Kohler Co.

Is Kohler publicly traded?
No. Kohler Co. is privately held and controlled by the Kohler family. There is no stock ticker, and outside investors cannot buy shares. David Kohler, the founder's great-grandson, is chair and CEO.

Who owns the Kohler brand?
The Kohler brand is owned by Kohler Co., the same private company that founded it in 1873. Unlike most major plumbing competitors, the brand and its parent share one identity and one owner.

What happened to Kohler Energy?
Kohler sold a majority stake in Kohler Energy, its generators and power systems business, to private equity firm Platinum Equity in May 2024. The business was renamed Rehlko in 2025. Kohler retains a minority interest.

What is Kohler's revenue?
Kohler does not publish audited financials. Forbes estimated 2025 revenue at approximately $7 billion. Earlier estimates near $10 billion included the energy business before its divestiture.

Where are Kohler products made?
Kohler manufactures in the United States at plants in Wisconsin, South Carolina, and other states, and internationally in Mexico, India, China, Thailand, France, the United Kingdom, Brazil, and additional markets. The flagship plant and headquarters are in Kohler, Wisconsin.

When was Kohler founded?
John Michael Kohler founded the company on December 3, 1873, in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. It produced its first enameled cast-iron bathtub in 1883 and has been family owned ever since.

John Michael Kohler, an Austrian immigrant, founded the company on December 3, 1873, in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, as a foundry producing cast-iron farm implements and cemetery urns. The turning point came in 1883 when workers applied enamel to a cast-iron horse trough, creating the company's first enameled bathtub. Plumbing products gradually became the core business.

Under second-generation leader Walter J. Kohler Sr., the company moved to a new company town, the Village of Kohler, incorporated in 1912 and designed with landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted's firm. Walter later served as governor of Wisconsin. The company survived the Depression on plumbing demand and expanded into engines and power generation, businesses it kept for a century.

Third-generation leader Herb Kohler, who became CEO in 1972, transformed the firm into a design-led consumer brand and built the hospitality arm. He created The American Club resort, developed the Whistling Straits and Blackwolf Run golf courses that hosted PGA Championships and the 2021 Ryder Cup, and acquired the Old Course Hotel in St Andrews, Scotland. Herb Kohler also famously refused to take the company public and resisted decades of unionization pressure, which produced several long strikes, including a seven-year dispute in the 1950s and a 16-day strike in 2015.

David Kohler became CEO in 2015. Under his leadership the company invested in smart bathroom products under the KOHLER Konnect line, expanded luxury sub-brands including Kallista, Robern, and Ann Sacks, and pushed into clean power.

The most significant recent move was the divestiture of the energy business. In May 2024 Kohler sold a majority stake in Kohler Energy, its generators and power systems division, to private equity firm Platinum Equity. The business was renamed Rehlko in 2025, with Kohler retaining a minority interest. The sale concentrated the company on kitchen, bath, and hospitality while leaving it smaller than earlier revenue estimates suggested.

Kohler publishes an annual Global Impact Report with external assurance on selected metrics. The company's Believing in Better strategy targets reductions in operational greenhouse gas emissions, waste to landfill, and water use intensity against a 2017 baseline.

Kohler has received multiple EPA WaterSense Sustained Excellence Awards for water-efficient fixtures, a third-party program administered by the US Environmental Protection Agency rather than a paid certification. A large share of its toilet and faucet lines carry WaterSense labeling, which requires independent verification of water efficiency.

The company runs a signature social program called Safe Water for All, funding water access projects with NGOs. It reports CDP climate and water security disclosures and offers a take-back program for plumbing products in some markets. Kohler does not hold B Corp certification, and its plumbing products are not subject to cruelty-free or vegan certification regimes.

Kohler's labor relations history includes several major disputes. A 1954 to 1960 strike at the Kohler plant was among the longest in US industrial history and produced an unfair labor practice ruling against the company. A further strike in 2015 lasted 16 days before a new contract was approved. The company has historically resisted unionization, which has drawn criticism from labor groups.

The company has faced periodic environmental and trade scrutiny. Kohler paid a $20 million penalty in 2020 in a California settlement over emissions noncompliance in small engines sold into the state, one of the larger such engine settlements at the time. Trade actions over imported cast-iron and ceramic sanitary ware from China have periodically affected costs and pricing across the industry, including Kohler.

Kohler has not had major product safety recalls in recent years beyond routine CPSC-level matters common to appliance and fixture makers.