Kershaw Knives was started in Portland, Oregon in 1974 when Knife salesman Pete Kershaw left Gerber Legendary Blades to form his own cutlery company based on his own designs Kershaw Knives was born.^[1][2][3]. Early Kershaw manufacturing was primarily done in Japan; in 1977, Kershaw knives became a wholly owned subsidiary of the Japanese KAI Group.^[1][3][4] In 1998 the main production facility was opened in Wilsonville, Oregon; due to growth, the facilities were moved to a larger production site in 2003. Current manufacturing facilities are located in Tualatin (main factory) and some goods come from their Japan and China factories.^[3]