FINDING GROWTH THROUGH DIVERSIFICATION
Symtec, Inc., the leader in flexible heaters and controllers, is celebrating their 25th anniversary in 2014.
The Minneapolis, Minn. based company was founded in 1989 as a basement operation. Symtec’s initial sales were a flexible thumbwarmer to snowmobile dealers who were looking to solve the “cold thumb” issue when operating a snowmobile. Throughout the years, Symtec has expanded their product offering to over 200 products, including heated grips and seat heaters. Many of these products incorporate the numerous company-held patents.
"Over the past 25 years, we have expanded from a single product into a full line of heated grips, seat heaters, and other accessories for motorcycles, ATVs, and snowmobiles,” said Riley Harlan, president of Heat Demon.
This growth has allowed Symtec to diversify into medical and other industries. While continually looking for ways to modify and improve their Heat Demon branded products, there is also an increase in new OEM customers outside of the powersports industry.
"Flexible heaters are used in many applications across many industries, including medical, agricultural, and industrial,” said Harlan. “Symtec will have a significant presence in those industries over the next 25 years.”
While Symtec has expanded their products into different industries, the office and manufacturing have also expanded into a 12,500 square foot warehouse to accommodate the growth. Growth of customers and products has also brought a need for more employees.
"Our success is driven by our team,” states Harlan. “In the last few years, we emphasized hiring people who are totally in sync with our core values. That shift has really allowed us to accelerate our growth, and solidify our position as the leader in heated solutions for powersports.”
Through the steady progression and diversification, it’s apparent that Symtec is dedicated to achieve more growth into 2015 and beyond.
