How long has Oreck been around?

Oreck Corporation

In 1963 David Oreck started the Oreck Corporation to sell vacuum cleaners by mail.[1] Here is the story as told on Oreck's website, Oreck.com:

On a cold snowy day in Chicago, carrying the vacuum cleaner under his arm a la Willy Loman, the call came. In New Orleans, the RCA distributor was fighting for last place and winning, and the company wanted to know if he�d be interested in taking it over. "I flew down to New Orleans that day. The sun was out. It was beautiful. I was still in my heavy winter overcoat. I said to myself, 'Wow. I�m missing something here.��

Oreck had acquired an abandoned design for an upright vacuum cleaner from Whirlpool and a failing RCA distribution facility in New Orleans, Louisiana. The 3.6-kg (8-lb) vacuum cleaner was a third of the weight of other machines available. Competitors, however, used this fact to criticize Oreck's vacuum cleaner's effectiveness and durability. Oreck decided to first market to hotels where lightweight would be a big positive factor. The machines now are used in thousands of hotels worldwide.

Oreck machines are either assembled in the United States with parts manufactured in China or imported fully assembled. The company employs more than 1,500 at its retail stores, corporate headquarters in Nashville, Tennessee, and assembly center in Cookeville, Tennessee, to where it moved from Long Beach, Mississippi, in 2007. One such product is the Oreck XL Air 8 Purifier, which featured in an informercial running since 1999.

As Oreck has explained, he had "a good idea, a lot of energy, and no money." Oreck claims it took about 20 years of hard work to begin to achieve a semblance of success, but he was a believer in Winston Churchill's maxim, "Never, never, never give up."

Since 2003 the corporation has been jointly owned by private investment firm American Securities Capital Partners[4] and David's three children.

Early life

David Oreck was born close to Duluth, Minnesota and attended the University of Minnesota Duluth. When Oreck was young, his father took him on a flight in a Ford Trimotor, and on the ice of Lake Superior, they landed the aircraft on skis; the experience proved so exciting to Oreck that he has been obsessed with planes and the mechanics of engines and electronics ever since. In his desire to ferry airplanes to Europe, Oreck began his flight training in the Civilian Pilot Training program in North Dakota before the U.S. entered World War II. Shortly after Pearl Harbor was attacked, Oreck joined the United States Army Air Forces and served as a certified pilot, navigator, and bombardier in the Pacific Theater for over two years. He participated in bombing missions over Japan in what were then considered state-of-the-art B-29s.

After the war

Following the war, David Oreck began his career as a wholesale distributor for RCA in New York. He worked with the company for 17 years, eventually reaching the level of general sales manager. It was during this time that the American public was introduced to several new products that Oreck helped market. These items included the washing machine, the microwave oven, and black-and-white and color televisions. Oreck accompanied RCA General Manager David Sarnoff to congressional hearings when the Federal Communications Commission was attempting to develop standards for color television broadcasts.

During his last years at RCA, Oreck started a charter aircraft service on the side for which he did much of the flying. Another venture involved a central antenna system in New York City that would wire apartment buildings for television use, in a foreshadowing of today's cable television. He also started a company to teach radio and television repair in Spanish by direct mail.


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Post# 227098 4/6/2013 at 22:37 (4,031 days old) by Vac_whisperer ()
Checkrate/Likes So I was wondering about...how long exactly has Oreck been around? What was their first model? What about some more of their early vacuums? And pics would be AWESOME. Thanks!

Post# 227100 , Reply# 1 4/6/2013 at 22:46 (4,031 days old) by tylerawells (-)
Checkrate/Likes I do not have photos of early Oreck models - and from what I understand they are EXTREMELY rare. I do know that Oreck was started in 1963 selling their cleaners through direct mail, with an early focus on the hotel industry. I own a 2013 Oreck Graphite and I am pleased with it every single time I use it. My grandmother has an old XL that she's had forever and it runs great.

Post# 227101 , Reply# 2 4/6/2013 at 22:48 (4,031 days old) by Vac_whisperer ()
Checkrate/Likes The only Oreck I own is a 2600...not the worst vacuum I've ever seen, but not real great.

Post# 227102 , Reply# 3 4/6/2013 at 22:53 (4,031 days old) by aeoliandave (Stratford Ontario Canada)
Checkrate/Likes Oreck Corporation In 1963 David Oreck started the Oreck Corporation to sell vacuum cleaners by mail.[1] Here is the story as told on Oreck's website, Oreck.com: On a cold snowy day in Chicago, carrying the vacuum cleaner under his arm a la Willy Loman, the call came. In New Orleans, the RCA distributor was fighting for last place and winning, and the company wanted to know if he�d be interested in taking it over. "I flew down to New Orleans that day. The sun was out. It was beautiful. I was still in my heavy winter overcoat. I said to myself, 'Wow. I�m missing something here.�� Oreck had acquired an abandoned design for an upright vacuum cleaner from Whirlpool and a failing RCA distribution facility in New Orleans, Louisiana. The 3.6-kg (8-lb) vacuum cleaner was a third of the weight of other machines available. Competitors, however, used this fact to criticize Oreck's vacuum cleaner's effectiveness and durability. Oreck decided to first market to hotels where lightweight would be a big positive factor. The machines now are used in thousands of hotels worldwide. Oreck machines are either assembled in the United States with parts manufactured in China or imported fully assembled. The company employs more than 1,500 at its retail stores, corporate headquarters in Nashville, Tennessee, and assembly center in Cookeville, Tennessee, to where it moved from Long Beach, Mississippi, in 2007. One such product is the Oreck XL Air 8 Purifier, which featured in an informercial running since 1999. As Oreck has explained, he had "a good idea, a lot of energy, and no money." Oreck claims it took about 20 years of hard work to begin to achieve a semblance of success, but he was a believer in Winston Churchill's maxim, "Never, never, never give up." Since 2003 the corporation has been jointly owned by private investment firm American Securities Capital Partners[4] and David's three children. Early life David Oreck was born close to Duluth, Minnesota and attended the University of Minnesota Duluth. When Oreck was young, his father took him on a flight in a Ford Trimotor, and on the ice of Lake Superior, they landed the aircraft on skis; the experience proved so exciting to Oreck that he has been obsessed with planes and the mechanics of engines and electronics ever since. In his desire to ferry airplanes to Europe, Oreck began his flight training in the Civilian Pilot Training program in North Dakota before the U.S. entered World War II. Shortly after Pearl Harbor was attacked, Oreck joined the United States Army Air Forces and served as a certified pilot, navigator, and bombardier in the Pacific Theater for over two years. He participated in bombing missions over Japan in what were then considered state-of-the-art B-29s. After the war Following the war, David Oreck began his career as a wholesale distributor for RCA in New York. He worked with the company for 17 years, eventually reaching the level of general sales manager. It was during this time that the American public was introduced to several new products that Oreck helped market. These items included the washing machine, the microwave oven, and black-and-white and color televisions. Oreck accompanied RCA General Manager David Sarnoff to congressional hearings when the Federal Communications Commission was attempting to develop standards for color television broadcasts. During his last years at RCA, Oreck started a charter aircraft service on the side for which he did much of the flying. Another venture involved a central antenna system in New York City that would wire apartment buildings for television use, in a foreshadowing of today's cable television. He also started a company to teach radio and television repair in Spanish by direct mail.

Post# 227103 , Reply# 4 4/6/2013 at 23:02 (4,031 days old) by Vac_whisperer ()
Checkrate/Likes Thank you!