| Some of the most innovative inventions stem from | | | | customers and would-be customers who want to tour |
| someone searching for a product that hasn't been | | | | the Viking plant or take a cooking class at the nearby |
| created yet. That's what happened to Fred Carl Jr., the | | | | Viking Cooking School. But even if you don't make the |
| founder of Viking Range Corporation, when he was | | | | pilgrimage to Greenwood, you can still test out your |
| looking to renovate his home more than twenty years | | | | cooking skills on a Viking range at any of the 16 Viking |
| ago. As a fourth generation contractor, he was familiar | | | | Cooking Schools scattered across the country. These |
| with the positive and negative attributes of commercial | | | | state-of-the-art demo and lecture-style Viking |
| ranges, and noticed them appearing in residential | | | | classrooms draw more than 70,000 students annually |
| homes. Realizing there wasn't a residential appliance | | | | and offer classes from regional cuisine to formal |
| out there that met both the rigors of high-heat | | | | cooking and grilling techniques. |
| restaurant-style cooking yet still conformed to strict | | | | Over the years, Carl Jr. has added high-performance |
| building codes, he decided to develop his own hybrid | | | | appliances to the Viking line up. From the first Viking |
| range. After several years of research and | | | | outdoor grill in 1997 to a full outdoor kitchen line up in |
| development, by January of 1987 Fred Carl Jr. was | | | | 2004, Carl Jr. has developed appliances for the Viking |
| distributing the first commercial-style residential range. | | | | indoor and outdoor kitchen that exceed expectations. |
| Today, Viking Range Corporation earns more than | | | | The newest line is the Designer Series, a full line of |
| 300 million dollars in annual sales and employs more | | | | appliances that appeals to the homeowner looking for |
| than 1,000 local Greenwood, Mississippi residents. Being | | | | a more contemporary, streamlined design that can be |
| a lifelong Greenwood citizen, Carl Jr. just couldn't grow | | | | integrated into existing cabinetry. It's a more modern |
| his business anywhere else. With a 87,000 square foot | | | | look with a more competitive price point. |
| manufacturing plant and several distribution centers | | | | Viking manufactures virtually every appliance for the |
| located in the Greenwood area, Carl Jr. has not only | | | | home including ranges, ovens, cook tops, dishwashers, |
| created one of the largest privately held businesses in | | | | refrigerators, and freezers. Countertop appliances such |
| the South, but also brought revenue to this depressed | | | | as toasters and blenders and cutlery also bear the |
| small town. Home to cotton, catfish, and the blues, the | | | | Viking brand name. All products are manufactured in |
| Mississippi delta region is one of the most impoverished | | | | the United States and sold worldwide. And if you think |
| in the nation, which is all the more reason to praise Carl | | | | that Viking only produces stainless steel appliances, |
| Jr. for his commitment and dedication to his hometown. | | | | think again. Hot new colors from cobalt blue to racing |
| Carl Jr., in fact, has reinvigorated a dilapidated | | | | red define a cooking space and visually entertain the |
| downtown, known as historic Cotton Row, and | | | | eye, creating the perfect blend of high-performance |
| converted many abandoned buildings into Viking | | | | output with trend-setting style. |
| destinations. A Viking Mecca, so to speak, with 23 | | | | Even with the economic downturn, Viking Range |
| restored buildings and still counting. The Viking | | | | Corporation has a bright future with its powerhouse |
| headquarters takes up two blocks of downtown and | | | | appliances offering trend-focused styling and durable |
| is located near Viking's Alluvain Hotel and Spa, a luxury | | | | construction. Carl Jr. has created a lifestyle brand |
| hotel and 7,000 square foot spa that entertains not | | | | synonymous with a luxury lifestyle that many strive to |
| only Viking dealers and sales representatives, but also | | | | live. |