Poulan 3400 manual Charles Beaird Company gains a new leader

Charles Beaird

The company gains a new leader

In 1971, Charles Beaird (see inset) set Poulan on a new era of growth with the move to new manufacturing facilities. The new plant had

117,000 square feet compared to the old plant’s 54,000 square feet.

In 1959, Louisiana industrialist, Charles T. Beaird, who had been an executive with a Shreveport steel fabricating company, sought new investment opportunities in the Red River city. He found the Poulan Saw Company a solid investment, and pur- chased the firm from the Poulan family. Beaird assumed presidency of the compa- ny and renamed it Beaird-Poulan Compa- ny.

He began an extensive program of expansion, increasing the Shreveport plant by 18,000 square feet and introducing sev- eral new models. Also, Beaird branched out into the manufacturing of go-cart engines and other related products.

Streamlining saw models, Beaird felt would move the Beaird-Poulan Company even further into the rapidly growing chain saw market. And he was right. They revised the basic product and streamlined the old open carburetion and crude-look- ing housings. this led to the introduction of the FD100 direct drive and its compan- ion, the F3100 reduction drive in 1960.

Both were extremely sophisticated for the time and well-received in the marketplace.

Beard, in realizing the need for a more versatile and complete line of chain saws, expanded the Poulan line to six models, ranging in cost from $200 to $500. The company instituted new sales promotion techniques including advertising and descriptive literature which appealed to a broader market. Beaird-Poulan’s customer was no longer just the rough woodcutter of the United States forest lands, but the general public as well.

To appeal to the new consumer market, Beaird-Poulan also completely changed the appearance of their saws with new paint selections, making them more color- ful.

Through superior design and aggressive marketing, Beaird-Poulan set the pace for the industry, and new models increased penetration into the farm segment, casual user segment and lightweight professional segment. In 1965, Poulan passed another milestone with the construction of a series