moved to USA in 2009 – 2015
Canada, North Carolina, Alabama

History in Canada

• 1985 founded by Ted Szabo and Thanos Polyzos in Canada
  – two childhood friends
  – Szabo was born in Hungary
  – Polyzos was born in Greece
• had a factory in Markham, Ontario, Canada
• January 2009 moved to Pineville, North Carolina

USA History

• January 2009 moved to Pineville, North Carolina
• Renamed Para USA
• January 2012 bought by Freedom Group
• 2014 moved into Remington Arms facility in Huntsville, Alabama
•  March 2015 cessation of the Para name

About Para USA

Para USA began as Para-Ordnance, a Canadian company founded in 1985 by childhood friends Ted Szabo and Thanos Polyzos. Working from a factory in Markham, Ontario, Para-Ordnance became known for one idea that changed the 1911 market: frame kits, and later complete pistols, that let the classic John Browning design accept a double-column, high-capacity magazine. The company followed with single- and double-stack 1911s in .45 ACP, .40 S&W, 9mm and .38 Super, and in 1998 introduced its Light Double Action (LDA) trigger system for carry pistols.

In January 2009 the company announced a new U.S. headquarters in Pineville, North Carolina, near Charlotte, and the business was rebranded Para USA. In January 2012 it was acquired by the Freedom Group, the holding company that later became Remington Outdoor. Remington announced in 2014 that it would consolidate several brands, including Para, into its Huntsville, Alabama plant; in February 2015 Remington announced Para’s full integration, ending Para as a separate brand. Para pistols remain common on the used market, and the double-stack 1911 concept it popularized lives on across the industry.

Key Facts

• 1985: Para-Ordnance founded in Canada by Ted Szabo and Thanos Polyzos
• 1998: Light Double Action (LDA) trigger system introduced
• January 2009: U.S. headquarters announced for Pineville, North Carolina; renamed Para USA
• January 2012: acquired by the Freedom Group
• 2014: Remington announces consolidation of Para into its Huntsville, Alabama facility
• February 2015: Remington announces Para’s integration, ending the separate brand

Sources

• Para USA (Wikipedia)
• Re-Ignited: Para USA is Back (American Rifleman)

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