About Us

TriStar's history begins in the 1940's with a company called Interstate Engineering Corporation. Interstate Engineering Corporation designed and manufactured the Compact vacuum. The first Compact vacuum was originally made to clean Howard Hughes Corporation's aircraft. The design of the Compact, with its hose and several attachments, made it easy to clean under seats and the overhead compartments. The Compact worked so well that Interstate Engineering Corporation decided to go public. The first Compact was sold to the public in 1946.

Just like the salespeople of today, the salespeople in the 1940's sold the Compact door-to-door. Over the next 50 years, the Compact would change in color and in weight but the design of the first Compact is very much like the design of the TriStar today. TriStar has many distributors located throughout the United States, Canada and Europe.