History
In 1929, Mr. Ole Bardahl had saved enough money to become a building contractor and throughout
the depression era, he worked 16-hour days building and selling homes he had built. He saved money
from his wages and at the same time went to school studying chemistry, accounting and English.
By 1936, he had reached a point where he was able to try his hand in other business opportunities and
in 1939, he bought a small chemical company, which was the beginning of Bardahl with a small manufacturing plant in Ballard, a community of Norwegian, Swedish and Finnish immigrants.
He personally oversaw the entire operation from operating blending tanks, serving as salesman,
shipping clerk and canning machine operator. The company he bought had a number of cleaners and
one oil product. Ole Bardahl was a man of vision who quickly realized the potential of his oil additive.
Sales in the first few years were slim. The Bardahl oil treatment became the Number One
Seller in 1947, and by 1952 Bardahl sales were ranked third among its competitors around the
world. Soon after, the results of an effective television advertising campaign established Bardahl as
the Top seller in the United States and international markets, a position Bardahl still enjoys in many
countries around the world today.
Mr. Ole Bardahl was a considerable competitor in the racing motor sports arena as well as in business. He felt higher compression engines were great testing grounds for his products. Ole Bardahl died in August of 1989 and is survived by his daughter Evelyn Bardahl McNeil, his 5 grandchildren and 6 great grandchildren.
Bardahl Manufacturing Corporation Worldwide Headquarters are still located in Ballard Washington
(Seattle) and today the company is run by the Bardahl family, their dedicated employees and distributors in 80 countries around the world.
