What does Apple, Amazon, Google, Disney and Microsoft all have in common?
They all got started in a garage!
Those five companies represent only a fraction of the thousands of successful U.S. companies that got their start in garages.
You can add the Nissen Trampoline Company to that list.
George Nissen used his family’s garage to build his early rebounding prototypes and first production trampolines. When orders for his invention started coming in, it enabled him to finally afford a building to expand operations.
Nissen Corporation eventually became the world’s largest manufacturer of gymnastics equipment.
Imagine working in a midwestern garage in the dead of winter, a poorly lit space without heat or air conditioning, on a contraption that doesn’t even have a name yet and most likely people think you might be slightly delusional.
How big of a dream keeps a person persisting in their quest?
For George, it was more than just a device for bouncing. He saw the rebounders potential for many things such as entertainment, health and fitness, a device to improve athletic performance, and of course, a sport.
Paul (brother), Mary (sister), Catherine (mother), George Nissen, and Frank Nissen (father).
An early production model of George Nissen’s “Tumbling Device” U.S. Patent 2,370,990 March 6, 1945
George’s father, Frank Nissen, was not keen on giving up his garage and having to park his car outside, especially in the winter. In the end, Frank was supportive of George’s entrepreneurial spirit and gave up his garage for the time being.
Dian Nissen continued to carry the torch of the Nissen Trampoline Company by continuing to promote the trampoline and its many benefits. She founded the Nissen Trampoline Academy to encourage youth to jump for fun and fitness and to learn acrobatic skills in order to compete.