rapidly expand its digital mapping capabilities and strengthen its position in the high-margin marine electronics market.
JL Audio
2023Garmin acquired JL Audio, a respected manufacturer of premium audio systems for the marine and powersports markets, to further integrate entertainment solutions into its digital helm ecosystem.
Tacx
2019Added Dutch smart indoor bike trainers to the Fitness segment.
Firstbeat Analytics
2020Brought in-house the Finnish physiological analytics behind metrics such as VO2 max and training load.
TrainingPeaks and TrainHeroic
2026Added training platforms for endurance and strength athletes and their coaches, which expands Garmin's software and subscription offering.
Keep researching Garmin
Garmin Company History FAQ
When and where was Garmin founded?
Gary Burrell and Min Kao founded Garmin in 1989 in Lenexa, Kansas, under the name ProNav. Its first product, the GPS 100 marine receiver, came out in 1990.
When did Garmin complete its initial public offering (IPO)?
Garmin went public on December 8, 2000, listing on the NASDAQ under the ticker 'GRMN' (and later transferring to the New York Stock Exchange in 2021).
When was the well-known Garmin Forerunner running watch first introduced?
In 2003, Garmin launched the Forerunner 101, the world's first wrist-worn GPS training device for runners, creating the modern GPS sports watch category and transforming athletic training worldwide.
When was the Garmin G1000 integrated glass cockpit launched in aviation?
In 2004, Garmin introduced the G1000 all-glass integrated avionics system, replacing mechanical flight instruments with digital primary flight displays in Cessna, Beechcraft, and Diamond aircraft.
When was the well-known Garmin fēnix outdoor multisport watch series unveiled?
Garmin launched the original fēnix in 2012 as an outdoor navigation watch, evolving it over multiple generations into the world's premier multisport GPS smartwatch for mountaineers, ultra-runners, and endurance athletes.
When did Garmin win the Robert J. Collier Trophy for Garmin Autoland?
In 2020, the National Aeronautic Association awarded Garmin the prestigious Robert J. Collier Trophy (aviation's highest honor) for developing Garmin Autoland, the world's first certified autonomous emergency aircraft landing system.
How did Garmin start?
Garmin (originally called ProNav) was founded in 1989 by electrical engineers Gary Burrell and Min Kao. They recognized that the US military's new Global Positioning System (GPS) could be commercialized for civilian use. Their very first customer was the US Army, which bought their massive early GPS units during the 1991 Gulf War.
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