COLLINS RADIO

1931: Arthur Collins opens Collins Radio Company in the basement of his home with one employee

1933: Incorporation as Collins Radio Company (September 25) under the laws of Delaware; the Company moves to a sub-floor in the Metropolitan Building at 2920 First Avenue, Cedar Rapids, telephone 2-0016,

1934: The Byrd Antarctic Expedition II sails with complete Collins short wave broadcasting station aboard,

1935: The factory portion of Collins moves to 7th and First Avenue, Cedar Rapids

1936: The Radio Corporation of American (RCA) accuses Collins Radio of patent infringement in the use of oscillator tubes in Collins transmitters.

1937: The factory moves back to 2920 First Avenue, Cedar Rapids

1938: Patent licenses were secured from RCA and AT&T on favorable terms,
 1940: The first section of what is now called Main Plant was built at 855 - 35th Street, Cedar Rapids,

1942: Collins Employees Credit Union established -- until 1942, no women had been employed in the factory.

1943: Factory employees accept the American Federation of Labor as their bargaining unit

1946: Collins built and began production in a site at Burbank, California.

1950: Collins built a production site in Dallas, Texas

1953: Collins built the C Avenue complex "in the shadow of the WMT-TV tower, the building cost $2 million on 52 acres of land.

1955: Acquired Communications Accessories Company in Kansas City, Missouri. 

1961: Collins’ Western Division moves from Burbank to Newport Beach, California. 

1968: Collins Radio had one of the wildest swinging stocks; in 1958 it sold under $11, in 1960 it was $72; in 1964 it was back to $15; and in 1968 it sold over $100,

1969: Electronic Data System (EDS); at the time a small Texas company headed by Ross Perot, tendered an offer to buy 51% of Collins in an attempt to take over Collins Radio; by May, EDS withdraws its offer; discussions with Honeywell emerged, which later collapsed

1971: Collins Radio Company merges with Rockwell International Corp.; After the merger, Arthur serves on the Board of Directors

1972: Robert C. Wilson named President & Chief Executive Officer of Collins Radio Company; Art Collins leaves Collins Radio to form Arthur A. Collins Consulting, Inc.

1982: Art Collins receives the Pioneer Award from the Aerospace & Electronics Systems Society of the IEEE

1996: Consolidation of Collins Commercial Avionics (CCA), Collins Avionics and Communications Division (CACD), and the Dallas, Texas-based Communication Systems Division (CSD) into one organization,
 1997: Collins buys Hughes-Avicom and enters the in-flight entertainment market

1998: Collins sells Railroad Electronics to WABCO.

1999-2000: Company-wide integration of SAP.

2000: Collins buys Kaiser Aerospace and Electronics.

2001: Rockwell International Corp. spins-off Rockwell Collins, Inc. as independent, public traded, company