History

Cobra Electronics Corporation has grown and prospered during the past 50 years to become a leading designer and marketer of consumer electronics products. Once a small television repair business located in founder Carl Korn’s garage, Cobra now has offices in Hong Kong, Dublin and Chicago.

The Early Years

In 1948, Carl Korn founded Central Television Service Company to provide repair service for the fledgling television industry. The industry expanded so quickly that service equipment soon became outdated. Thus, Carl and his associates began designing, producing and marketing their own test equipment. Soon, B&K Electronics was born.

Throughout the 50s and early 60s, B&K Electronics, along with many other small electronics companies, joined forces to form Dynascan Corporation. In 1963, Dynascan engineers developed the world’s first citizens band (CB) radio, the Sidewinder, which was shortly followed by the Cobra. With widespread acceptance of CBs in the marketplace, the Cobra name caught on with consumers and eventually evolved into the symbol and brand name for this signature product.

1980s and 90s

The early 80s were boom years, with the introduction of cordless telephones and radar detectors. The Cobra name soon came to stand for technical innovation. By 1987, the company was propelled exclusively into the consumer electronics market and in 1993 the corporate name was formally changed from Dynascan to Cobra Electronics Corporation with the NASDAQ stock trading symbol of COBR. Cobra identified the need for unique products and renewed its focus on product innovation and high-impact merchandising. This new strategy began paying impressive dividends in 1997, when the company registered double-digit revenue growth and a five-fold increase in earnings.

In January 1998, James (Jim) R. Bazet was named president and chief executive officer of Cobra Electronics Corporation. Under Jim’s leadership, the company continued to improve revenue and earnings. Proving that providing quality products and service does not go unrecognized by customers, by 2000 Cobra was the top performer in the CB radio, radar detection and two-way radio categories.

Today

Moving into the 21st century, Jim Bazet and the executive team focused on Cobra's global presence. In 2003, in addition to maintaining a leadership role in its core categories, Cobra entered two new growth categories--marine electronics and mobile navigation. Today, Cobra's products can be found in more than 40,000 storefronts in North America and a growing number of retailers throughout the world.