Our History

Six family generations serving the needs of the industrial market
1897
Leon Frey Sr. launches The Frey Company, a hardware store in downtown NYC
1925
Leon' son, Herbert Frey, joins the family business
1947
Herbert Frey sells over 10,000,000 Hollow Ground Nesting Screw Drivers
1955
The Frey Company evolves into a wholesale distributor based on Warren Street in NYC selling the New Process Twist Drill brand to the industrial market
1964
Leon H. Frey, Herbert's son, joins the family business. His vision to sell the highest quality, top performing tools is still held today.
1965
The Frey Company becomes Champion Twist Drill Corp, now selling a wide variety of twist drills and countersinks
1971
The Brute XL5 Drill is engineered to be the first premium HSS twist drill for drilling through stainless steel using a handheld power drill
1975
High Speed Steel gun taps are introduced as a faster way to thread holes in through-hole applications
1980
Leon Frey develops the SA80 Car Reamer, an innovative maintenance tool designed to enlarge and align existing holes in steel
1984
Lowell Frey, Leon's son, is the fifth generation family member to join Champion
1985
Champion Twist Drill Corp becomes Champion Cutting Tool Corp, serving the needs of industrial consumers with a wide variety of high quality tools
1993
Champion's carbide burs, with unique Titanium Nitride Coating, are immediately embraced by users who value quality and performance
1996
Champion launches RotoBrute and becomes an industry leader in magnetic drill press systems
2004
Champion's carbide tipped hole cutters consistently outperform bi-metal hole saws when cutting large diameter holes in steel
2015
Allison Frey, Lowell's daughter, proudly joins the family business
2018
Champion disrupts the circular saw blade market, introducing Brute RZR metal cutting circular saw blades with Cermet teeth- an innovative new material that cuts cooler and longer than carbide
2019
Champion expands it's reamer line with the Brute XSR Step Reamer- the ultimate maintenance tool for reaming holes in steel- each tool has 5 drill sizes
2020
Champion proudly acquires Mercer Industries, which is recognized for its strong line of coated and bonded abrasives. Significant parallels exist between Mercer and Champion, including a history rooted in NYC and a family-like culture.
2021 & Beyond
Champion remains committed to creating innovative, problem-solving tools. We are proud of our unique company culture, which emphasizes people and giving back to our community.
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