At the turn of the century, when W.H. Hoover's harness goods company seemed doomed, he seized an opportunity in the revolutionary age of labour saving devices. The family company was saved by the creation of a bagged electric vacuum by a cousin of Hoover's wife, J. Murray Spangler, who invented a system whereby dust and dirt were swept by an electric fan into a sateen bag. In 1908 the Hoover family opened for business under the name of "The Electric Suction Sweeper Company" in New Berlin (now North Canton), Ohio. The fame of the new sweeper travelled quickly. Within three years, an assembly plant opened in Windsor, Ontario, and in 1919 the company moved to Hamilton, Ontario. In 1960, the Hoover Worldwide Corporation was formed, which today operates plants in Norway, Finland, Wales, Scotland, France, Portugal, South Africa, Australia, Columbia and Mexico.

Hoover's engineers have produced a number of revolutionary new products since the original "Model 0". The "Model 2" of 1909 was the first cleaner with an aluminum main casting, making it much lighter than its predecessors, which had weighed up to 100 pounds. The "Model 105" of 1920 established the design long identified with  Hoover products. It was lightweight and carried a number of new features—a manual control tilting bar, an oil-treated sateen cloth bag and fan of diecast aluminum. The "Hooverette" of 1921 was the first compact cleaner complete with a wheeldriven brush roll.

Hoover's research and development division then produced the first all die-cast aluminum cleaner, the "Model 541", which was introduced in 1923. In 1926, The Hoover Company produced a brush roll agitator, making its "Model 700" truly one which fulfilled the company slogan, "It beats as it sweeps as it cleans". Hoover moved quickly from door-to-door sales representatives to a system of dealerships where trained Hoover personnel could demonstrate all Hoover products and provide service to Hoover owners. During World War II, Hoover factories were converted to military production, using company plastics and die casting experience to produce quality war goods. After the war, the line of household cleaning aids and appliances was expanded to include the "air-ride Constellation" cleaner of 1956 and a water vacuum in 1959 for heavy duty floor and carpet cleaning with a suction dryer. Floor polishers, selfpropelled cleaners and the "Concept Two" line of upright vacuum cleaners with attachments for above-floor cleaning made their debut through the 1960's. As carpeting fashions change, Hoover engineers continue to refine their cleaning products to keep in step with the textile industry's innovations around the world.

Hoover Canada Inc. located in Burlington, Ontario in 1966 manufactures Hoover's popular spindry washers. Today, with its capacity doubled, the plant produces a full range of Hoover floorcare products as well as laundry machines. The company maintains 17 factory service outlets and authorizes over 100 warranty dealers across Canada. Highlighting Hoover Canada's product line for the 1980's are "Dimension", the first computer designed vacuum cleaner on the market, and "Ovation", Hoover's own Central System.

Homemakers nation-wide know Hoover best for its network of carefully trained dealers and the reliability of its products—two factors which have marked its success since 1908.