Frequent Questions about Step2

Like Andy said in his last post, there are primarily two of us here at Step2 who will be writing for this blog. I'm the other guy, Rob MacKay. I'm Andy's boss, and just for the record, I'm nothing like the pointy-haired boss in Dilbert. At least I hope not.

This is my fifteenth year working for The Step2 Company. Over the years there have been a few questions about the company that I am asked over and over again:

• Do Step2 and Little Tikes have anything in common? Yes, Step2 was founded by Tom Murdough. Tom is the same guy that started The Little Tikes Company. Tom sold Little Tikes to Rubbermaid (now NewellRubbermaid) in 1984 and left the company in 1989. He started Step2 a couple years later. We are not affiliated with Little Tikes in any way.

• Is Step2 a public company? No, The Step2 Company, LLC is privately held. In April, 2006 Step2 was acquired by Liberty Partners, a New York-based private equity investment firm.

• What does the name "Step2" mean? Step2 refers to a couple of things. First and foremost, the name implies our mission: to go "A Step Beyond" in the development and manufacturing of innovative products for the family and home. It also refers to the fact that this is the second venture for our founder and CEO, Tom Murdough.

Thank you for taking time to visit our site. As Andy said, we look forward to sharing information about our company and hearing your comments along the way.