Parker Company is the oldest manufacturer of lawn sweepers and debris-handling equipment in the world. A Chicago hardware company was the first recorded customer to purchase a sweeper in 1921. After that initial sale Parker began producing lawn sweepers on a larger scale. On the international front, in the mid 1950s their products reached South America, Europe, Africa, the Soviet Union, Japan and the Far East. By the late 1960s Parker's product line included powered or trailing lawn sweepers, power rakes, debris removal equipment and indoor/outdoor vacuums.