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Four and a half decades ago in a small town north of Milan, Italy, Giuseppi Perego toiled late at night in his garage, carefully crafting a baby carriage for his son Lucio.
Even though Perego wanted the carriage finished by the first sunny day of spring, he did not hurry. He knew that, for this child, everything had to be perfect. The carriage had to be safe, yet functional. It needed to ride smoothly and easily, but never tip over. Because he and his wife would be proudly pushing the carriage as they strolled through town, talking to neighbors, friends and family, it needed to look good and be constructed of the best materials and fabrics.
The carriage was finished by the time the tulips surrounding their house burst out of the ground. Lucio's parents walked their son through the cobbled streets of Arcore, Italy in what was to become the first of many carriages produced by the Perego family.
Today, that same attention to detail and care for quality has made Peg Perego a household name. Located on Independence Drive in Fort Wayne since 1968, the company headquarters is still in Arcore, in northern Italy.
Peg Perego began in Giuseppi's garage and today, his son Lucio, and two more of their six children, work at the Italian headquarters of the company, which boasts two well-known product lines: juvenile items such as strollers, carriages and high chairs; and battery-operated ride-on vehicles for kids.
The company originally began producing carriages for children. "But that was a very seasonal line," says Ken Maxwell, marketing manager. "The Peregos sold a lot of carriages in the spring, when the weather was nice, but not many in the fall.
"In what today we would call a brainstorming session, they tried to think of a sellable items that would combine children's products and wheels, so they could stay in the same market. The answer? Ride-on toys."
Pedal push ride-on toys, which today are the battery operated ride-on toys, became the second portion of the business.
Many people ask about the name and its origin. "Perego, of course, was the last name of our founder, Giuseppi Perego," explains Dale Skipper, vice president and general manager of USA operations. "The...