Grounded Electric is a Generac Certified electrical contractor. We work with Generac generators often. Knowing the brand’s backstory helps put the products in context. In short, it started as a family business and grew into a publicly traded company over the past 50 years.
Key Takeaways
- Generac Holdings Inc. is a public company with no controlling owner. Vanguard Group holds around 11% of shares, and BlackRock holds close to 6.5%, based on SEC filings.
- Robert Kern founded Generac in 1959 and owned it outright for 47 years before selling to CCMP Capital in 2007.
- Aaron Jagdfeld became president and CEO in September 2008, taking over from William Treffert after CCMP’s acquisition.
- Generac has no parent company above Generac Holdings Inc. It answers directly to its shareholders and board.
- Generac builds its standby and portable generators in the U.S., with headquarters and main manufacturing based in Waukesha, Wisconsin.
Who Owns Generac Power Systems Today?
Generac Power Systems is a part of Generac Holdings Inc. Institutional investors hold roughly 61% of the company’s stock, according to SEC filings. Vanguard Group is the largest shareholder, holding around 11% of outstanding shares, according to its most recent 13G filing with the SEC.
BlackRock holds close to 6.5% across its various funds. Between the two of them, they control close to a quarter of the company, but neither one comes close to a majority stake on its own.
Company insiders hold a small slice, under 2%, and retail investors like individual traders make up the rest. Ownership shifts each quarter slightly as these funds buy and sell, but the leadership team and board still run day-to-day operations the same way, regardless of which fund holds what percentage that month.
Who Founded Generac, and Does It Have a Parent Company?
Robert Kern started the company in Waukesha, Wisconsin, in 1959. He grew it from a small shop into a big name in standby generators and portable generators. For 47 years, Kern owned it outright with no outside company involved. That changed in November 2006.
Here’s the quick timeline:
- The company entered the portable generator market decades earlier, then sold that division to the Beacon Group in 1998, which later sold it to Briggs & Stratton
- CCMP Capital Advisors acquired Generac in a sale in 2007, reportedly worth around $2 billion, shifting 2007 Generac from family ownership to private equity ownership
- A non-compete tied to the 1998 portable products sale expired in 2007, and Generac re-entered the portable generator market the following year.
- Aaron Jagdfeld stepped into the president and chief executive officer role in September 2008
- The company went public through an initial public offering in 2010, moving from private hands to public shareholders.
- Generac Holdings Inc. is now the parent company, with Generac Power Systems running underneath it.
So no, there’s no parent company above Generac Holdings Inc. It answers to its shareholders and board, not some bigger corporation.
That’s different from Briggs & Stratton, another big name in the generation market, which ended up owning Generac’s old portable products line through a completely separate deal.
A few things worth flagging on sourcing:
- Shareholder percentages come from SEC 13G filings, which are public record
- CCMP Capital itself reported the $2 billion sale figure in an investor newsletter, though Generac’s leadership never publicly confirmed or denied the number at the time.
- The rest (Jagdfeld’s appointment, the IPO timing, the non-compete) checks out against Generac’s own SEC prospectus filings and company history.
Want me to fold these sourced numbers into the rest of the article too, or keep the changes contained to these two sections?
Who Runs Generac in the United States?
William Treffert served as CEO when CCMP Capital took over in 2006. Aaron Jagdfeld, who was CFO at the time, stepped into the role of president and chief executive officer in September 2008. The board of directors handles the big calls: strategy, executive pay, and acquisitions.
That’s when the company brought in a new president and chief executive officer to run day-to-day operations. The board of directors handles the big calls: strategy, executive pay, and acquisitions.
On our end, Grounded Electric’s head electrician and license holder is Robert “Bobby” Mulholland. He’s got over 30 years of experience in the field working on generator systems, automatic transfer switches, and standby power systems.
Barret Abramow, our Project Manager and Co-Owner, handles the business side of generator installs. Neither one works for the generator company itself.
Their job is installing and servicing this equipment, including the automatic transfer switch that kicks a standby generator on the moment the power goes out.
Is Generac American Made?
Yes. Generators are built in the U.S., with headquarters and main operations in Waukesha, Wisconsin. There are other plants and warehouses too, but the core standby and portable generator lines are made right here at home.
That matters for parts and service, and it’s one reason homeowners ask if Generac generators are worth it before buying. Bobby’s team can get components quickly, without the delays you sometimes face with overseas supply chains.
Natural gas- and propane-fueled standby generators require parts that meet exact specs, and domestic manufacturing helps maintain consistency.
If you’re trying to decide between a portable generator and a home standby generator for backup power during power outages, knowing how long a Generac generator will run matters just as much as knowing it’s built domestically, both at purchase and in the years of upkeep that follow.
