In the fitness tracking industry, there are many products to choose from that meet the various needs to monitor things such as heart rate, sleep patterns, distance, and physical activity. For serious athletes that are trying to beat personal records or individuals who are just starting to live an active lifestyle, Garmin wearables are the perfect choice for ones trying to achieve those goals. Many people think of Garmin as a device that connects to a vehicle for navigation guidance to select destinations, but they also have many other products that can benefit anyone with a variety of fitness needs such as swimming, cycling, running, rowing, baseball, and even golfing. The company uses Global Positioning System, also known as GPS, and can be used without the need of having a phone nearby making it more convenient to perform activities without an added device. Business units they specialize in are auto, aviation, marine, fitness, and outdoors; and their products are known for value, performance, innovation, and ergonomics. …show more content…
Kao founded Garmin in 1989 in Lenexa, Kansas. They had originally named the company ‘Pronav’ and then later combined the first part of both their names and created ‘Garmin’. Their very first customer was the United States Army and sold them a GPS unit for twenty-five hundred dollars. There are more than 11,500 employees in over 60 offices around the world, with their headquarters located in Olathe, Kansas and their global parent company operating in Switzerland. England houses their marketing office and manufacturing in Taiwan. The business began public trading on NASDAQ December 8th, 2000, at fourteen dollars a share. To this day, they have grown to sixty dollars a