Viking Appliances Fights to Stay in the U.S.

With the housing crisis not exactly behind us, fewer Americans are willing to open their wallets for luxury kitchen equipment, and Viking Appliances is feeling the burn. The company is struggling to survive in this stingier market, MSNBC reports, with the goal of not just staying afloat — but staying domestic.

Viking Appliances was founded in the 1980s in Greenwood, Mississippi, a former cotton town that experienced an economic decline in the 1970s as production moved overseas. Now, Viking is crucial to Greenwood’s economy, and CEO Fred Carl is fighting to keep his company on U.S. soil to prevent the town from suffering yet again at the hands of globalization.

To this end, Viking has revamped its production to increase efficiency and conserve resources. The company is also working on a line of scaled back products targeting consumers with smaller budgets.

Viking is known for producing luxurious, commercial-quality kitchen appliances. Viking gas ranges are frequently 48″ inches wide with as many as eight burners, allowing for more sophisticated cooking than smaller pieces of equipment.