The Timberland Story|Our History

Download a pdf of Timberland's Complete Timeline.

	1952 Every journey has a beginning. Ours begins when Nathan Swartz buys part of the Abington Shoe Company. He learns how to make shoes, and starts working on ways to make them better. 1955 Nathan Swartz becomes sole owner of the Abington Shoe Company. Business is good, and sons Sidney and Herman join him at work.

	1965 History in the making. The Swartz family introduces injection moulding to the footwear industry and the first truly waterproof Timberland® leather footwear is born.

	1973 The Timberland® boot is introduced. It stands for rugged durability and exceptional craftsmanship. It still does. 1978 ” The Timberland Company” becomes our official name. We manufacture our first hand-sewn casual shoe.

	1980 The small New England footwear company leaves its footprint on the international fashion market as Italian exports take off. 1985 Timberland® footwear is exported to other locations in Europe and the Far East. 1986 The next generation of Timberland. Nathan’s son Sidney becomes sole proprietor of The Timberland Company. Sidney’s 29-year-old son Jeffrey joins the company as head of international sales. 1987 The company goes public on the American Stock Exchange. 1988 Men’s and women’s clothing lines are introduced. Timberland® specialty stores open in Boston, New York and London. 1989 Our longstanding partnership with City Year begins with 50 pairs of boots. It will eventually grow to over $10 million in support, allowing City Year to expand to 18 cities. 1989 We introduce our first lightweight hiking boot, with a Timberland® Trail Grip™ sole for traction without harming the trail.

	1990 Timberland® apparel for women is introduced. 1991 Jeffrey Swartz is named COO. Waterproof leather outerwear and accessories are introduced. Timberland® leather means true protection for the elements. 1992 The Path of Service™ programme is launched, and employees are offered 16 hours of paid leave to perform service in their communities every year. 1992 Joined Business for Social Responsibility, teaming up with other businesses to initiate social change. Our “Give Racism the Boot” campaign delivers messages of tolerance. 1993 How we make Timberland® products is as important as what we make. We sign a set of environmental guidelines from the Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies (CERES). 1996 Boots and shoes for kids introduce Timberland to a whole new generation. Product lines expand with watches, daypacks, travel gear, gloves, and more. 1997 Advanced Combination Construction (ACC) and B.S.F.P.™ outsole technology make Timberland® footwear even more comfortable and rugged. 1997 The Path of Service™ programme expands to 40 hours of paid community service time for employees every year. 1997 Fortune Magazine lists Timberland as one of The Best Places to Work for 1997. It has been named on the list every year since. 1998 Jeffrey Swartz, grandson of Timberland founder Nathan Swartz, becomes President and Chief Executive Officer. 1998 Our 25th anniversary. We celebrate by putting on our first company-wide day of community service. We called it Serv-a-palooza, and it’s gone on to become an annual worldwide event. 1999 Timberland PRO® series is introduced, featuring comfort, protection and durability for working professionals.

	2000 We are honoured by Business Ethics Magazine as one of the “100 Best Corporate Citizens”. 2001 The Path of Service™ sabbatical programme was started, giving employees the opportunity to apply for long-term service projects. 2001 The Committee to Encourage Corporate Philanthropy selects The Timberland Company as a recipient of the 2001 Annual Excellence in Corporate Philanthropy Awards. 2004 Family business. Working Mother magazine names us to their list of “100 Best Companies for Working Mothers.” We received the honour again in 2005 and 2006. 2004 Timberland employees begin to take advantage of a $3,000 stipend towards the purchase of hybrid vehicles. 2005 Smart move. Timberland acquires the SmartWool Corporation and introduces more footwear that benefits from its temperature regulating features. 2005 Timberland donates footwear and gear to Hurricane Katrina disaster relief efforts and extends employee service sabbatical programme with the Red Cross. 2006 Our distribution centre in Ontario, California generates 60% of its power through the installation of new solar panels. It reduces green house gas emissions by an estimated 480,000 pounds per year. 2006 The Timberland PreciseFit™ system is awarded an IDEA silver award for innovation in design. 2006 Miön Footwear is awarded an IDEA bronze award for innovation in design. 2006 The Timberland® Cadion is named Backpacker Magazine Editors’ Choice. 2006 Howies, an active sports brand from Wales, UK, is acquired and we develop innovative sport footwear brands Miön and GoLite. 2007 Timberland is named to CRO Magazine’s list of Best Corporate Citizens. 2007 Timberland acquires iPath, a skate inspired footwear and clothing brand.