nineteen-seventies
1971 Peterson bought CAT Lift Truck franchise for all existing territory
1972 First hydraulic excavator – CAT 225 – rolls off assembly line in Aurora, Illinois
1974 Carol Burns becomes Peterson's first woman to join the union (Operating Engineers, Local 3)
1974 Peterson designs/builds giant tracks and propulsion systems for drill rigs for Alaskan pipeline
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1977 Peterson opens Engine Division at new Power Center facility on Teagarden in San Leandro
1977 Peterson moves into 2nd generation ownership with Bill Doyle as new owner/CEO
1978 CAT introduces the new high-drive D10
1979 Peterson builds giant building transporters for Sohio for Alaskan Pipeline read more
nineteen-eighties
1981 Peterson acquires Matthews Machinery territory (Humboldt Co.) with store in Eureka
1981 Worldwide recession costs Caterpillar equivalent of $1 million a day, forcing dramatic
employment reductions
1982 Warms Springs Dam finished after 4 years / $358 million - Peterson provides on-site support
1982 Peterson acquires Zumwalt Tractor territory (Glenn Co.) - opens Willows store
1982 Peterson holds equipment auction to help defray recession costs
1983 Caterpillar Leasing Co. renamed Caterpillar Financial Services - expands equipment
finance offerings to customers worldwide
1985 CAT offers over 300 products, more than double the number in 1981
1986 Caterpillar enters a new market with introduction of its CAT 416 backhoe/loader
1986 Caterpillar Tractor Co. changes name to Caterpillar Inc.
1986 Peterson celebrates its 50th year of doing business
1987 CAT launches $1.8 billion plant modernization program to streamline mfg process
1988 Peterson acquires Berglund Tractor territory (Mendocino, Lake, Sonoma, W.Solano, Napa Cos)
1989 CAT assumes the new "triangle" logo |
