In 1921, entrepreneur Charles H. Ferguson of Port Chester, New York, invented a lightweight, portable, gasoline-powered electrical generator.

His newly founded company, the Home Electric Lighting Company (later abbreviated to Homelite), made it possible for thousands of rural farms and households to enjoy the convenience of electricity, where it would be years before land lines would reach many of these remote areas.

In 1946, Homelite manufactured its first chainsaw, an electrical model, and in 1949, released another power-equipment innovation in the form of the first chainsaw that featured one-man operation (previous saws were generally too large and bulky to be operated by a single individual).

By the mid-1960s, Homelite had been firmly established as one of the largest manufacturers of chainsaws in the world, with models ranging from small brush cutters, to the most advanced professional logging saws.

[3] Homelite has shifted its production primarily to consumer level lawn and garden equipment and light duty chainsaws.